Television in the Netherlands was officially introduced in 1951. In the Netherlands, the television market is divided between a number of commercial networks, such as RTL Nederland, and a system of public broadcasters sharing three channels, NPO 1, NPO 2, and NPO 3. Imported programmes, as well as news interviews with responses in a foreign language, are almost always shown in their original language, with subtitles.
Comedy Central Extra is a European pay television channel that launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2003, then followed by the Netherlands in 2011 where it was available until 31 December 2022. Between 2012 and 2020 it was also available in parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Canal+ Group is a French media and telecommunications conglomerate. It is owned and controlled by Vivendi and has a film library in excess of 5,000 films. It is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, in the suburbs of Paris. It has operations in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Poland, Romania, Hungary, in the Czech Republic, Myanmar, Vietnam, and in 23 African countries.
The Dutch version of Nickelodeon, broadcasting free-to-cable in the Netherlands and through satellite in Belgium, was launched on 14 July 2003. In addition to the general Nickelodeon programmes, original productions such as ZOOP, Het Huis Anubis, and SuperNick are also broadcast. The Dutch Kids' Choice Awards were presented in three years, featuring nominees that are relevant to Dutch audiences. In 2010, the US Kids' Choice Awards aired, which included categories for the Netherlands and Belgium inserted into the broadcast.
Ziggo Sport Totaal is a Dutch premium television service operated by Ziggo and owned by VodafoneZiggo, a joint venture between Liberty Global and Vodafone. Ziggo Sport Totaal launched as Sport1 with its sister service Film1 on 1 February 2006 and replaced the Canal+ Netherlands channels. Film1 was sold to Sony Pictures Television on 21 July 2015, while Sport1 remained Liberty Global-owned. At launch the service consisted of two main channels, six extra channels and one HD simulcast of the first main channel. On 2 February 2009 the number of extra channels was reduced to four. The extra channels only broadcast when necessary to live broadcast multiple sport events at the same time. The service was rebranded to Ziggo Sport Totaal on 12 November 2015.
UPC Nederland was the second largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers.
Disney Junior is a Dutch pay television block on Disney Channel and a television station for young children, owned by The Walt Disney Company. It shares its video feed with Disney Junior Scandinavia and featured an additional Dutch audio track for its viewers in the Netherlands and Flanders. It closed down in the Netherlands, but continues broadcasting in Flanders. Viewers in Wallonia, Brussels and Luxembourg receive the French version, which has the same schedule.
DanceTelevision is an audiovisual dance content platform which is active across web, apps, social medias, and television, owned by DanceTrippin BV which is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands with assets in various locales in Western & Eastern Europe, Australia, and Brazil. The platform is a network of the following genre-focussed content brands under which content is distributed to targeted dance audiences: Algorhythm, House floor, Deep Tech Minimal](minimal tech), Techno Warehouse (techno), Deep House District, MainStage, and Chill AF (downtempo). DanceTelevision publishes a variety of content including dj shows from clubs and festivals, studio sets, artist & label features, and a broad range of dance content produced by independent creators within the dance community itself.
Stingray Brava was a cultural television channel originated in the Netherlands, owned by the Stingray Group in Canada. The programming consisted of opera, ballet, and concertos. Productions were recorded in opera houses such as the Royal Opera House, the Teatro Real, and La Scala. The productions consisted of stage performances such as La bohème, Otello, Aida, Swan Lake, Tosca, Zoroastre and Così fan tutte.
Film1 Sundance was a Dutch premium television channel. It was the Dutch version of the American cable television network SundanceTV devoted to airing independent feature films, world cinema, documentaries, short films, television series, and original programs, such as news about the latest developments from each year's Sundance Film Festival.
Disney XD is a Dutch children's television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. It broadcasts 14 hours a day, time-sharing with Dutch TV station Veronica, and is primarily aimed at children roughly between the ages of 7 and 15. The channel used to have a pay television 24-hour feed that was distributed throughout the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders); however, it was closed down on 31 July 2018. Viewers in Belgium (Wallonia) and Luxembourg received Disney XD France, until that feed was later shut down in 2020.
TV 538 is a music television channel that airs music videos and live coverage of its radio broadcasts. Dutch radio station Radio 538 launched the TV channel on 4 July 2011. The channel is owned by Talpa Network. It broadcasts 24 hours a day and airs across the Netherlands.
National Geographic Wild is a Pan-European pay television channel that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. It features documentaries about nature, wildlife, natural phenomenon, and earth. The channel replaced Adventure One in Europe on 1 March 2007.
ESPN is a Dutch group of pay television sports channels, owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Communications and operated by Eredivisie Media & Marketing CV in which The Walt Disney Company (Benelux) BV has 51% ownership. ESPN launched as Fox Sports on 1 August 2013, buying out the Eredivisie Live service from the Dutch Football League. On 31 December 2020, it was renamed ESPN after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019. ESPN offers 4 HD channels and 1 Ultra HD channel, Video-on-demand services and ESPN app. Its main competitor is the Dutch premium television service Ziggo Sport Totaal.
AMC is a European TV channel launched by AMC Networks International. AMC replaced the MGM Channel in Portugal and Spain on 4 November 2014, and in Poland on 6 May 2016. AMC-produced dramas Halt & Catch Fire and The Divide are among the first original series that premiered on the channel. The channel also airs films from MGM, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, 20th Century Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The channel launched in the United Kingdom on 28 August 2015, in partnership with BT TV and branded AMC from BT. Until 2019, Sky customers in the UK had access to the channel if they subscribed to BT Sport, but was subsequently removed from the platform on 2 October 2019, making the channel exclusive to BT TV subscribers.
Ziggo Holding B.V. is the largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing digital cable television, Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers.
Viaplay TV is a Dutch commercial television channel owned by Talpa Network through Talpa TV. The channel was launched as SBS9 on 1 January 2015 at 12:00 CET with a movie marathon. The channel can be received via all television providers in the Netherlands. Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are SBS6, Net5 and Veronica.
Paramount Network is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel in the Netherlands, based on the American rebranded Paramount Network. The television channels launched as Spike on 1 October 2015. It was the third Spike channel next to the US and UK version of the channel. The television channel aimed at an audience of mainly men. Initially it only broadcast daily between 21:00 and 2:30, time-sharing with Nickelodeon. As of 12 December 2016 the channel is broadcasting 24 hours a day in the Netherlands. Until 6 January 2021, the channel was also available in Flanders. On 24 May 2022, the channel was renamed by Paramount Network.
Ziggo Sport is a sports television channel in the Netherlands, operated by Ziggo and owned by VodafoneZiggo. It is only available for Ziggo subscribers and broadcasts a variety of sports with a focus on major sporting events, a weekly talk show called "Peptalk," and sports-related films and documentaries. It also has a paid counterpart, Ziggo Sport Totaal, which can also be received by non-Ziggo subscribers. The channel started with a repeating promotional film on 2 November 2015, and officially launched on 12 November 2015.
Action Now! was a Dutch pay television movie channel, broadcasting in the Netherlands and Flanders. The programming of the channel mainly consisted of action movies. In November 2008 Dutch largest cable company Ziggo removed Action Now! from its network, followed by Caiway on 1 April 2009. The availability of Action Now! dropped considerably in the Netherlands, resulting in the closure of the channel on 31 May 2009.
