OutTV (European TV channel)

Last updated
OUTtv
Country Netherlands
Broadcast area
Headquarters Utrecht, Netherlands
Programming
Picture format 1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerOUTtv Media B.V.
(Marc Putman)
History
Launched2 April 2008;17 years ago (2008-04-02)
Links
Website www.out.tv
Availability
Streaming media
Ziggo GO ZiggoGO.tv (Europe only)

OutTV (stylized as OUTtv) is a European-based television channel which can be viewed via cable television/digital television as a premium channel in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Israel and Spain. OUTtv reaches more than 10 million households in Europe and Israel. OUTtv was launched on 2 April 2008 by OutTV Media B.V. and has been available on cable since 4th April 2008.

Contents

OUTtv was initiated by Marc Putman, who started the channel thanks to a business background in the digital television industry and by various private investors, whereby the brand was registered in Europe independently. The channel was launched on Wednesday 2nd of April in Amsterdam, initially for the Netherlands only, but there was an interest from other distributors outside the Netherlands. The first the channel outside the Netherlands was launched with a Swedish version in Sweden in 2010 at Comhem (now Tele2). Afterwards followed new expansions, in 2010 in Belgium and the OUTtv Deutschland channel was launched in 2012 and in Luxembourg in 2014. The Spanish tv-channel started in 2016 at Orange ES. In Israel, the channel was launched at HOT -named PRIDEtv- with a Hebrew subtitles in 2018.

At the initial launch in 2008 the OutTV Canada channel also was with the same name launched a couple of years earlier in Canada. Some of the programmes were licensed initially with support of OUTtv in Canada. [1] Nowadays, none of the programs of the Canadian channel are no longer shown on the Dutch channel. The two companies are not connected and work individually.[ citation needed ]

An HD-simulcast started through Ziggo in the Netherlands on 30 November 2017. [2]

Programming and Audience

OUTtv is a lifestyle and entertainment channel which offers a broad range of programs, such as drama, comedy, talk shows, documentaries and films, which are mostly targeted towards the [LGBTQ community], though it's main audience are gay male with a high percentage of 40% female (mainly straight) viewers].

Series and films

OUTtv differentiates itself with a varied programming of quality shows and qualitative art-house films.

Several well-known shows which are or were broadcast on OUTtv are:

OUTtv also broadcasts their own productions, such as the current affairs programmes OUTtv News and OUTtv Reports; and the travel show Travel Experience, hosted by Ian van der Putten. It has shown specials covering several pride celebrations and the Eurovision Song Contest. OUTtv supports via its film distribution daughter to produce film productions.

Availability

CountryProvider
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Caiway
Delta
Odido
KPN
Ziggo
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Telenet
Orange Belgium
Proximus
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Tele2
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Orange
Tivify
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel [ under brand name PRIDEtv]]
Hot
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Post Lux
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany NetCologne
MagentaTV
Waipu

OUTmusic

On March 1, 2010, OUTtv started its own internet radio station under the name OUTmusic. This channel mostly targets gay men and “like-minded” listeners and primarily brings new and well-known hits of the 1990s and 2000s. In the evening lounge music can be heard and in the weekend well-known Gay Classics. Next to the standard programme blocks, OUTmusic also offers room for pop divas, well-known DJs of famous gay clubs, new artists and the Eurovision Song Contest.

OUTmusic Award

Since OUTmusic's launch in 2010, OUTtv has presented the OUTmusic Award, an award given annually honoring the favorite Eurovision Song Contest entry by viewers. The winner of the award is determined through a large-scale online poll conducted every year in March and April and is announced before the start of the contest in order to avoid influencing the voting patterns of the contest's LGBT audience. The prize is personally awarded to the winner during OutTV's annual Eurovision Calling programme. [3]

Table key
1
Winner
3
Third place
X
Entry selected but did not compete
Upcoming event
YearCountryArtistSongPlacePointsHost cityRef(s).
2010 Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Lena "Satellite"1246 Flag of Norway.svg Oslo
2011 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Eric Saade "Popular"3185 Flag of Germany.svg Düsseldorf
2012 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Loreen "Euphoria"1372 Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Baku [4]
2013 Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Emmelie de Forest "Only Teardrops"1281 Flag of Sweden.svg Malmö
2014 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Sanna Nielsen "Undo"3218 Flag of Denmark.svg Copenhagen [5]
2015 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Måns Zelmerlöw "Heroes"1365 Flag of Austria.svg Vienna
2016 Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Sergey Lazarev "You Are the Only One"3491 Flag of Sweden.svg Stockholm [6]
2017 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Francesco Gabbani "Occidentali's Karma"6334 Flag of Ukraine.svg Kyiv [7]
2018 Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Netta "Toy"1529 Flag of Portugal.svg Lisbon [8]
2019 Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Duncan Laurence "Arcade"1498 Flag of Israel.svg Tel Aviv [9]
2020 Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Victoria "Tears Getting Sober"Contest cancelled [a] X Flag of the Netherlands.svg Rotterdam
2021 Flag of Malta.svg  Malta Destiny "Je me casse"7255 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Rotterdam [10]
2022 Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Kalush Orchestra "Stefania"1631 Flag of Italy.svg Turin [11]
2023 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Loreen"Tattoo"1583 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Liverpool [4]
2024 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Nemo "The Code"1591 Flag of Sweden.svg Malmö [12]
2025 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden KAJ "Bara bada bastu"4321 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Basel [13]

Notes

  1. The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. OUTtv Signs Licensing Deal to Create the Netherlands` First Gay Lifestyle Television Network Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine ; Echelon Magazine, 2008-04-24
  2. Jarco Kriek (30 November 2017). "Ziggo eerste aanbieder met alle RTL-zenders en OUT TV in HD" (in Dutch). TotaalTV.nl.
  3. "Homogemeenschap reikt opnieuw OUTmusic Award uit op Songfestival" [Gay community once again presents OUTmusic Award at Eurovision Song Contest]. Sterrennieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Loreen wint de OUTmusic Award 2023 van Europese LGBTQI+-stemmers" [Loreen wins the OUTmusic Award 2023 from European LGBTQI+ voters]. OUTtv (in Dutch). 9 May 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. "Uitreiking OUTmusic Award aan Sanna Nielsen" [Presentation of OUTmusic Award to Sanna Nielsen]. OUTtv via YouTube.
  6. "Gay viewers of OUTtv predict Russia to be the winner of Eurovision 2016". OUTtv via YouTube.
  7. Berghmans, Rudy (9 May 2017). "Italië wint homo-award op Eurovisiesongfestival 2017" [Italy wins gay award at Eurovision Song Contest 2017]. Cartoon Productions (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. Jackman, Josh (15 May 2018). "Eurovision winner rejects Russian award because she'll be busy marching at Pride". PinkNews . Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  9. "Duncan Laurence sleept OUTmusic Award alvast in de wacht" [Duncan Laurence already wins OUTmusic Award]. RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 15 May 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  10. Magri, Giulia (14 May 2021). "Destiny honoured with TV award, but drops to third in Eurovision odds". Times of Malta . Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  11. "LGBTQ+ community stands with Ukraine to win Eurovision 2022". OUTtv. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  12. "Nemo wins the 2024 OUTmusic Award". OUTtv. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  13. "KAJ wins OUTmusic Award 2025 – Viewers across Europe tip Sweden as Eurovision favorite". OUTtv. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.