KRO NCRV

Background

KRO-NCRV wants to position itself as the broadcaster of meaning and purpose. Its linear TV audience is on average 45 to 64 years old, while the broadcaster also wants to reach 25 to 39-year-olds. That’s why KRO-NCRV is increasingly shifting from linear TV to online. The philosophical programme Zin in Morgen, currently still on NPO 2, for example, is moving largely to a digital environment.

Challenge

KRO-NCRV wanted a new, online-first brand around meaning and purpose for a younger audience, with Zin in Morgen as the first pilot. The biggest question was: do you rebuild the existing YouTube channel, or start a new brand? The broadcaster also wanted to know which content, platforms and formats suit this audience.

Solution

As a strategist at team5pm, I developed the strategy for the new brand together with Willem Bartelings.

• Channel analysis. I analysed a year of data from the KRO-NCRV channel. Most of the watch time comes from entertainment shows such as Een Huis Vol. If you turn that channel into a channel about meaning and purpose, you lose a large part of the existing audience. My advice: keep KRO-NCRV as an entertainment channel and start a separate brand for meaning and purpose, with “by KRO-NCRV” as a seal of quality.
• Audience and market. The audience research showed that these viewers want practical, down-to-earth content, nothing woolly. They prefer an expert or someone with lived experience as host over a familiar TV face. The topics they care about most are personal growth, work-life balance and finding their passion. That was exactly the gap the market had left open.
• Content strategy. I divided the content into 3 layers:
  • Help: practical explainers with experts, as new YouTube Originals.
  • Hub: in-depth interviews with people who have lived through it. This also became the home of the online version of Zin in Morgen.
  • Hero: big campaigns such as mini-documentaries and social experiments.
• Platforms and community. YouTube became the brand’s home base. Instagram and TikTok are there for reach and to draw viewers to YouTube. For the community, it’s about tempting viewers to take part without pushing them, for example by letting them share their story anonymously or ask experts questions via YouTube Live.

Result

The advice was adopted. KRO-NCRV launched a separate YouTube channel: ZIN, a KRO-NCRV brand about personal growth, with honest stories, recognisable dilemmas and practical insights. The channel has recurring formats such as Plafonddienst, Rugzak and Klik of Kloof.