Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24

Avrotros Quits Eurovision 2027 as EBU Rule Change Fails to Ease Israel War Concerns

Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24

Avrotros Quits Eurovision 2027 as EBU Rule Change Fails to Ease Israel War Concerns

Q: With AVROTROS stepping down, will a rival Dutch broadcaster cross the boycott line to keep the Netherlands in Eurovision?

Yes, the Netherlands could still stay in Eurovision, but only if the Dutch public broadcasting umbrella NPO persuades another member broadcaster to take over from AVROTROS. AVROTROS has not withdrawn the country itself from the contest in a final legal sense; it has handed responsibility for Dutch participation back to NPO. The European Broadcasting Union has confirmed it is in talks with NPO about whether another Dutch broadcaster can enter a Dutch act for 2027. That means the boycott is AVROTROS’s position, not yet an irreversible national absence. Whether a rival broadcaster will actually “cross the boycott line” is much less clear. Reports in fan and media circles say Omroep MAX had previously shown interest in taking over Eurovision duties, though more recent accounts suggest that enthusiasm has cooled. No broadcaster has publicly committed to stepping in, and NPO has only said it will consider how to proceed. The pressure to find a substitute is real. Eurovision officials have said they hope Dutch viewers and artists can still be represented, and commentary around the Dutch system suggests the contest must still be broadcast domestically, even if AVROTROS refuses to participate. So the practical answer is that a replacement broadcaster remains possible, but there is no confirmed volunteer yet. For now, the Netherlands is not definitively back in Eurovision, nor definitively out; the decision has shifted from AVROTROS to NPO.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros withdrew from Eurovision 2027, saying the contest can no longer be treated as neutral while a participating country is involved in a large-scale war.
An EBU rule change this month barring a country in armed conflict from hosting after a win did not satisfy Avrotros, which said organisers still lack clear standards for deciding who may compete.
Avrotros linked its decision to humanitarian suffering in Gaza and press-freedom restrictions, arguing Eurovision has become "a platform for division" rather than unity.
The EBU said it regretted the move but will keep talking with Dutch umbrella group NPO, meaning another Dutch public broadcaster could still enter the 2027 contest.
The withdrawal follows the Netherlands' boycott of the 2026 event after Israel was allowed to compete, part of a wider backlash that also drew boycotts from Spain and Ireland.