It’s over after tonight: the NPO will not broadcast a current talk show for a month because of the Football World Cup. What happens at big breaking news? “We have a plan.”
The Football World Cup is expected to attract millions of viewers to the NPO in the coming month. And everything must give way to this; The daily current talk show is also being given up for it. Another one will not start until July 13, namely Goedenavond Nederland, which will be presented alternately by Sam Hagens and Welmoed Sijtsma.
95 percent
Can the NPO do without a talk show now that the world is so unstable? “It is partly a budgetary decision, made on the basis of previous tournaments,” says NPO 1 content manager Remco van Westerloo in the VARA guide.
He continues: “At a World Cup you talk about an average reach of 50 percent, which can rise to 95 percent with a match of the Dutch national team. Then there is very little left for a talk show if you were to compare it.”
‘Right back’
Moreover, there are more than a hundred matches during the World Cup, Remco continues. “They start between six o’clock in the evening and deep into the night. We have therefore freed up the NPO programming for the World Cup. When the tournament is over, Good Evening Netherlands will be included straight away.”
Is he disappointed that there is no budget to broadcast a talk show during the tournament? “I am down-to-earth about this. We have been having that discussion for a number of years. I think this choice is well justified, given the fact that the World Cup is watched so en masse.”
On standby
The big question is: what will the NPO do if a terrible war does break out or escalate? Or if there is other breaking news? “We have the opportunity to respond quickly to this. This can be done in two ways. Or with Nieuwsuur, which is available all summer. I have also made the appointment with WNL.”
Which appointment? “That Goedenavond Nederland can step in if necessary. They are already busy with the preparations. They are on standby. Whether we even interrupt matches for this, we will consider on a case-by-case basis.”