Netherlands

[NL] Public Broadcasting Organisation BNN Launches Digital Youth Channel

IRIS 2006-5:1/38

Brenda van der Wal

Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam

The Dutch public broadcasting organisation BNN will launch a digital channel in September 2006. The channel, temporarily called The CoolCast Project, will broadcast twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, via decoders and the Internet. The channel is aimed at young viewers in the age category of thirteen to thirty-four years.

The board of directors of the public broadcasting organisations considers thematic channels to be an important step towards the digital future of television. In particular, it allows broadcasting organisations to reach young people. According to BNN, this is one of the reasons why the channel will broadcast twenty-four hours a day. Young people are often unfamiliar with programming schedules. They need to be able to determine by themselves at what time they wish to watch a programme.

With The CoolCast Project, BNN expects to gain experience in new means of production and distribution. The content includes new programmes and reruns of BNN but also of other public networks as well as purchased programmes. The CoolCast Project is also intended to offer a platform to develop new talent and to experiment with programmes that could not be broadcast otherwise.