Eurovision audience, down compared to last year. What was the impact of the boycott of some countries
The final of this year's edition of the Eurovision contest attracted approximately 20% fewer viewers than the similar event in 2025, the European Radio and Television Union (EBU) announced on Friday, informs DPA, taken over by Agerpres.
In total, 131 million viewers watched this year's victory of Bulgaria's representative, the singer Dara, who won the competition organized in Vienna with the song “Bangaranga”, stated the EBU, which organizes this extravagant annual competition.
In 2025, the final of the Eurovision contest, held in the Swiss city of Basel, recorded an audience of 166 million viewers.
The EBU attributed the drop in audience this year to the absence of several countries from the contest. Iceland, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia did not send representatives to Vienna to protest Israel's participation.
The percentage of 15- to 24-year-old viewers who watched the Eurovision 2026 final was also lower than in 2025, at 54.8%.
In May 2025, the EBU had reported a percentage of 60.4% for young people in this age group who watched the final in Basel.
Next year's final of the Eurovision contest will most likely take place in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia.
