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Eurovision 2026 Draws 131M Viewers as Boycotts Dent TV Audience
(MENAFN) The 70th Eurovision Song Contest pulled in 131 million television viewers across 35 markets, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced Friday — a notable drop of 35 million from the prior year's edition as a wave of national boycotts cast a shadow over the contest.
Held in Vienna, this year's competition fell short of the 166 million viewers recorded at the 2025 edition in Basel, Switzerland. Declines were reported across several key markets, including Poland, the United Kingdom, and France — though host nation Austria bucked the trend, registering its highest-ever national audience for the contest.
The viewership contraction comes in the wake of a politically charged withdrawal by five participating nations. Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands all pulled out of the 2026 contest in protest against Israel's continued participation — the most significant coordinated boycott in the competition's seven-decade history.
Off television screens, however, the contest's digital footprint continued to expand. Eurovision-related content accumulated more than 2.75 billion views across social media platforms throughout the 2026 season, underscoring the competition's enduring grip on online audiences even as traditional broadcast numbers softened.
Bulgaria's DARA claimed the crown at the 70th edition, taking victory with the song Bangaranga.
Held in Vienna, this year's competition fell short of the 166 million viewers recorded at the 2025 edition in Basel, Switzerland. Declines were reported across several key markets, including Poland, the United Kingdom, and France — though host nation Austria bucked the trend, registering its highest-ever national audience for the contest.
The viewership contraction comes in the wake of a politically charged withdrawal by five participating nations. Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands all pulled out of the 2026 contest in protest against Israel's continued participation — the most significant coordinated boycott in the competition's seven-decade history.
Off television screens, however, the contest's digital footprint continued to expand. Eurovision-related content accumulated more than 2.75 billion views across social media platforms throughout the 2026 season, underscoring the competition's enduring grip on online audiences even as traditional broadcast numbers softened.
Bulgaria's DARA claimed the crown at the 70th edition, taking victory with the song Bangaranga.
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