US public broadcaster PBS has initiated a new campaign to launch its PBS America channel in the Netherlands.
The pubcaster has been looking to expand its UK feed PBS America to the continent for a number of years. News surfaced of the broadcaster’s interest in the Benelux surfaced in October 2013 during the MIPCOM in Cannes, France.
At the time, contractual obligations made it difficult to expand distribution outside the UK, but since PBS America launched as a FTA channel on the UK’s Freesat satellite DTH platform, the channel is availble for expansion across Europe.
According to local press reports, PBS is talking to various distribution platform in the Netherlands. PBS America needs to have at least one million potential homes in order to break even. Siging of such a distribution deal would guaratee entry of the channel into the country.
Meanwhile, a goup of Dutch medie people has set up a ‘Friends of PBS’ club in order to promote the channel’s entry into the country.