Regional programme councils, which advise cable companies on which broadcasters they should include in their subscription packages, are to be abolished, culture minister Marja van Bijsterveldt said in a briefing to MPs on Tuesday.

And while cable firms such as UPC and Ziggo will have to continue to broadcast the three Dutch public channels, two Belgian channels and local television stations, they will be free to decide what else to include, the minister said.
However, cable firms will have to include at least 30 channels in their basic package, double the current total.
Programme councils are angry about the decision to abolish them because consumers will no longer be able to influence the cable firms, Trouw reports on Wednesday.
In July, Ziggo came under fire from the councils for cutting the number of television channels in its analogue package from 30 to 25.