Dutch media minister Rianne Letschert now has the legal authority to remove Ongehoord Nederland from the country’s public broadcasting system.
The broadcaster, commonly known as ON, could lose its licence and public funding.
However, the minister has not yet made a final decision.
The Dutch Media Authority informed Letschert that the two formal sanctions required before a broadcaster’s licence can be reconsidered are now in place.
The regulator said it no longer trusts ON to manage its operations properly or meet the responsibilities of a public broadcaster.
Its decision followed controversy over an online programme broadcast in July 2026.
Former editor-in-chief Joost Niemöller and presenter Raisa Blommestijn discussed comments made by Adolf Hitler and expressed agreement with some of his views about globalism.
The programme also showed a clip in which the word “Juden,” meaning Jewish people, could be heard.
The Media Authority described the programme as a turning point in its relationship with ON.
It said the broadcast formed part of a wider pattern in which the organisation failed to protect journalistic standards.
ON received a fine in September 2025 for conflict-of-interest breaches and failing to follow its own editorial rules.
The broadcaster also received a separate penalty order after it failed to provide documents explaining how it had spent public money.
The regulator said these two sanctions give the minister the legal grounds to reconsider ON’s provisional broadcasting licence.
Niemöller left his position following the controversy. The broadcaster also removed the disputed programme from its online channels.
ON director Peter Vlemmix said the broadcaster had made improvements during the past year that the regulator had failed to recognise.
He said its “fight for survival” would continue.
Letschert has promised to announce her decision before Parliament debates the public broadcasting system on September 24, 2026.
If she withdraws the licence, ON could be removed from public television and lose access to government funding.
