ANP and Belga are joining forces in a new common photo and video platform for the Benelux market. Although the belgaimage and ANPFoto brands will be retained, they will operate from a single central platform, managed by a new Dutch legal entity. This platform will centralize export, infringements, and sales & marketing, and will offer the best visual content. Employees from both agencies will contribute, while the editorial and production autonomy of both agencies will remain guaranteed.
"This collaboration is a logical and strategic step," says Patrick Lacroix, General Manager of Belga. Martha Riemsma, General Manager of ANP, adds: "Through this joint initiative, we not only strengthen our position in the European image market, but we also build an infrastructure ready for the future."
Philippe François, chief Imagery of belgaimage, comments, "For the past 19 years, I have been editor-in-chief of the Belga photo and video editorial team, a position I will continue to hold. In addition, I will be responsible for the content of the new platform. This emphasizes the commitment of both agencies to entrust such a position to an active journalist in the age of artificial intelligence. Reliability and truthfulness will therefore be key values that we want to convey through this platform."
All owned and partner productions will be stored once, and the platform will conclude licenses for the entire Benelux. This involves many technical adjustments and potentially modifications to agreements with our loyal partners.
About ANP
The Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau is the independent news agency of the Netherlands. The ANP provides Dutch media day and night with news in images, text, audio and graphics. Besides supplying news to (news) media, ANP Business also provides various communication and PR services for government and companies.
About Belga News Agency
Belga News Agency is Belgium's main supplier of current affairs to the media, bringing fast, reliable and quality news from home and abroad 24/7. Companies, governments and organizations can also rely on Belga's cross-media services, adapted to their specific communication needs and supported by advanced technology.
Photo: Mark Guldemont/Belga
For more information, please visit the ANP website.