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Television in the Netherlands and Belgium is moving toward internet delivery, but it is not a clean break from traditional TV packages. Dutch viewing has shifted toward streaming and online video while millions of TV subscriptions remain on cable and fiber. In Flanders, broadcaster apps offer another route to local programming even as many households keep cable and viewers continue to watch live TV. The practical change is more choice over how and when to watch—not the disappearance of television packages.
What “internet-first TV” means
The term covers several different ways to watch. It can mean live broadcast channels delivered through an app, programs watched before broadcast, catch-up viewing after broadcast, or a subscription and on-demand catalog. Those options are distinct from watching channels through an operator’s TV package, and from social video. The Dutch media regulator uses these separate categories when describing viewing behavior; its overview includes linear package viewing, linear channels watched online at broadcast time, advance viewing, catch-up, subscription streaming, pay-per-view and social video (Commissariaat voor de Media).
This distinction matters when someone says they have “cut the cord.” A household may cancel its classic TV package but keep broadband, subscribe to video services, or watch live channels online. Package cancellation does not necessarily mean abandoning live television.
The Netherlands: online viewing is growing alongside TV subscriptions
The Dutch media regulator reports that people now spend less time watching television channels than streaming and online video, with the shift especially pronounced among younger adults. Yet delivery-network figures show that TV subscriptions remain substantial. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) counted 3.39 million cable TV subscriptions, 2.20 million fiber TV subscriptions and 810,000 digital TV subscriptions over copper. Fiber TV subscriptions rose during the quarter as cable and copper subscriptions declined, according to the regulator’s Q4 2025 Telecommonitor, published 31 March 2026.
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These are subscriptions classified by delivery network—not a count of unique households, and not a measure of how many people have replaced a package with apps. The same ACM report counted 8.94 million activated fiber connections and 3.64 million households with a fiber internet subscription in Q4 2025. Those figures indicate the scale of fixed-internet availability; they do not show that fiber access caused viewers to adopt internet TV.
Other measures also describe different things. In the 2024 NMO Mediatrends survey, 71% of Dutch households had a smart TV; that is device ownership, not active use of television apps. NMO’s 2025 annual viewing report put average viewing of television channels at 118 minutes per day, down from 130 minutes per day in 2024. That measure concerns channel viewing and does not by itself capture all online video or distinguish every viewing device.
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Public-service broadcaster NPO reported average weekly reach of 84% across all NPO channels in 2025, up from 81% the previous year, alongside 4.3 million NPO IDs and 923,000 NPO Plus subscribers. These are measures of reach and accounts or subscriptions, not unique TV households or evidence that viewers canceled a package. Read together, the figures show how online services can grow while broadcaster channels retain broad reach.
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What viewers can use
The Dutch regulator describes services including NPO Start, NPO Plus, NLZIET, Videoland, RTL XL and Kijk as options for advance or catch-up viewing. Their current catalogs, prices, geographic availability and device support can change, so check each service directly before relying on a particular program or app.
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- Shows on the go: Take your TV to-go when traveling—without needing to log into someone else’s device.
Flanders: local broadcaster apps coexist with cable and live TV
The strongest Belgian television-specific evidence in the available sources is about Flanders, not the whole country. The Flemish Regulator for the Media’s 2025 report describes falling live and time-shifted television reach, while reporting that 41% of Flemings still watched live TV daily. It also reports that 50,000–100,000 households cut the cord each year. That annual range is a figure summarized by the regulator, not a standalone register count of cancellations.
Local broadcaster apps—including VRT MAX, VTM GO and GoPlay—provide access to local programming for viewers who rely less on a classic package. The Flemish report also discusses Streamz and increasing online competition. These examples should not be treated as a guide to services for French-speaking Belgium; regional programming and service availability differ.
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For a separate snapshot of cable use, VRT NWS reported in June 2024 that 78% of Flemish homes still had cable TV, citing the annual Imec/University of Ghent survey of media use. The article reported a lower share, 63%, among households aged 25–35. These are secondary-reported survey findings, not regulator subscription counts, and they do not contradict annual cord-cutting: people can cancel cable over time while a large share of households still has it.
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Belgium-wide figures provide context, not a TV adoption rate
Belgium’s Federal Public Service Economy reported home internet access in 2024 for 94.62% of Belgian households and 99.04% of Dutch households. These are connectivity statistics, not figures for TV viewing, streaming-app use or package cancellation.
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Deloitte Belgium’s Digital Consumer Trends 2025 survey summary said six broadcaster video-on-demand services appeared among Belgium’s ten most-used weekly video services and that 61% of Belgians had access to paid video streaming. These are consulting-firm survey findings, not official national television statistics; the release summary does not provide enough survey-method detail to independently assess them. They support the relevance of broadcaster apps and paid streaming, but do not establish a single national shift away from TV packages.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choosing a setup: match the service to what you watch
There is no single best replacement for a TV package. Start with the programs and channels you actually need, then check whether an app offers them live, on demand or only for a limited period. Compare services and packages on these points:
- Delivery: operator-supplied TV package, live broadcaster app, or standalone streaming service.
- Timing: live channels, catch-up, advance viewing or an on-demand catalog.
- Content and region: required local channels, sports and other rights, language, and availability in the Netherlands, Flanders or French-speaking Belgium.
- Cost and commitment: bundled package versus separate subscriptions or free broadcaster apps. Prices are not established here; check current terms directly.
- Device access: apps built into a compatible smart TV, or an HDMI streaming player if the TV lacks an app you need. Confirm compatibility with each service before buying a device.
A smart TV may already be enough. If it lacks the required apps, an add-on HDMI streaming player can be a more proportionate option than replacing the television. VRT NWS identifies Chromecast and Apple TV as access options, but that does not establish that every model supports every local app. Availability and compatibility need to be checked for the specific service and device.
Why this is a gradual transition
The evidence points to parallel habits rather than a complete migration. In the Netherlands, channel-viewing time has fallen and online video has gained ground, but ACM still counted millions of cable and fiber TV subscriptions in late 2025. In Flanders, local broadcaster apps extend access beyond a classic package, while daily live viewing and cable remain significant. Internet access, smart-TV ownership, streaming access, service accounts and TV subscriptions each use different denominators; none alone measures how many households have become internet-first.
The practical result is flexibility. Viewers can combine a package with apps, use broadcaster services for catch-up, or rely more heavily on internet-delivered viewing. Which arrangement works depends on local channel needs, language and regional availability, live and on-demand preferences, device support, and the cost and convenience of keeping a package.
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