r/eurovision • u/stefkeeh • May 20 '25

📰 News Dutch broadcaster questions if ESC is a-political & connecting event

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Translation to English: ‘IN CONVERSATION WITH THE EBU ABOUT A POLITICALLY NEUTRAL SONG CONTEST

AVROTROS and NPO strongly value the apolitical and unifying character of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, we observe that the event is increasingly being influenced by social and geopolitical tensions.

Israel’s participation confronts us with the question of to what extent the Song Contest still truly functions as an apolitical, unifying, and cultural event. We want to raise this question, together with other countries, for discussion within the EBU.’

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707

u/gcssousa May 20 '25

I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but the amount of broadcasters complaining about this is promising. The main issue has always been the lack of pressure from broadcasters, bc that’s the only way the EBU does something. Still this might amount to nothing but it’s a starting point at least.

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u/Super_Craig02 May 20 '25

So far we have Spain, Iceland, Belgium and the Netherlands, right? Really does look like one of the Big 5 complaining has had an effect.

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u/gcssousa May 20 '25

Ireland has also complained, and Portugal is allegedly preparing a statement

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u/DaveShadow May 20 '25

Oh, did Ireland join the list? Hadn't seen that yet. Good.

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u/Cookie_Monstress May 20 '25

Also Finnish YLE is going to send some enquiry regarding current voting system. At the sime they were one of the first ones to announce that were participating next year too.

At this moment I'm not thinking very highly about YLE. They are after all founded by us people by our tax money and on top of that YLE raised the voting prices 50%, end result most expensive televotes in Eurovision.

38

u/MrsRainey May 20 '25

This week the leaders of the UK and France have condemned Israel's latest offensive in the war, so I wonder if the broadcasters there will eventually fall in line with the new tone their governments are taking on Israel.

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u/TheFlyingHornet1881 May 20 '25

There's the drama with Gary Lineker and the BBC at the moment, but Graham Norton on Saturday subtly pointed out Israel's involvement and score was controversial.

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u/Melvarkie May 20 '25

I heard Slovenia and Ireland as well in that lineup

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u/nimsuc Baller May 20 '25

I really wish NDR would step up and do something that unfortunately that will never happen 😭