Picture: Talpa
We love keeping an eye on international deals, and this morning, the Netherlands just got a huge new licensing deal. Netflix and Talpa have teamed up for the very first time, bringing a massive collection of well-known SBS6 shows to the streaming service. In total, more than 300 episodes of Dutch television are set to make the jump. This isn’t quite as monumental as the TF1 deal for France, which kicked off earlier this year, but certainly opens the door.
Netflix subscribers in the Netherlands will soon be able to binge heavy hitters like Chateau Meiland, Mr. Frank Visser Doet Uitspraak, and Het Roer Om, giving the platform’s local television catalogue a substantial boost in one fell swoop.
Dutch TV Favorites Join Netflix
One of the biggest names included in the licensing deal is Chateau Meiland. The Meiland family became a genuine television phenomenon on SBS6 and will now take its rightful place among Netflix’s growing selection of Dutch content.
Het Roer Om is also making the move, alongside its follow-up series, Hoe Is Het Nu Met?. Both unscripted shows follow Dutch locals who leave their familiar lives behind to make a fresh start elsewhere.
Prefer a little more drama on the streets? There’s Overtreders, which shadows enforcement officers as they go about their daily work. Other familiar favorites heading to Netflix include Mr. Frank Visser Doet Uitspraak, Waar Is Mijn Erfenis?, and Bureau Onrecht.
Talpa sees the partnership primarily as a way to give its legacy programs a longer lifespan while introducing them to a wider, digital-first audience. Marloes Sturkenboom, Managing Director Group Content & Global IP at Talpa, said:
“We believe it is important for strong Dutch content to continue reaching a broad audience. Viewers are no longer tied to a single platform, which is why our partnership strategy is focused on continuously finding new ways to make Talpa content more widely available. By working with Netflix, we are giving a number of strong SBS6 titles an additional platform while also reaching new audiences.”
Netflix Bets Big on Dutch Content
This sizable drop of familiar TV adds to a rapidly growing selection of Netflix’s own Dutch films, series, and reality productions. For example, the thriller De Eetclub (The Perfect Lie in English) is set to premiere on September 10th. The streaming service has released an increasing number of Dutch titles in recent years—including Haantjes and Yolanthe—and is currently working on a localized adaptation of the mega-hit reality format Love Is Blind.
Lucy Leveugle, VP EMEA Creative Strategy and Benelux Content at Netflix, shared her enthusiasm for the new Talpa partnership:
“Talpa has been one of the driving forces behind Dutch non-fiction content for many years, and we are delighted to work with them to bring a selection of their most beloved programmes to Netflix. This will allow subscribers to enjoy more local stories they already know and love, alongside our growing slate of Dutch originals, from De Eetclub, Haantjes, and Yolanthe to our own version of Love Is Blind. It further establishes Netflix as the go-to entertainment destination for Dutch audiences.”
An Interesting Move by Talpa
Talpa’s decision to license to Netflix is particularly noteworthy because the company never built a major Dutch streaming service of its own. While John de Mol made his name globally with television formats like Big Brother and The Voice, another local media giant gained a considerable head start in the Dutch streaming market: RTL.
RTL moved early with Videoland, developing it into one of the Netherlands’ leading subscription services. Talpa is now taking a fundamentally different route. Rather than trying to launch a bespoke streamer to compete directly with Netflix and Videoland, the company is cashing in on its existing catalog by bringing it to where the viewers already are.
It’s an incredibly attractive arrangement for both sides. Talpa gives its popular SBS6 library a lucrative second life, while Netflix gains hundreds of hours of recognizable Dutch TV featuring personalities viewers already know and love.
An exact release date for when all 300-plus episodes will drop on Netflix has yet to be announced, and it remains unclear whether the deal is strictly exclusive to the Netherlands (though local licensing deals usually are). We have reached out to Netflix Netherlands for clarification and will update you when we hear back.
