Streaming services must invest in Dutch series, government says

Photo: Depositphotos.com
Photo: Depositphotos

The Dutch government wants streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney to invest more of their income in the Netherlands on locally-produced series.

Junior culture minister Gunay Uslu has told MPs in a briefing she would like to see streaming firms put 4.5% of their Dutch income into home grown programming, including series, films and documentaries. The requirement will apply to all streaming services which generate turnover of at least €30 million in the Netherlands.

‘Streaming services are increasingly popular and the supply of foreign films, series and documentaries is growing,’ Uslu said. ‘But that should not be at the cost of domestic stories.’

The draft legislation, she said, is telling companies that if they are successful in the Dutch market ‘then they should contribute to the Dutch supply’.

Belgium, France, Spain and Greece already have similar rules in place.

According to website TotalTV, the new rules would mean Netflix, for example, would have to invest some €20 million a year in Dutch productions and co-productions. Earlier this year, Netflix carried the successful Dutch series Dirty Lines, about the telephone sex industry in the 1980s.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation