Three countries have announced that they will not broadcast Eurovision on public television. One of them will broadcast films about Palestine instead
National television stations in Ireland, Spain and Slovenia will not broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest this year after deciding to boycott the event due to Israel's participation, according to The Guardian.
After announcing that it would not send a representative to the competition, Slovenian public broadcaster RTV confirmed on Thursday that it would instead broadcast a series of films about Palestine.
“We will not broadcast the Eurovision contest. We will broadcast the series of films Voices of Palestinewhich includes Palestinian documentaries and feature films,” RTV Slovenia director Ksenija Horvat told The Associated Press.
Spanish public broadcaster RTVE last week reiterated its decision not to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest, meaning the show will not be televised in Spain for the first time since the country participated in 1961.
For its part, the Irish public broadcaster RTÉ announced as early as last December that it would not broadcast or participate in the event.
The Netherlands and Iceland also withdrew from the competition last December, but the contest will still be broadcast by national public broadcasters NPO and RÚV.
This year's edition of Eurovision, which marks 70 years since its launch, will bring together 35 participating countries and is scheduled to take place in Vienna, the capital of Austria, from 12–16 May.
The withdrawals were prompted by a decision by the organiser, the European Broadcasting Union, to allow Israel to participate despite criticism of its handling of the Gaza war.
