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 the Republic of Ireland in 2003. A Dutch version was launched in 2011. In 2012 a version of Comedy Central Extra was launched in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia, in 2013 in Romania and Bulgaria, in 2014 in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and in 2016 in Albania.
NPO 1 is the first national television station in the Netherlands, it launched on 2 October 1951. It provides public broadcasting and currently exists next to sister channels NPO 2 and NPO 3. A wide range of broadcasting organisations of the Publieke Omroep deliver programs. A wide variety of programs is broadcast on the channel, usually for larger audiences. In 2018, it was the most viewed channel in the Netherlands, reaching a market share of 22.0%.
The Dutch version of Nickelodeon, broadcasting in the Netherlands and the Flanders region of Belgium, launched on 14 July 2003. In addition to the general Nickelodeon programmes, local productions such as ZOOP, Het Huis Anubis, Het Huis Anubis en de Vijf van het Magische Zwaard and SuperNick are also broadcast. The Dutch Kids' Choice Awards were presented in 2004, 2005 and 2007, featuring nominees that are relevant to Dutch audiences. In 2010 the American Kids' Choice Awards aired, which included categories for the Netherlands and Flanders inserted into the broadcast.
The Netherlands now has three major forms of broadcast digital television. Terrestrial (DVB-T), Cable (DVB-C), and Satellite (DVB-S). In addition IPTV services are available. At the end of the first quarter of 2013 almost 84% of the households in the Netherlands had some form of digital television.
Turner Classic Movies was a television channel broadcasting "classic" films from the 1940s to the 1990s to Denmark, Finland, Flanders, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The channel used English audio with optional subtitles in Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish. The channel was commercial-free and films were not interrupted.
Disney Channel is the Dutch edition based on the American channel of the same name, owned by the Walt Disney Company. All content is dubbed in Dutch except for the programs that are produced in the Netherlands or Flanders. English audio is also available on the operators Ziggo, Canal Digitaal, TV Vlaanderen, Caiway, Caiway Twente/Cogas, Caiway Albrandswaard, Vodafone, Proximus and Telenet. There are two different versions with local advertisements.
Kindernet was a Dutch language television channel aimed at children and has been part of Nickelodeon's line-up of channels in the Netherlands and Flanders. Since its rebrand in 2011, the channel timeshared with Comedy Central, replacing TMF in its slot.
Cartoon Network is a Dutch TV channel which primarily airs animated programming in the Netherlands and Belgium. This version is available in the Dutch and English languages. Some providers offer the Dutch language only.
Disney Junior was a Dutch pay television station for young children, owned by The Walt Disney Company. It only broadcasts at daytime between 6 AM and 6.55 PM. At night a screensaver was being displayed. It was available in the Netherlands on Ziggo, Caiway, Caiway Albrandswaard and Caiway Cogas/Caiway Twente. In Flanders it was available on Telenet and Belgacom. Viewers in Wallonia, Brussels and Luxembourg receive the French version.
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.
TLC is a Dutch television channel which broadcasts lifestyle programmes. It airs programmes related to lifestyle, health, food, and reality shows. Its main target is the female audience. Discovery Benelux launched the channel on 4 July 2011.
National Geographic is a Dutch free-to-air television channel that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. It features some programming similar to that on the Discovery such as nature, science, culture, and history documentaries. The channel launched in the Netherlands in 1998 and initially time shared with CNBC Europe. It was later launched worldwide including in Asia and the United States. Today, the channel is available in over 145 countries, seen in more than 160 million homes and in 25 languages.
National Geographic Wild is a Pan-European 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.
SBS 9 is a Dutch commercial television channel owned by Talpa Network through Talpa TV. The channel was launched 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 SBS 6, NET 5 and Veronica.
ONS is a Dutch commercial television channel of Just Media Group, which is dedicated to viewers aged 49 years or older. ONS's main target is the older audience. ONS airs footage from the forties to the eighties. Each month a specific theme is on the channel. Topics such as the Dutch East Indies, Netherlands Waterland, railroads, mills, work, food and household are broadcast. The channel launched as NostalgieNet on 1 January 2006 and changed its name into ONS on 13 September 2015.
Spike is a Dutch free-to-air television channel in the Netherlands and Flanders, based on the American rebranded Paramount Network. It is the third Spike channel next to the US and UK version of the channel. The television channel aims at an audience of mainly men. In the Netherlands and Flanders, the channel started broadcasting on 1 October 2015. 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.
RTL Crime is a Dutch pay television channel dedicated to television crime and reality series. It first launched on 27 November 2006 in Germany and on 1 September 2011 in the Netherlands. It is owned by RTL Group. It replaced MisdaadNet that was owned by Endemol. RTL Crime features a Dutch/English audio track with Dutch subtitles.
