Apple jumps into streaming war: What about main competitors in the Netherlands?

Gone are the days when a family would huddle together in front of the television at prime time to catch an anticipated movie. In this day and age, online video streaming on demand is where the money is and it is exactly where several companies are betting big on globally including the Netherlands. Hence, it didn’t really come as a surprise when Apple announced that it too is joining the streaming bandwagon with its Apple TV+ online video streaming service, which offers six people to watch shows and movies in one subscription service.

Apple revealed more details about the Apple TV+ service at its Special event and announced that it will cost just €4.99 per month. The set pricing is competitive and on top of that, the company is offering one year of free Apple TV + membership to customers who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch or a new Apple TV from September 10.

With the rise in the adoption of streaming services in the Netherlands (NL), today we take a look at some of the top streaming services available in the country and how they compare against Apple TV+.

Netflix

Netflix is one of the most popular online video streaming platforms with a pretty solid library of new and existing content, along with original works. The company recently decided to hike the price of its membership in Europe for the Standard and Premium plans. In NL too, Netflix’s Basic plan is priced at €7.99 per month but its medium and its topmost tier now cost €11.99 and €15.99 per month respectively. Standard plan users can access the service from two devices while Premium plan users can use it on four devices at once.

Disney+

Back in 2017, Disney announced its plans to create streaming video service to challenge Netflix, Amazon Prime Hulu, and similar high-end streamers. One year down the line, the company named its streaming service as Disney+. And last month, Walt Disney Company’s DTCI (Direct-to-Consumer and International) segment confirmed that Disney+ will launch in the Netherlands and Canada, in tandem with the U.S., on November 12. It will be priced at €6.99 per month (or €69.99 per year) in the Netherlands.

The content on Disney+ will range from shows and movies created by Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Nat Geo, along with content from its own studio. Update: Disney just announced that it’s online streaming service is now avaialable for a free trial in the Netherlands. One can simply head over to the service’s website and register now to watch content for free till November 12, under a free trial offer.

Amazon Prime

Apple TV+ service will also directly compete with Amazon Prime, which not only offers video streaming but some additional services too. Prime members get access to premium shipping benefits, Prime Music subscription, early access to sales and deals on online retailers platform and more. Apple didn’t bundle Apple Music subscription with its new streaming service, which people were expecting might happen and thus Amazon has an advantage in that sense. Amazon Prime subscription is €5.99 per month and €49 per year.

Ziggo Go

HBO terminated its HBO Go service in the Netherlands by the end of 2016 and soon after, the largest cable operator in the Netherlands, Ziggo, announced its own online streaming service. Ziggo Go features all of the content from HBO and is available for free for all existing Ziggo customers. However, one needs to subscribe to a Ziggo package that starts at €26 for four months.

Viceland

Viceland commenced operations in the Netherlands back in March 2017 and its content was first streamed in the region by the cable operator Ziggo. Soon after, Caiway also started streaming the content and the media from Viceland was made available for over two million households in the Netherlands by entering a partnership with KPN and T-Mobile. The online media streaming platform might not have the largest library but it does feature some interesting content from around the world.

It is quite clear that Apple has considerable competition in the Netherlands. Even though the Apple TV+ subscription costs less than most of its rivals, it currently lacks content and this might discourage users for buying the service. Additionally, with Disney+ service soon launching in the region with a hefty library and originals, Apple might have to think of additional ways to sweeten the deal for its TV+ service. Do you think Apple has a chance of wooing viewers in the Netherlands? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Main image credits: Apple

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