This season, viewers can no longer turn to Ziggo for Formula 1, as Viaplay has taken over the rights. The streaming service did receive some criticism after the first two races, but the service's top executive is now offering rebuttal.

Anyone who wants to watch Formula 1 with Dutch commentary will have to take out a subscription with streaming service Viaplay. The approach of the new service has only received immediate criticism, including from viewers who are not fans of the new commentators, Melroy van Heemskerk and Niels Valkenburg.

In an interview with The Telegraph Peter Norrelund, the head of sports at parent company Nordic Entertainment Group, says that Viaplay is going for a different approach than Ziggo. "With us there is no beer and a polonaise in the studio after a win by Max Verstappen. He is a great talent, but F1 is more than just Verstappen. We want to give the viewer as complete an insight into the sport as possible."

Focus on knowledge

Norrelund says to invest in knowledge. That is why not only Dutch experts like Giedo van der Garde and Christijan Albers were hired, but also experienced F1 drivers like Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard.

The top man of NENT also emphasizes that Viaplay has the necessary manpower on site. Viaplay has no less than 25 people walking around in the paddock and four camera crews. That is a lot more than Ziggo has had on location in recent years. With Formula 1 as its showpiece, the new streaming service wants to grow into the number one sports channel in the Netherlands, according to Norrelund.