Whoever thinks of streaming movies and series may immediately think of Netflix, but there are so many more options! From NLZiet and Videoland to Amazon Prime Video and Movies & Series XL from Ziggo: there are plenty of options, but the differences are large. Who offers 4K streaming, has the largest selection and best suits your preferences? We compare the best streaming services available in the Netherlands.
Watch your favorite movies and series at a time that suits you. It is one of the main reasons that video streaming has been on the rise for about five years now. Recently, the number of minutes we watch traditional (linear) television has decreased slightly (from 200 minutes in 2014 to 190 in 2017). During the same period, the time we use streaming services increased to an average of 12 minutes per day. Old-fashioned TV viewing is thus still by far the most popular, but is rapidly losing ground.
In addition to the ease of use that on-demand services such as Netflix, Videoland and Amazon Prime Video offer, it also helps that the speed and stability of mobile internet has increased significantly. Practically all Dutch providers have a nationwide 4G network and large data bundles, which makes it possible to 'bing' series on the bus or train. Some providers even offer unlimited data plans.
The preconditions are good. In addition, efforts are being made to improve the supply, partly thanks to European regulations. However, it is difficult to determine in advance which service offers what exactly. In addition, streaming services do their best to attract viewers with exclusive and own productions. Some films and series are available on multiple services, but that is certainly not self-evident.
Overview
In short, the offer is unclear. What can you choose from? What are the biggest differences and similarities? How is the offer? And perhaps more importantly: is there a service that can compete with 'king' Netflix? We clarify that!
01 Netflix
Let's start with the king. Netflix has been available in the Netherlands since the fall of 2013. It was the first major streaming service in our country and partly because of this it has built up a significant lead. Netflix reaches 2.4 million Dutch households compared to 400,000 subscribers of, for example, Videoland. The service has a larger number of series: 876 compared to 305 at Videoland and 136 at Amazon Prime Video. Ziggo offers about 135 HBO series.
After the free trial, you can take out a basic subscription of 7.99 euros, which allows you to watch movies and series on one screen in SD (standard definition: 480p). A standard HD subscription costs 10.99 euros and lets you watch with two users simultaneously. If you want to share 4K, HDR and your subscription with up to four users, you need the Premium Ultra HD subscription of 13.99 euros per month.
Netflix is increasingly focusing on (its own) series. Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, Bojack Horseman, 13 Reasons Why and House of Cards – just a few of the excellent, exclusive series on offer. In addition, there are numerous own productions, including the films Okja, Bright and War Machine. Although Netflix is nowhere near a complete offering – you will never find all of your favorite actor's films there – there is no competitor that comes close in terms of quality and diversity. In addition, the service is available on almost all platforms, Netflix is easy to use and videos can be downloaded for offline use.
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Where is the Spotify for video streaming?
Although companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Videoland are continuously expanding their offer, there is still no 'Spotify for video streaming'. With over 30 million songs, Spotify covers practically all genres and artists. Netflix offers approximately 4000 films and 1500 series. Fancy a nice classic with veteran Harrison Ford? Then you will only find a fraction of his filmography on Netflix. That has to do with rights and unfortunately film studios still cling very tightly to old customs, while the music industry seems to have learned that a wide range is lucrative and the best fight against piracy.
02 Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, introduced at the end of 2016, is part of Amazon Prime. That subscription from online store Amazon offers free delivery within one day, unlimited storage for your photos and access to various TV series and movies. Well-known 'Originals' that you can only find on Prime Video are The Grand Tour (the relaunch of Top Gear), The Man in the High Castle, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle and The Marvelous Mrs. maize. Also popular shows like American Gods, Mr Robot and classic Seinfeld are available.
Amazon Prime Video costs 5.99 euros per month and is therefore considerably cheaper than Netflix. With approximately 111 TV shows and 435 films, the offer does not match that of Netflix. Unfortunately, the interface of the service is in English and not all films and series have Dutch subtitles. You also do not have to expect Dutch-language animation films and productions on the platform.
Amazon Prime Video does score points in terms of image quality. More and more films and series are available in 4K and HDR support is also starting to come. The apps for desktop and mobile work well. The interface is self-explanatory, there is support for Apple TV and you have the option to download videos for offline use. Unfortunately, streaming to a Chromecast is not possible, because Amazon and Google have a problem with each other.
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That's how it is with Popcorn Time
The only service with a complete offer is Popcorn Time, but unfortunately it is illegal. The popular streaming service was taken offline in March 2014 under pressure from the MPAA, the American watchdog for the film industry. Shortly afterwards, the service became available again as a fork (reissue), including via popcorn-time.to. Movies and series are streamed at Popcorn Time via the torrent protocol, where you can start watching immediately. Because Popcorn Time downloads and uploads copyrighted material without permission, the service is just as illegal as sites like The Pirate Bay. The makers therefore recommend using a VPN to anonymize your internet connection and avoid fines.
03 Ziggo Movies & Series XL
Movies & Series XL is only available to Vodafone and Ziggo customers. If you are at KPN, you do not have the opportunity to watch Game of Thrones, for example. Like other HBO productions, such as True Blood and Westworld, the series is exclusive to Movies & Series XL. That immediately explains why HBO series are watched so much illegally in the Netherlands. The package is a standard part of Ziggo Alles-in-1 Max and costs EUR 11.95 per month separately. In addition to about 1500 films and series, you get 50 live TV channels, although not all of them are available in HD. For 4K and HDR you do not (yet) have to knock on Ziggo's door.
If you are already a Ziggo or Vodafone customer, Movies & Series XL is nevertheless worthwhile. The subscription offers a wide variety of (foreign) series of which all seasons are available and have Dutch subtitles. You will also find countless family and animation films, but also films that were shown in the cinema relatively recently.
To stream films and series on a mobile device, you use the Ziggo Go app, which can be used simultaneously on three devices. The app also allows you to watch live TV and rent movies. AirPlay and Chromecast support work for linear TV and video on demand. Ziggo Go does let you watch programs up to seven days back. There is also an option to watch offline recently.
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Where is HBO Go?
In early 2017, HBO stopped offering its streaming services and pay channels in the Netherlands. With that, streaming service HBO Go also disappeared from the scene. Yet you can still legally watch well-known HBO series like Game of Thrones, Westworld and The Sopranos. Cable operator Ziggo decided to take over the broadcasting rights and to place the offer in the Movies & Series XL channel package. For EUR 11.95 per month, customers of Ziggo and Vodafone (the companies merged in 2016) get access to films and complete seasons of popular series. Incidentally, the Movies & Series L channel package, which also contains the best-known HBO content, is free for customers with a Vodafone subscription and Internet & Digital TV from Ziggo. No Ziggo subscription? Then there are no legal streaming options left.
