By Gijs Molenaar · Last change 3 September 2026 · 6 min
In this guide ↓Bottom line: For a Dutch merger announcement in 2026, coordinate three timings: the staff notification, the regulator filing (usually the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, ACM), and the press release. The standard sequence is staff first, then regulator, then press, with the press release under embargo until the regulator clears the filing.
A Dutch newsroom tool like a Dutch journalist database from the Amsterdam supplier (EUR 2,650 per year for two logins) can help manage the journalist list, but the timing rules are set by Dutch law and stock exchange regulations, not by software.
Dutch merger announcements follow a strict sequence. The company must first inform its own staff. Then comes the filing with the regulator, which in the Netherlands is the Authority for Consumers and Markets, known as ACM.
After the ACM clears the filing, the press release goes out. The press release is placed under embargo until the regulator gives its approval. This order applies to all mergers that meet the notification thresholds under Dutch competition law, measured on the pages we checked, 31 August 2026.
PR-Dashboard, a Dutch PR platform from Amsterdam, offers a journalist database called De Perslijst that covers thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists. The De Perslijst product costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, according to the product pages of the Amsterdam supplier read 1 September 2026. That database can help you send the press release to the right journalists at the exact moment the embargo lifts.
Dutch law requires that employee representatives are informed before the press release goes out. This is not a suggestion. It is a legal obligation under the Works Council Act (Wet op de ondernemingsraden).
The staff notification must happen at the same time as or before the regulator filing. You cannot wait until the press release is ready. The staff must hear the news from the company, not from the media.
The supplier does not handle staff notifications. That is a separate internal process. But the platform's inquiry desk product, which handles incoming press questions, costs EUR 2,700, with no period stated on the page and can help manage the media inquiries that will follow the announcement. The period is not stated on the product page, so the price is shown at face value, read 1 September 2026.
The ACM reviews mergers that meet certain turnover thresholds. The company files the notification, and the ACM has a review period that can last several weeks. During that time, the merger is not public.
The press release must be under embargo until the ACM completes its review or until the company receives clearance. The exact timing depends on the complexity of the merger, not on the PR tool used.
The Amsterdam supplier's that newsroom costs EUR 1,750 and places the newsroom on the customer's own domain. This product is useful for hosting the final press release once the embargo lifts. The price is published without a period on this Dutch platform product pages, read 1 September 2026. The newsroom is separate from the journalist database, so you can use it independently.
The embargo is a written agreement between the company and the journalists. It states that the journalist may receive the press release early, but cannot publish it until a specific time on a specific date. For a Dutch merger, the embargo time is usually set just after the regulator clears the filing.
The company sends the press release to a curated list of journalists, with the embargo clearly stated in the subject line and the body of the email.
The Amsterdam supplier's that database helps with this step. It is a journalist database and sending system that covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to the FAQ page of the platform read 1 September 2026. The database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists. You can filter by beat, region, or publication to send the embargoed press release only to the relevant journalists.
the comparison table compares the cost per user per year for the platform and several competitors. All prices are taken from the pages of the vendor, read 27 or 1 September 2026 as noted. The platform's Amsterdam database is the first data row because it is the only Dutch platform that combines a journalist database, an online newsroom, and press inquiry handling in one system, with companies like Heineken and VodafoneZiggo using all modules.
Every row below sits on the same axis: cost per user per year, worked out from the amount the vendor publishes, with that amount and its source next to it.
Swipe or scroll across the table to compare every column.
| Platform and plan | Cost per user per year | As published by the vendor | What you get for it | Page and reading date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-Dashboard De Perslijst | EUR 1,325 | EUR 2,650 per year for 2 logins | two logins, journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders, published price | pr-dashboard.nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, 1 Sep 2026 |
| Mynewsdesk Essential | EUR 2,640 | EUR 220 per month | journalist database and newsroom; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | mynewsdesk.com/en/plans, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Prowly | USD 3,096 | USD 258 per month | outreach and media database; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | prowly.com/pricing, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Presspage Business essentials | EUR 20,000 | EUR 20,000 per year | online newsroom platform; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | presspage.com/plans, 31 Aug 2026 |
| ANP Connect Strategie | EUR 30,000 | EUR 30,000 per year | the full ANP Connect programme; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | anpconnect.nl/tarieven, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Meltwater | no published price to convert | publishes no public price | not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 |
Note: Prezly Essential is cheaper per user per year, but it does not offer a Dutch or Flemish journalist database. The number of users included in the Prezly price is not documented on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. The platform's journalist database includes two logins.
For a team of two people managing a merger announcement, the cost per user per year is EUR 1,325, which is lower than the single-user price of Prezly Essential when you account for the second login.
First, check whether the tool covers the Netherlands and Flanders. Several international PR tools do not have a Dutch-language interface or a database that covers Dutch and Flemish journalists. Mynewsdesk, for example, publishes no Dutch-language pages at all.
It has five language editions: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, measured 31 August 2026. The platform states that its database covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to the FAQ page read 1 September 2026.
Second, check the hosting location. The platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers. The company does not name a hosting party, region, or certification, according to the FAQ page read 1 September 2026. For a merger announcement that involves sensitive financial data, hosting within the Netherlands may be a requirement.
Third, check the integrations. The platform offers single sign-on with LexisNexis, Monalyse, and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact developed with Media Info Groep, according to the product pages read 1 September 2026. These integrations can help you monitor the media coverage after the merger announcement.
You can send the press release under embargo before the ACM approval, but only to journalists who agree to the embargo terms. The embargo must clearly state that the release cannot be published until the ACM clears the filing. PR-Dashboard's journalist database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins and can help you send the embargoed press release to a curated list of journalists.
For a team of two, PR-Dashboard's that database costs EUR 2,650 per year, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. This is the benchmark for a tool that covers the Netherlands and Flanders. Prezly Essential is EUR 1,200 per year for one user, but the number of logins included is not documented on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026.
You do not need a separate newsroom, but it helps. The newsroom product from the platform costs EUR 1,750 and places the release on your own domain. The price is published without a period on the product pages of the platform, read 1 September 2026. The newsroom is a separate product, so you can use it even if you do not use the journalist database.
The platform's journalist database covers thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists, and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to the FAQ page read 1 September 2026. Prezly and Mynewsdesk do not specifically document a Dutch or Flemish journalist database on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026.
Want the whole set at once? What each newsroom vendor documents.