The media-hotspot of the Netherlands, The Media Park in Hilversum, it to get its own accelerator program. The Media Park Accelerator is designed especially for journalism and media related startups.As paper and analogous television get displaced by the internet and advertisers have been reluctant to spend money online. Media companies have been anxiously looking for new business models for quite some time.
This has already led to initiatives such as Blendle, Paper or MyJour, but it seems the holy grail of revenue models, especially in the newspaper industry, has not yet been found.
The more reason for a startup pressure cooker in the heart of ‘old-fashioned’ media business in the Netherlands? Media Network organisation iMMovator set up The Media Park Accelerator to offer innovators accommodation, coaching and support for one year.
“If you want to do business, grow fast, focus on media services and can use the knowledge of media companies, then there is only one place to be in the Netherlands”, said Mark Achterberg, commercial director of the Media Park.
From September this year, around 15 startups will be housed at several places on the Media Park, including the Beeld en Geluid institute (sound and vision archives) and the building of NPO (Public Broadcast Corporation).
“We are keen to connect with start-ups to help shape the development of media to a multimedia archive”, says Jan Müller, director of Beeld en Geluid. According to him, start-ups can profit from the content and data available at the institute.
These can be startups in different stages, as long as they have a link with media. Both early stage ideas and growing companies are welcome to apply.
A special startup competition is organised to attract media companies with a reward of one year of free accommodation and coaching “worth 10.000 euro.” The winner will be announced on September 4. (Link in Dutch).
The start-up facilities at the Media Park are being offered at a very affordable price”, promises Ton van Mil, director of iMMovator.
Talking to StartupJuncture, the organisation couldn’t yet give clarity about the exacts costs and program however, as they are still talking to different partner organisations and possible mentors. “We hope to attract a new relevant network of people in the media industry”, says iMMovator.