Despite complaints from viewers and parents the faces of the Black Pieten are not entirely covered in soot.
There is currently a civil war active in the Netherlands in which a small group of activists threaten persons and companies that organize or sponsor local events with Saint Nicholas and Black Pete. It is unknown if and how channel RTL was affected by this and it is also unknown if this is the reason channel RTL has altered their enactment of the traditional character Black Pete.
In a national TV talkshow a famous Dutch TV personality, equaling the opinion of 95 percent of the Dutch people, said the following about changing the tradition of Black Pete in this television series by his own employer : "Ik vond het persoonlijk, en dat is mijn persoonlijke mening, heel treurig dat RTL één van de eerste grote zenders was die overstag ging en plotseling met gekleurde veegpieten kwamen. Die hadden niet iets van: "Laat die kleine groep activisten de ****** krijgen, gewoon Zwarte Piet is Zwarte Piet, kom op". Nee hoor, die waren de eersten die 'modieus' mee gingen doen. En als ze hier niet tegen kunnen dan kunnen ze dat contract in hun **** steken hoor!". The whole talkshow including all hosts actually moved to a different channel for the next season, exactly like the previously mentioned TV host(s) warned his employer.
When a Dutch TV host asked a huge audience of preteens if they wanted to see a lesser black colored or a completely black colored Black Pete in this show, almost the entire audience said they want to see the traditional completely black colored Black Pete. The Dutch TV host was left in total amazement, not willing to accept the opinion of his audience.