Nowadays, more and more consumers are choosing to only purchase an internet subscription without a TV. The reason for this is often the high extra costs for TV subscriptions. If you only have an internet connection and still want to watch TV in high quality, NLZiet is an alternative.
But is the service actually a good alternative to watch TV? We will explain in this review. Good to know, we tested NLZiet on an Apple TV, Smart TV, iPad and iPhone.
What is NLZIET?
NLZiet is a Dutch streaming service that provides access to all Dutch television channels and some additional channels for €8.95 per month. It is a collaboration between the NPO (Dutch Public Broadcasting), RTL Netherlands and Talpa Network (SBS). NLZiet aims to provide a single platform where viewers can watch television programs from all Dutch broadcasters.
With NLZiet you can watch live broadcasts from 38+ channels, catch up on missed episodes and get access to a huge archive of on-demand content. The channel package consists of NPO 1, NPO 2, NPO 3, RTL 4, RTL 5, RTL 7, RTL 8, RTL Z, SBS6, Net5, Veronica, VRT, Canvas, Ketnet regional channels and more.
It is also possible to watch broadcasts ahead of time via the app. You can even look ahead to an entire season of most programs and of course also watch all the seasons back.
If you also want access to English channels such as the BBC, you can expand your subscription with the NLZiet Extra package (€2 extra per month).
What do you need to use NLZiet?
To use NLziet you need a computer, smartphone, tablet, smart TV or media player and the NLziet app. Most Smart TVs nowadays are equipped with an operating system such as WebOS (LG), Tizen (Samsung) or Android TV (Sony, Philips, etc.). These operating systems have or offer the option to install the NLZiet app (more info). You can also use Chromecast. If you have an Apple TV, you can also use it to watch TV via the NLZiet app.
You can use the NLZiet app on two devices at the same time and you can log in with five devices per day. Please note this, because a web browser such as Safari and Chrome is also counted as a device.
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Category: Entertainment, Lifestyle Developer: NLZIET Cooperative UA  17+ 87MBDOWNLOAD FOR FREE |
Watch TV via NLZiet
You can immediately watch the live broadcast of the channel via shortcuts on the home screen and the ‘TV & guide’ tab. By opening this the stream will play automatically. If desired, you can start the program from the beginning or enable it live.
Zapping is possible by swiping left or right over the video stream, but you can of course also immediately select the desired channel in the overview. Zapping via an Apple TV is more difficult, so you first have to activate the overlay and manually navigate to a new channel and start the stream.
TV Guide
With the NLZiet TV guide you have quick access to the broadcast schedule of all channels. This goes back up to seven days and forward about six days. Through the guide you can discover new programs, but also start playback.
The guide is divided into now & later or per channel. You can also immediately switch to primetime or view the full TV guide.
Looking back
You can watch all TV programs, films and other broadcasts broadcast by the various channels. You can search for the program via the search function, then select the desired season if necessary. Tap play and the episode will play. How long an episode/season remains available depends on the broadcasting rights to the broadcast. But in general you can look back at almost everything for at least a year.
My series and watch further
You can discover new programs via the TV guide, search function and suggestions. You can add these to ‘My series’ so that you can easily find them. This view will keep you informed when there are new episodes. If you watch a series, it will be added under the heading ‘Watch more’ on the home page and you can continue immediately. You can easily add a program or film to your ‘todo list’ via the ‘Watch later’ option.
Interface
The NLZiet app works almost identically on every device and platform, navigation works fine and the app is clear. The Android, Fire TV and Apple TV versions are fully optimized for larger screens.
Picture-in-picture is supported on the iPhone and iPad, so you can continue watching the broadcast while using another app.
Image quality
To use NLZiet you obviously need a good and stable Internet connection. The quality of the streams depends on the available bandwidth.
The most important Dutch channels are streamed to subscribers at a maximum of 7.5 Mbps. This means that NLZiet delivers better image quality for most TV channels than the standard HD streams from Ziggo and KPN.
Not only the bandwidth, but also the picture format of the Dutch channels are better at NLZiet. Ziggo and KPN deliver streams in the HD image format 1080i. NLZiet uses the better progressive image format Full HD 1080p/50.
Good to know: We use NLZiet on an Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) that is directly connected via an internet cable to a fiber optic connection of 1GB up/down. The Apple TV always delivers streams in high quality. You may still need to do this on other platforms activate via the NLZiet settings. The speed of the internet can affect the image quality.
Use NLZIET abroad
You can also use the NLziet while on the road and on holiday in the EU. You can watch all TV channels within the NLziet range without any problems. You do not need to use a VPN connection to fake your location.
Due to Brexit, (most) programs are no longer available in the United Kingdom. The same also applies to Switzerland because this country is not part of the EU.
The Leeward Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) and Windward Islands (Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten) do not belong to the EU and (part of) the offer may not be available there due to (missing) broadcasting rights.
Costs NLZIET
For NLziet you pay €8.95 per month for 38+ channels (including NPO, RTL, Talpa). If you also want to receive English channels such as the BBC, you pay €2 extra per month for NLziet EXTRA.
It is also possible to take out a cheaper annual subscription. You then pay €95.40 per year for the standard NLZiet subscription instead of €107.40. With an annual subscription you save 11%.
Compared to KPN
If you want to add a TV Box to a subscription with KPN, you pay € 12.50 for it. If you also want to be able to record programs, you pay an extra € 4.99 for the recording package. At KPN you pay € 17.49 at NLZiet € 8.95 per month (or € 7.95 if you take out the annual subscription).
Conclusion: NLZIET
REVIEW SCORE
At appletips we have been using NLZiet for more than a year now (mainly on the Apple TV) without any problems. Broadcasts are available almost immediately after start via on demand. The quality of the streams is of a high quality.
If you are on holiday in Europe, you can also watch your favorite programs there, NLZiet allows the content to be viewed from abroad.
We do think it is a shame that you cannot download programs to watch offline. Perhaps this will be made possible in the future.
- Very good image quality streams (max 7.5 Mbs)
- Works throughout the European Union (without VPN)
- NLZIET is available for many different platforms
- User-friendly app with easy navigation
- Live, on demand and watch ahead of broadcasts.
- Offline viewing not possible
Try NLZIET for free
New users receive free access to NLZiet for 14 days as standard to try out the service. When registering, a verification transaction of € 0.01 is made to prevent abuse. Depending on your choice, the subscription will automatically be converted to a monthly or annual subscription after the trial period. You are not committed to anything, your (free) subscription can be canceled at any time.