Dutch MPs demand NOS drop fees for public World Cup screenings
The Tweede Kamer is pushing for a ban on the public broadcaster NOS charging bars, restaurants, or event organizers for showing Dutch national team World Cup matches on large screens in cafés, squares, or at public events. MPs are calling on the Minister of Economic Affairs to negotiate with NOS to either scrap or revise the charges.
A strong majority in the Tweede Kamer, holding 84 seats, views it as unacceptable that bars and event organizers are required to pay for these screenings. The stance is mainly backed by VVD, D66, CDA, and several smaller factions.
Several MPs, including VVD’s Arend Kisteman, have labeled the fees “absurd,” arguing that NOS is already funded by taxpayers yet still makes cafés pay extra to show World Cup games.
MPs from parties like the CDA and D66 go further, calling it a “supporters’ tax” that undermines the communal experience in cafés and public squares. The criticism is rooted in the view that major sporting events should be shared without imposing extra costs on hospitality businesses or fans.
For the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, cafés pay approximately 0.80 euros per visitor per match for an event license. A yearly license is also available for horeca businesses, with prices starting at about 247 euros for small cafés (less than 50 m²) and rising according to the size of the establishment.
NOS defends its charges, explaining that broadcasting matches in the Netherlands requires permission from rights holders like FIFA, which is included in NOS’s rights package.
This package also covers the public screening of matches on large screens and comes with copyright obligations and sponsor agreements. For the upcoming World Cup, the fees have been deliberately set low, about 0.76 euros per visitor, to make them manageable for organizers. NOS adds that, under the law, it is not allowed to let others use the broadcasts for free without charging a fee.
Controversy also arose in the Tweede Kamer during the 2024 European Championship over comparable fees NOS asked from café owners. Facing political pressure, NOS then sharply reduced the fee to around 0.75 euros per visitor.
NOS revealed in July 2025 that it plans to transfer some of its 2026 World Cup broadcasting rights to commercial companies, a move prompted by major funding cuts at the public broadcaster.
Ultimately, the plan was abandoned. NOS later confirmed that the World Cup will remain fully and exclusively on the public broadcaster, as no offer was both profitable enough and the disadvantages, such as lost advertising revenue, loss of exclusivity, and disruption to programming, were greater than the potential gains.
