The Dutch broadcaster announced on Monday that the Netherlands will not participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest. The reason for the withdrawal was the view that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the contest and undermining its neutral character.
In a statement, Taco Zimmerman, CEO of AVROTROS, noted: 'It cannot be denied that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character. Thus, Eurovision has become a platform for division.'
A recent wave of boycotts related to Israel's participation has also impacted the contest. Previously, organizers announced that any country involved in an armed conflict would be excluded from the competition.
However, the AVROTROS statement emphasized that the recently introduced changes 'do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of Eurovision has been restored.'
The contest, which is the world's largest televised music event, will take place next year on May 15th in Burgas on the Black Sea in Bulgaria. This will be the first time a Balkan country participates in the contest.
Earlier this year, Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won, having triumphed in the Austrian capital of Vienna with the song Bangaranga. Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has evolved into a major pop platform, providing global fame to artists such as ABBA, and contributing to the success of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard, and Olivia Newton-John.
In 2026, the contest was watched by 131 million viewers, which is 35 million fewer than the previous year, after five countries boycotted it due to Israel's participation. The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia declined to participate; the latter three countries refused to broadcast the show at all.
The Netherlands participated in the very first Eurovision contest in 1956 and became champions five times. Their last winner, Duncan Laurence, won in 2019 with the song Arcade, which reached the top of the world charts. According to the Eurovision website, this was the first entry in Eurovision to achieve one billion streams on Spotify.
Zimmerman expressed regret over the withdrawal, stating: 'This withdrawal is painful because we really wanted to be part of the Contest again next year.' He added that as a public broadcaster, they remain true to their values, which guide them in everything, even if it means distancing themselves from an event that is very dear to them.