Best Streaming Services for Expats in the Netherlands 2026

Welcome to the Netherlands streaming experience.

Streaming is one of those small daily-life choices that affects your evenings, your kids’ weekends, and your sense of “do I feel at home here?”. Worth getting right.

💡 Setting up your home? Read best broadband internet providers for expats Netherlands 2026 — covers KPN, Ziggo, Odido, fibre vs cable, and TV bundles.

Quick answer: Netflix (from €9.99 a month), Disney+ (from €6.99 with ads), HBO Max (from €5.99 with ads) and Viaplay (from €19.99, Formula 1 and most Premier League matches) cover most expat needs, all checked 5 October 2026. Catalogues differ from those in your home country because of licensing, and home-country services such as BBC iPlayer or Hulu are geo-blocked here.

What changes when you become a Dutch resident

Three things happen the moment you become a Dutch resident:

Your streaming libraries shift. Licensing differs per country, so the Dutch Netflix catalogue is different from the US, UK, German or French one. Some shows arrive later or not at all.

Sports rights get reshuffled. UK and US sports subscriptions are generally tied to their own country. Dutch sports rights are split mainly between Viaplay, Ziggo Sport, and ESPN NL, with Prime Video showing a number of Premier League matches exclusively. Your favourite sport may be on a service you have never heard of.

Local services emerge. Videoland, NPO Plus and NLZIET are Dutch services focused on Dutch-language content, most useful if you are learning the language.

A practical approach is to mix one or two global services with a Dutch one if you want local content.

Ranking of streaming services for expats in 2026

1. Netflix — still the default

Netflix does not publish title counts per country that we could find; the Dutch catalogue differs from other countries because of licensing.

What works:

• Netflix originals
• Subtitle and audio language choice per profile
• Profiles, including kids profiles

What is missing:

• Series from Hulu and Peacock, which do not operate in the Netherlands
• HBO series, which are on HBO Max
• Disney, Marvel and Star Wars titles, which are on Disney+

Plans on Netflix’s Dutch help page (checked 5 October 2026):

• Basic: €9.99 per month
• Standard: €15.99 per month (one extra member who does not live with you: €4.99 per month)
• Premium (4K, more screens): €20.99 per month (up to two extra members at €4.99 each)

The help page lists no ad-supported plan.

2. Disney+ — best for families and Marvel/Star Wars fans

Disney+ carries Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars titles, which makes it the obvious choice for families with children who watch those.

Plans on Disney+’s Dutch site (checked 5 October 2026; introductory offers apply for the first six months, the prices below are what you pay afterwards):

• Standard with ads: €6.99 per month
• Standard: €10.99 per month
• Premium: €15.99 per month

Disney+ shows no annual price on its Dutch homepage, so check the plan page for yearly options.

3. HBO Max — strongest for prestige series

HBO Max carries HBO’s series and Warner Bros films; its Dutch site features titles such as Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Succession, The Last of Us and The White Lotus.

Plans (HBO Max Dutch site, checked 5 October 2026):

• HBO Max Basic with ads: from €5.99 per month
• Bundles with Videoland: Basic with ads plus Videoland Basis €9.99, Standard plus Videoland Plus €17.99, Premium plus Videoland Premium €23.99 per month

If you mainly watch HBO drama, this is the subscription to look at; the bundles are cheaper than taking HBO Max and Videoland separately, according to HBO Max.

4. Viaplay — the sports power player

Viaplay holds the Dutch rights to Formula 1 (live with Dutch commentary) and the Premier League (342 of the 380 matches in 2026/27, per viaplay.nl; Prime Video shows a number of matches exclusively). The package also covers PDC darts, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, the FA Cup, F2, F3 and DTM. If you follow F1 or English football, Viaplay is the service to look at.

Access to F1 TV Pro is included, Formula 1’s own streaming service with a multiview of video feeds and live timing. F1 TV Pro is run by Formula 1 itself and needs a separate F1 account.

Plans (viaplay.com, checked 5 October 2026):

• Basis with ads: €19.99 per month, or €179 for 12 months paid upfront
• Standaard (no ads): €21.99 per month, or €199 for 12 months paid upfront
• Monthly plans can be cancelled at any time; the 12-month plans are a fixed term. Offline viewing is not available on Basis.

Check the current Viaplay plans before you subscribe, as prices and line-ups can change.

5. Videoland — Dutch-language, strong for language learners

Videoland is RTL’s streaming service, with Dutch series, films and reality. For expats learning Dutch it is a source of Dutch-language content. All plans can be cancelled monthly.

Plans (Videoland’s Dutch site, checked 5 October 2026):

• Basis with ads: €6.99 per month
• Plus: €11.99 per month
• Premium: €14.99 per month

If you are not learning Dutch, Videoland is skippable.

6. NLZIET and NPO Plus — public broadcasting

NLZIET offers Dutch TV channels live and on demand. NPO Plus is the paid add-on to NPO Start, the public broadcaster’s service: ad-free viewing, watching ahead and longer catch-up, for €3.49 a month (npo.nl, checked 5 October 2026). Both are Dutch-focused.

Useful mainly for Dutch language learners or expats following local news and programmes.

7. Apple TV: Apple’s own originals

Apple’s streaming service, now sold as Apple TV, focuses on Apple Originals such as Ted Lasso and Slow Horses. It costs €9.99 per month after a 7-day free trial for new subscribers (apple.com/nl, checked 5 October 2026). With a smaller catalogue, it works best as an extra subscription next to a larger one.

8. Amazon Prime Video — bundled with Prime, decent originals

Prime Video in the Netherlands is included with Amazon Prime (€4.99 per month or €49.90 per year after the trial period, per amazon.nl, checked 5 October 2026). Prime also includes Amazon’s delivery benefits, so it can be worth it if you already order from amazon.nl. According to Ziggo, a number of Premier League matches are exclusively on Prime Video.

Watching home country content from the Netherlands

This is where most expats hit problems. The rules differ by region.

From another EU country: under the EU portability regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/1128), paid online content services must let you use your home subscription while you are temporarily in another member state. Once you live in the Netherlands, that rule no longer covers you.

UK content (BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4): the UK is not in the EU, so the portability rule does not apply. These services are aimed at viewers in the UK.

US content (Hulu, Peacock, US Netflix, Paramount+): these services or catalogues are not offered in the Netherlands.

Australian and other non-EU content: generally limited to the home country.

Streaming services’ terms usually limit viewing to the country of the account, and services such as Netflix say a VPN or proxy can cause errors. If you use a VPN for privacy, for example on public Wi-Fi, services such as NordVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee (nordvpn.com, checked 5 October 2026). Do not count on a VPN to make a particular streaming service work.

Sports: the painful part

If sports is part of your life, the Dutch market needs careful navigation.

Football (soccer):

• Premier League: Viaplay (rights cycle 2025/26 to 2027/28, per the Premier League), with a number of matches exclusively on Prime Video
• Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and FA Cup: Viaplay
• Eredivisie: ESPN NL (Ziggo: “Altijd alle VriendenLoterij Eredivisie op ESPN”)
• Champions League, Europa League and Conference League: Ziggo Sport
• La Liga and Serie A: Ziggo Sport (ziggo.nl, checked 5 October 2026)

Formula 1: Viaplay, with Dutch commentary. Viaplay subscriptions include access to F1 TV Pro, Formula 1’s own streaming service; F1 TV is also sold separately by Formula 1.

Tennis: rights differ per tournament and change regularly. Check each tournament’s official broadcaster list.

NFL / NBA / MLB / NHL: each league sells its own international streaming subscription (for example NBA League Pass and MLB.TV). Check the league’s official site for the current offer in the Netherlands.

UFC: UFC Fight Pass is UFC’s own streaming service. Live event rights in the Netherlands change, so check UFC’s current broadcaster list.

Cricket: rights differ per tournament; check the tournament’s official broadcaster list.

For F1 and English football, Viaplay is the main route. Ziggo Sport (European club football, La Liga, Serie A) and ESPN (Eredivisie) fill most of the remaining football gaps, and league-specific subscriptions handle the rest.

Example budget (2026)

An example three-service mix, using the prices above (all monthly, checked 5 October 2026):

• Netflix Standard: €15.99 per month
• HBO Max Basic with ads: €5.99 per month
• Disney+ Standard: €10.99 per month
• Total: €32.97 per month / €395.64 per year

Bundle deals to know about

A few worth checking:

Broadband + entertainment: internet providers such as KPN and Ziggo sometimes add a streaming service to a package. Check the current offer when you sign up.

HBO Max + Videoland: HBO Max sells bundles with Videoland from €9.99 a month, which HBO Max says is cheaper than two separate subscriptions.

Annual vs monthly: some services price a 12-month plan below twelve monthly payments. Viaplay’s Basis plan, for example, is €179 for 12 months against 12 × €19.99 = €239.88, about 25% less. If you know you will keep a service for a year, compare the annual price.

For broadband and mobile pairing, see best broadband internet providers Netherlands and best SIM-only plans for expats in the Netherlands.

Common expat streaming mistakes

Sticking with home-country subscriptions after you move. The EU portability rule only covers temporary stays, and non-EU services are aimed at their own country. Paying in another currency can also add conversion costs.

Subscribing to too many services. Five subscriptions at €10 to €16 each adds up to €50 to €80 a month.

Forgetting to cancel. Auto-renewal is ubiquitous. Set calendar reminders one month before annual renewal.

Ignoring the ad-supported tiers. Disney+’s ad-supported Standard tier (€6.99) is about a third cheaper than Standard without ads (€10.99). Check how much advertising a tier shows before you decide; for casual viewing it can be enough.

Paying full price during launch promotions. Streaming services sometimes run introductory discounts, and broadband or mobile bundles can include a service at a reduced price. Check for a current offer before paying full price.

Recommendation for new expats

Start with one paid service in your first month. Netflix is the most common starting point. After a month, decide based on what you actually watched whether to add Disney+, HBO Max, or Viaplay.

Avoid signing up for everything in the first week. €40 per month on streaming you do not watch is real money.

The streaming question is part of the broader “what does my Dutch life look like?” question. Get the basics in place first — banking, internet, BSN — and let entertainment fall into place over the first few months.

For the broader expat onboarding, see first year in the Netherlands as an expat and the practical tools in Dutch utilities explained for expats.

Last updated: 2026-10-05 (Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Viaplay, Videoland, NPO Plus, Apple TV and Prime prices checked 5 October 2026). Streaming rights and prices change; check the provider before you subscribe.

External source: EFF — Privacy issues — independent information on this topic.