Eurovision’s television audience dropped from 166 million in 2025 to 131 million in 2026. Five public broadcasters stayed away, while participation reached what DW calls a significant low point. The contest’s response: look beyond Europe.
The 2026 event took place in May, marking Eurovision’s 70th anniversary, but boycotts over Israel’s participation during the war on Gaza overshadowed it. The Netherlands, Spain, Iceland, Slovenia and Ireland all withdrew. Ireland has confirmed it won’t take part for a second time in a row.
Broadcasters Decide, and the Deadline Looms
Each national broadcaster decides whether to participate, and the 2027 picture remains unsettled. The Netherlands’ usual Eurovision broadcaster had said it would snub the show again, saying it refused to join an event that “can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict.” Dutch public broadcasting association NPO later decided to resume participation.
Slovenia, Spain and Iceland haven’t made official announcements about 2027. Broadcasters have until mid-October 2026 to withdraw their applications without a financial penalty.
Speaking to DW at the European Broadcasting Union’s annual workshop in mid-September, Eurovision director Martin Green played down the turmoil. “Bringing the world together through music has always been an incredibly powerful idea and has stood the test of time for 70 years,” he said. “The more difficult the world gets around us, the more important these shows of unity, these shows of togetherness become.”
Security Rules and Voting Reform
Organizers announced new hosting rules in August. Under the rules, the winning broadcaster can’t host automatically if “an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region,” the organizers said. The winning country usually hosts the following edition. The United Kingdom hosted the 2023 event on behalf of Ukraine because of Russia’s war.
The rule doesn’t name a country. The report said organizers designed it to avoid holding the show in Israel, which came close to winning in 2025 and 2026.
Voting is changing too. Viewers can currently cast up to 10 votes per payment method. Organizers cut that cap from 20 after a 2025 controversy, when the Israeli government encouraged Israelis to register multiple votes for its contestant. Now they plan to move voting entirely online and require voters to select three acts instead of one.
Expansion Abroad, Bills at Home
Bulgaria will host the 2027 contest in Burgas on the Black Sea coast, after singer Dara won in Vienna with “Bangaranga.” Milena Milotinova, general director of public broadcaster BNT, said: “This will be the first time Bulgaria has organized such a large-scale event at such a high level.” Bulgaria first participated in 2005. “The important thing is that we already have a hall,” she said, adding that preparations are “frantic.”
Eurovision Song Contest Asia is due to debut in November 2026 in Bangkok, with eleven countries taking part. Talks are under way to bring in more Asian countries in 2027. Organizers announced a Latin American spin-off earlier, but it hasn’t materialized.
Canada joins the European lineup in 2027. Participation is open to active members of the European Broadcasting Union, not limited by Europe’s geography. Australia joined as a special participant in 2015 and has competed since. Israel’s public broadcaster has competed regularly since 1973.
Canada’s entry carries a price tag. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government included $150 million Canadian (€93 million, $106 million) in its budget for the broadcaster, as part of an effort to deepen cultural and diplomatic ties with Europe. Jennifer Dettman, Canada’s head of delegation, called it “the biggest global music event.”
Why This Matters: Eurovision tests how publicly funded institutions handle political pressure. The contest lost 35 million viewers in a year, and national broadcasters, not Brussels, decided whether to stay or go. That’s subsidiarity in practice. For the first time, the new hosting rule puts security and geopolitical conditions into the rules. Meanwhile, governments are putting real money behind participation: Canada’s €93 million commitment is one example. From a fiscal perspective, the mid-October deadline will show how many broadcasters commit public resources to 2027, and whether expansion beyond Europe offsets a shrinking core audience.