Eurovision audience falls by 35 million as 2026 ratings hit after broadcaster boycott

Credit: ORF

The Eurovision Song Contest's television audience fell by 35 million viewers in 2026 following five nations boycotting the competition.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reported that the event reached 131 million people across 35 measured markets, down from 166 million viewers across 37 markets in 2025.

The Grand Final's average viewing share also dropped from 47.7% to 42.6%, while the youth audience share among 15 to 24-year-olds declined from a record 60.4% last year to 54.8%.

The figures come after five nations, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, chose not to participate in Eurovision 2026 amid ongoing controversy surrounding Israel's participation in the Contest.

Addressing the decline in audience figures, Eurovision director Martin Green said:

"While some of our figures are naturally lower without those of our five members who chose not to participate this year, we remain committed to doing everything possible to find pathways back for them in 2027."

Despite the decline, Eurovision remained one of the strongest-performing entertainment broadcasts in Europe, with the Grand Final still attracting more than double the average audience share of the channels carrying the event.

Australia bucks the trend

While much of Europe saw declining audiences, Australia was one of the bright spots for Eurovision 2026.

The EBU identified Australia as one of the markets recording the strongest audience growth, alongside host nation Austria.

According to SBS, more than 3.27 million Australians tuned in across its Eurovision coverage, representing a 45.2% increase on 2025.

The live Grand Final reached 1.21 million Australians, while the average audience was 464,000 viewers, Australia's strongest Grand Final result since joining the Contest in 2015.

Australia's representative Delta Goodrem finished fourth in Vienna with Eclipse, helping deliver SBS one of its strongest Eurovision performances in recent years.

Digital engagement was a positive

While traditional television audiences fell, Eurovision's digital footprint continued to grow.

Across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, official Eurovision content generated more than 2.75 billion views during the 2026 season.

TikTok content generated 872.1 million views, up from 748.5 million in 2025, while Instagram surpassed one billion views for the first time.

Facebook also recorded significant growth, generating 247.8 million content views compared to 161 million the previous year.

The Contest's digital platforms also continued to attract more users. Eurovision.com recorded 9.9 million active users between January 1 and May 30, up 32% on the previous year.

While the newly rebuilt Eurovision app reached number one in the entertainment category on both Apple's App Store and Google Play during Eurovision week.

Eurovision Head of Digital Rob Holley welcomed the continued growth of the Contest's online audience.

"The continued growth of our digital platforms highlights how Eurovision is successfully connecting with younger audiences around the world."

"Eurovision continues to engage audiences year-round across every generation and is setting a benchmark for how to build cultural relevance and fan engagement in the digital era."

Smaller host city crowds in Vienna

On-the-ground attendance was also lower than last year, though Eurovision still drew major crowds across Vienna.

The EBU reported that around 320,000 people attended Eurovision-related activities in Vienna during event week, compared with more than 500,000 in Basel in 2025.

Around 100,000 people attended the nine ticketed shows at the Wiener Stadthalle, similar to the 100,000 show attendance reported in Basel last year.

However, city venue crowds were lower, with Vienna recording around 219,000 visitors compared with 343,000 in Basel.

Fans from 75 countries bought tickets to this year's shows, down from 83 countries in 2025.

Media interest remained strong, with 1,050 journalists from more than 50 countries accredited onsite, slightly higher than the around 1,000 journalists accredited in Basel last year.

Rest of the World voting expands

Voting participation outside competing countries also continued to grow.

The EBU reported votes from 148 countries and territories, up from 146 in 2025.

Outside participating countries, the largest numbers of votes came from the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Slovakia, Türkiye, Hungary, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico.

The Rest of the World vote, which combines votes from non-participating countries into a single set of Eurovision points, was introduced in 2023 and has become an increasingly important part of the Contest's global reach.

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