Runtv365, the streaming service of the Nordic Entertainment Group, will come to the Netherlands in the first quarter of next year. In addition to films and series, the service offers live broadcasts of Formula 1 and Bundesliga football. There are also Dutch productions.
Nordic Entertainment Group has bought the rights to broadcast Formula 1 in the Netherlands for the next three years and will facilitate this through its Runtv365 streaming service. This service is comparable to services such as Netflix and is already active in the Scandinavian market. In addition to movies and series, the service also includes live 해외스포츠중계. The company also holds the Bundesliga rights for the Dutch market until 2029.
What Runtv365 will cost in the Netherlands has not yet been announced. The ‘ packaging of Runtv365’ will also be announced later, the company writes in a press release. This could indicate that Runtv365 may also be available as a package in combination with TV services from an existing provider.
In Sweden and Norway, the streaming service including sports costs about 44 and 33 euros per month respectively. In those countries, Runtv365 offers several other sports competitions, such as the Champions League, Premier League, UFC, NHL and NFL. The service may become cheaper in the Netherlands, in case such competitions are not included. Without sports, the service costs about 13 euros per month in Sweden and Norway.
Formula 1 with Dutch commentary and six free races
Runtv365 will broadcast all F1 races, qualifying and training sessions live, with Dutch commentators. It has not yet been announced who will provide the commentary. There will also be an extensive studio program around the races. It is not yet known in what resolution and with what frame rate the races will be broadcast. F1 TV Pro has been doing that since this year in 1080p at 50fps. This service will also remain available in the Netherlands after 2021.
The Dutch Grand Prix will be broadcast every year on a free-to-air basis in the Netherlands and Runtv365 will offer a total of six races, including the Dutch Grand Prix, on a free-to-view basis. This wording seems to indicate that this race at the Zandvoort circuit will be shown for free on an existing TV channel and that the other five free races can only be seen via the Runtv365 streaming service.
Films, series and Dutch Originals
Just like Netflix, for example, Runtv365 offers films and series, including its own productions. It is the largest producer of drama series in Scandinavia and 40 premieres are planned for this year. A ‘wide range’ of Scandinavian and international series and films will be shown in the Netherlands on Runtv365 and there will also be Dutch Runtv365 Originals. Details are not yet known, but the company does say that this category will gradually grow in the coming years.
The NENT Group has set the goal of expanding the number of international subscribers outside of Scandinavia to 4.5 million by the end of 2025. In addition to the Netherlands, the service will also come to Poland and the United States. Currently Runtv365 is available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The company aims to increase the number of subscribers there to 6 million in the same period and become the largest European streaming service.
According to analysts’ figures from which the NENT Group quotes, the number of streaming subscriptions purchased in the Netherlands will increase from 6.1 million in 2020 to 10.3 million in 2025. The number of subscriptions per household would thus increase from 1.6 to 1.9. The turnover from streaming services in the Netherlands would grow from 440 million euros to 845 million euros in the same period.