Kijkwijzer warns parents and educators up to which age a TV programme or film can be potentially harmful to children. RTL is affiliated to NICAM, the institute responsible for the development and implementation of Kijkwijzer. We find it important that parents and children receive good information so that they can take measures themselves to protect children from content they are not yet ready for. For this reason, we classify all programmes and label everything we broadcast with Kijkwijzer icons: an age indication (all ages, 6 years, 9 years, 12 years, 14 years and 16 years) and the reason for the recommendation (violence, fear, sex, discrimination, drug and/or alcohol abuse and coarse language).

Moment of broadcast
When broadcasting on television, we take into account the time of broadcast. Programmes rated all ages, 6 and 9 may be broadcast at any time of the day. Programmes rated 12, 14 and 16 years will be broadcast from 8pm onwards. Programmes rated 18 are available only after midnight.

Well-informed choice
We think it is important that parents can make well-informed decisions on whether to let their children watch a TV programme or film. This is why we clearly indicate the Kijkwijzer recommendation on screen before programmes are broadcast. We also make sure that our programming is tailored to the target audience of the moment. In addition, you have the option of setting a child lock. You can find more information on the website of your TV provider.

If you have any questions or comments about Kijkwijzer, please visit kijkwijzer.nl.

Some 1.5 million people in the Netherlands are deaf or hard of hearing. Through subtitles, they can still enjoy programmes on RTL and Videoland. We consider the accessibility of our programmes important and our efforts are focused on providing more and better subtitles.

Subtitles are available for the following programmes:

All primetime Dutch-language programmes at RTL 4 and RTL 5 (daily, from 17:00 to 23:00) and the UEFA Champions League football matches at RTL 7 feature subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing via TT888.
Live news and current affairs programmes such as EditieNL, RTL Boulevard, the evening broadcasts of RTL Nieuws on RTL 4, 112 Vandaag on RTL 5 and various talk shows such as Jinek, Beau, Renze and Humberto are subtitled live via TT888.

All Videoland Originals feature subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, accessible via the menu on the detail page of the film or episode.

Purchased international films, series and documentaries at RTL and Videoland feature regular subtitles in the Dutch language.

Technology
The subtitling of RTL programmes is provided by specialised, external subtitling parties. These parties work for all content providers in the Dutch market. Together with the subtitling partners, experience experts and interest groups, we monitor technological developments and look for ways to make subtitling faster, more qualitative and more accurate. For instance, we are currently testing the use of AI.

Live subtitling
Subtitling live programming is labour-intensive and complex and is not done before the broadcast itself. Speech recognition combined with manual correction is used for this purpose. This technique is still under development and has several limitations. The nature of the programmes, in which dialogues follow each other in rapid succession, can also cause challenges. Therefore, subtitles may be a few seconds behind or not entirely accurate.

Where to find it?
For the RTL programmes mentioned above, subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing can be switched on via Teletext page 888. The availability of this subtitling can be recognised by the icon of an earpiece with the numbers 888. Regular subtitles are offered by default for non-Dutch-language or poorly understood content.

Videoland has a subtitle icon on the detail page of a film or episode. This is where the various subtitling options can be viewed and activated.

We feel part of the whole of the Netherlands. What concerns you also concerns us. That means we pay close attention to social discussions, trends and developments in society. We feel it is important to always provide space for different viewpoints and opinions. We listen, discuss where necessary and lead where possible, so that we actively contribute to a diverse and representative portrayal in the media.

In 2016, for instance, we decided to swap Black Pete for Chimney Pete. Precisely to keep the tradition alive in a way where all children in the Netherlands can enjoy the Sinterklaas party carefree. We also monitor and discuss the movement around inequality, racism, discrimination and stereotyping on a daily basis. It affects the way we work and the choices we make. Everyone should feel safe and heard and there is no place for racism and discrimination at RTL.

The road to a more representative media offering requires and deserves continuous attention. Much is going well, but we also have much to gain and to learn. Our experience is that concrete actions and dialogue are the best way forward. We have these discussions with each other and with makers outside RTL. As a result, we increasingly understand what it takes to make programmes that are diverse and inclusive.

We are reluctant to simply make adjustments to existing programmes or remove them from our platforms, because doing so also removes the opportunity for the conversation. Rather, we take our insights into new programmes, where we can tell new stories and create new role models. Programmes that everyone can identify with and enjoy.

It is our mission to create programmes that touch your head and heart. It does not matter what your background is, what views you have or how you identify yourself. RTL is there for everyone in the Netherlands.

More information on Kijkwijzer, subtitling and RTL's media code of conduct can be found here.

Read more about stereotyping in programmes here.

Click here to see RTL Nederland's media code.