Watching English-language TV and streaming in the Netherlands

As of 29 September 2026: you can watch plenty in English in the Netherlands. Ziggo includes BBC One (channel 61) in its Kabel TV and TV Standard packages (Ziggo), KPN TV+ customers get the BBC NL+ streaming app for free (KPN), and Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, Apple TV+ and the Dutch service Videoland are all available (Android Planet). BBC iPlayer is not: you can't stream it from outside the UK (TV Licensing). Many expats skip a TV package and combine internet with one or two streaming services.

Mainly BBC channels and international news. Line-ups differ per provider and package, and channels come and go, so check the channel list before you order.

Our channel overview shows which provider carries which channel, and the channel check tool finds packages with the channels you want. Looking for TV in other languages (Turkish, Hindi and more)? See foreign-language channel packages (in Dutch).

All the big international ones plus Dutch services. The prices below are Dutch monthly prices as listed by Android Planet (updated January 2026) and may have changed since; check the service itself before subscribing.

Source: Android Planet. The international services offer English audio for their English-language productions. Dutch public TV (NPO) can be watched free with ads via NPO Start.

Not through the service itself. BBC iPlayer can't be streamed from outside the UK, and UK law requires a TV licence to use it (TV Licensing). The EU portability rules, which let you use paid subscriptions from your EU country of residence while temporarily in another EU country, are about temporary stays and EU services; they do not give you UK services after you have moved (EUR-Lex).

What does work: BBC content via BBC NL/BBC NL+ through Dutch providers, and BBC programmes licensed to Dutch streaming services. For the reverse (Dutch TV while on holiday), see provider TV apps abroad (in Dutch).

Pick your internet first, then add only the TV you will actually watch. A practical order:

1. Check which providers reach your address. Your TV options follow from your internet provider; see how to get internet as an expat.
2. Write down the three or four channels you really want (for example BBC One or a news channel) and check them in the provider's channel list before ordering.
3. Set menus and apps to English on the TV box or smart TV during installation.
4. Start streaming services on a monthly plan so you can switch between them; most can be cancelled any month.
5. Review after three months. If you hardly use the TV package, drop it and keep internet only once your initial term allows.

Not if you mainly watch streaming. Internet-only is cheaper, and you can add streaming services one at a time and cancel them monthly. A TV package makes sense if you want live sport, Dutch channels or BBC One live without extra apps.

Compare TV packages or internet and TV together. For live sport, our sport guide shows which channels you need. Which provider reaches your address is explained in internet providers in the Netherlands.