Entertainment

On Sunday evening, event organizations, audiovisual companies, theaters, and other entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry lit up the Netherlands' sky to show support for healthcare workers and other aid workers during the coronavirus crisis. 

"Our call to colleagues to participate exploded," Cees Scheij of Stagelight in Den Bosch said to Omroep Brabant. 

With people spending longer periods of time at home, two film festivals are putting more of their programming online. The unique content provides viewers with a different perspective than the paid television channels given away for free by Dutch telecoms KPN and VodafoneZiggo.

Video streaming services Netlfix and YouTube both announced that they are temporarily lowering the quality of videos. This is to prevent too much pressure on the internet as Europeans work from home and spend time social distancing due to the coronavirus, RTL Nieuws reports

The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled to take place in Rotterdam, was cancelled, the broadcasters involved announced on Wednesday. The decision was made by the European Broadcasting Union, which manages the popular annual event.

"It is with deep regret that we have to announce the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam," the organization said in a statement. The remarks continued to say the team was "heartbroken" that the event could not be held in May as planned.

Broadcaster NPO is launching an educational live show to keep kids entertained and learning during their Covid-19 imposed social isolation. The daily educational talk show will Zapplive Extra start broadcasting on NPO app and NPO Start on Wednesday, NOS reports.

The show will feature experts who can answer children's questions about the coronavirus and other things. Children can ask their questions and start a conversation, NPO said. "Of course there is also room for relaxation and tips given on how to best get through the days at home."

A cheerful, smiling blond woman named Dee walked out of coffeeshop Nogal Wiedes in Amsterdam Centrum having purchased a gram of hash just before the government's new emergency measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic took effect. The policy was introduced at about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, and included a mandate that all restaurants, bars, cafes, fitness centers, saunas, sex clubs, and coffeeshops close from 6 p.m. on Sunday through April 6.

The Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled to happen in Rotterdam in May, will not be canceled as yet, according to Rotterdam tourism alderman Said Kasmi (D66). "I think there should be an examination in mid-April about how things stand then. So we still have plenty of time," Kasmi said to newspaper AD. The Rotterdam Marathon will also happen as planned.

Nijmengen has joined Rotterdam and Amsterdam in completely banning consumer fireworks during the New Year celebrations. On Wednesday evening, the Nijmegen city council approved a motion by GroenLinks and animal party PvdD to ban the lighting of fireworks in the city, Omroep Gelderland reports. 

The Dutch music industry recorded its best growth in revenue over the last five years with a 13.2 percent increase in 2019. The industry took in more than 206.8 million euros last year, with over 78 percent due to streaming services.

Revenue from streaming sources equaled 161.7 million euros, a 23-percent gain on a year earlier. Over 12 percent of revenue was earned from CD and DVD sales, which fell nearly 16 percent to 25.2 million euros. Vinyl sales were relatively flat at 15.4 million euros, with downloads dropping over 21 percent to a bit over 4 million euros.

The celebration of Ajax winning the Eredivisie cup on the Museumplein in Amsterdam last May was twice nearly halted as the crowd came close to exceeding the vibration protocol - the measures in place to prevent the soil under the square moving and resulting damage to surrounding homes and museums, Het Parool reports. 

Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers posted a video on Instagram showing himself taking part in a live group karaoke session with actress and wife Sophie Turner in an Amsterdam pub. The duo were in town as the Jonas Brothers performed in the city's Ziggo Dome on Thursday night.

The pair were singing along to the song "Amsterdam", the Dutch entry in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest. It was made famous by singer Maggie MacNeal, who performed the tune during the Contest, which was held in The Hague that year. She placed fifth out of 19.