Everything we learned about Eurovision Asia during Eurovision 2026

After years of speculation, false starts and unanswered questions, Eurovision Asia is finally becoming a reality.

The concept has existed in various forms for almost a decade, with discussions dating back to the late 2010s and previous attempts involving broadcasters and partners across the region, including SBS in Australia.

Eurovision Asia was formally announced earlier this year, confirming Bangkok as host city and the first 10 participating broadcasters.

However, during Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, organisers gave further insight into how the contest will work and the thinking behind it.

Across a dedicated Eurovision Asia press conference and fan media appearances, Eurovision Director Martin Green joined Eurovision Asia organisers Peter Settman, Christer Björkman and Assaf Blecher in discussing not only the mechanics of the contest, but what they hope it will become.

Beyond the logistical details of the contest happening on 14 November in Bangkok with 10 countries, we learned much more about the approach and how it fits in with Eurovision.

Here's what we learned.

Eurovision Asia is being built for Asia, not Europe

One of the strongest themes throughout Eurovision week was that organisers do not see Eurovision Asia as a copy of the European contest.

Instead, they repeatedly spoke about working alongside broadcasters and partners throughout the region to understand local music industries, traditions and audiences before shaping the final product.

Executive producer Assaf Blecher said organisers were learning directly from participating countries rather than imposing a European model on the region.

"We are learning their culture, their music, what kind of flavour we can bring. We're not creating a new animal here. But there is freedom because it's a new territory, it's a new place," he said.

Peter Settman echoed those comments, saying participating countries would be encouraged to showcase their own identities.

"We want to actually show the diversity of the region as much as possible. We will be able to let every country be themselves," he said.

Green echoed this point in a fan media Q&A, saying:

“What we insisted on was that this isn't a load of Europeans sweeping in, as the British have done that far too often already," he said.

"There's an Asian team, so what we're doing has real integrity. Obviously, we've got a lot of knowledge that we can transfer, so that's great.”

The timing is deliberate as well.

Eurovision Asia will take place in November, six months after Eurovision in Europe, while national selections will begin in August.

This gives the Eurovision calendar two focal points - one in Europe and one in Asia.

Asian broadcasters were already in Vienna learning the ropes

One detail that may have gone unnoticed during Eurovision week was the presence of broadcasters and partners from participating countries in Vienna itself.

Blecher revealed representatives from Thailand, Laos and Nepal had travelled to Austria to learn how Eurovision operates and to help shape the new project.

"We had here this week partners from Thailand. We have a partner from Laos. We have partners from Nepal. It's beautiful to see what Eurovision is and they are amazed," he said.

The presence of Asian broadcasters at Eurovision suggests organisers are treating the first edition as a collaborative process rather than simply exporting a format from Europe.

Settman, Green and Voxovation CEO Asia Marcus Tang

Blecher said countries are eager to bring their own cultures and music traditions into the contest.

"Every country is so excited to bring its flavours, its colours, the music, the tradition," he said.

Martin Green later reinforced the same point, saying: "This isn't a load of Europeans sweeping in."

Instead, organisers repeatedly stressed that local broadcasters and creative teams will play a major role in determining what Eurovision Asia becomes.

Additionally, Voxovation has a CEO of Asia Marcus Tang as part of the team.

National selections will be central to Eurovision Asia

One of the biggest revelations from the press conference was the role national selections will play in the project.

Rather than simply selecting artists internally, participating countries will stage their own national finals in the months leading up to Eurovision Asia, with Voxovation helping produce the shows.

Blecher revealed the process will begin in August and continue throughout the lead-up to the November grand final.

"Starting in the beginning of August, every five, six days we will have a national selection show in every country. It's gonna start in Bhutan," he said.

For Eurovision fans, national finals have become one of the most important parts of the season.

Organisers appear keen to recreate that experience in Asia rather than limiting the project to a single live event.

Blecher also suggested the selection shows would help introduce Eurovision culture to new audiences.

"Of course, they know the brand, but they are discovering what Eurovision is," he said.

The approach means Eurovision Asia activity will begin only a few months after Eurovision concludes in Europe, creating a second Eurovision season later in the year.

Eurovision Asia may not look exactly like Eurovision

Organisers also acknowledged that some elements commonly associated with Eurovision in Europe may not immediately translate across every participating country.

One of the more revealing comments came from Blecher when discussing what audiences might expect from the inaugural contest.

"I don't think the Asian market is fully ready for a full campy gay over-the-top performance," he said.

However, he was quick to point out that Asia cannot be viewed as a single market and that participating countries have very different cultures and audiences.

"Thailand and the Philippines are not the same as Bhutan, Cambodia, and Nepal," he said.

Those comments highlight one of the biggest challenges facing organisers.

How do you create a contest that embraces Eurovision's identity while recognising the vastly different cultures, religions and social attitudes that exist across Asia?

Rather than imposing a single approach, organisers appear determined to allow countries to develop their own interpretations of Eurovision.

Eurovision's values remain at the centre

While organisers repeatedly spoke about adapting the contest for Asia, they were equally clear that Eurovision's core values would remain unchanged.

Martin Green stressed that Eurovision's principles would travel with the contest.

"Eurovision travels with its values, and that will never change either," he said.

Settman said participating countries would need to embrace those principles.

"The core principles of bringing people together on a stage, non-political, has to be signed off by anyone participating in the competition," he said.

Green later reinforced the point even further.

"In order to be part of Eurovision, you have to share our values," he said.

Those comments may become increasingly significant as discussions continue around which countries could eventually join future editions of the contest.

Organisers are determined to avoid the mistakes in America

Organisers were directly asked what lessons had been learned from the American Song Contest, which lasted only one season in 2022.

Their answers revealed a lot about how they are approaching Eurovision Asia.

For Settman, one of the biggest mistakes was moving away from Eurovision's traditional format of countries competing against one another.

"The core of Eurovision is countries competing against each other," he said.

He also argued that abandoning the Eurovision name itself was an error.

"Not using Eurovision in the United States was a mistake," he said.

This was also used as the reason for calling it Eurovision Song Contest Asia, rather than Asiavision.

Another lesson was embracing cultural diversity.

Settman believes Asia's mix of traditions, religions and languages will naturally create a broader range of songs.

"Having countries with so much diversity when it comes to traditions, religions, language will automatically create a much broader palette of songs," he said.

The comments offered perhaps the clearest indication yet that organisers have spent considerable time examining why previous international Eurovision projects struggled and how Asia can avoid the same pitfalls.

Starting small is a deliberate strategy

Although organisers have ambitions for the contest to grow, they repeatedly emphasised that the first edition is intentionally modest.

Ten countries have been confirmed so far, with additional participants expected.

However, Martin Green said the goal was sustainability rather than scale.

"Let's start small and grow," he said.

Settman echoed that approach.

"We're in this for the long run. I don't think it's about slamming into something big and ropey in year one," he said.

Green later revealed there would be only a grand final in the inaugural year.

"There's only one show, there's only a grand final because we're starting small," he said.

A contest built for a younger, more digital region

Organisers repeatedly highlighted the differences between Europe and Asia.

Settman described Asia as "larger, younger, faster, more digital, more mobile than anywhere else on this beautiful planet".

As a result, Eurovision Asia is being designed with digital engagement in mind from the beginning.

He said audiences would be able to engage with the show in real time in ways that go beyond traditional television viewing.

"We also want to make not just a great live televised event, but also connect everyone watching digitally," he said.

The emphasis suggests organisers are looking to build a contest that reflects how audiences across the region consume entertainment rather than simply replicating Eurovision's existing approach.

The logistics we know so far

While much of the discussion focused on vision and philosophy, several key details were confirmed:

• Eurovision Asia will take place in Bangkok, Thailand.

• The inaugural contest is scheduled for 14 November 2026.

• Ten countries have already been confirmed.

• More participating countries are expected to be announced.

• National selection shows will begin from August.

• Bhutan is expected to host the first national selection.

• The inaugural edition will feature a single grand final rather than semi-finals.

• Most Eurovision Song Contest rules will remain in place.

You can find out much more on our Eurovision Asia page here.

The biggest takeaway from Vienna was that organisers are not talking about Eurovision Asia as a simple franchise expansion.

Instead, they are attempting to create a contest that reflects Asia's cultures, broadcasters and audiences while retaining the core values that have defined Eurovision for 70 years.

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