Dutch TV viewers to get ‘pick and mix’ choice of channels

Cable companies will soon be able to offer viewers a free choice of television channels rather than the standard package of 25 or 30 broadcasters.

Junior media minister Sander Dekker is planning to allow cable companies to provide viewers with a ‘pick and mix’ service, so they only pay for channels they actually want to watch.

This means viewers could ditch entertainment-based channels like SBS6 and replace them with a documentary provider or foreign language broadcaster.

‘Consumers are not always best served by a government-determined list of 30 channels,’ Dekker said in a briefing for MPs. ‘They want more choice.’ This could lead to cable subscriptions becoming cheaper, Dekker said.

However, cable companies will have to provide all viewers with the three Dutch public broadcasters, the three Belgian channels and a regional channel, Dekker said.