2026 looks set to be a big year for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The all-singing, all-dancing pan-European extravaganza has welcomed Canada as its newest extra-continental member, as it celebrated its 70th anniversary in May with singer Dara scoring Bulgaria’s first victory and prepares for the first edition of Eurovision Asia in Thailand this November.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the association of public service media broadcasters that owns and operates the competition, last week voted the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as a full member, making it eligible to participate in Eurovision. And today, both the CBC and the EBU confirmed that the country will take part in next year’s cycle, which will be held in Bulgaria (traditionally, the winning country hosts the following year’s competition).
Considering that Eurovision is the biggest singing competition on the planet (this year’s grand final in Austria attracted 131 million viewers worldwide, with over 148 countries voting), it’s no surprise that the contest is the biggest singing competition on the planet. It has sparked a variety of controversies, from a failed attempt to launch an American version in 2022 (NBC American Song Contest) to a boycott of Israel’s participation in the midst of the Gaza war this year and rumors of financial difficulties (Rumors of financial difficulties by Israel). boycott).
Shortly before news broke that Canada would be joining the festival, Eurovision director Martin Green spoke to Variety in an exclusive interview to discuss all this and more.
Canadian Celine Dion won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland.
How long is Canada’s participation in Eurovision planned?
I think this conversation started a while ago. Importantly, the CBC wanted to become a full member of the EBU, and it is worth considering that for some time. Because the EBU is the membership organization of public broadcasters at a time when public broadcasters are under attack.
And obviously, throughout that journey, one thing was that we had the right to participate in Eurovision as a full member, and I think that made it very attractive to local broadcasters.
Now that they have officially expressed their desire to join, we will prepare them and welcome them with open arms. I’m really looking forward to it.
With Australia, Israel and Canada taking part, all from outside Europe, could Eurovision change its name?
No, Eurovision now symbolizes many things, including that it was a European-based European proposition to unite Europe.
In terms of global brand recognition, we are comparable to the Olympics and the Oscars. In a way, I think it’s great that the more you go to other places, the more you do other things, the fact that there is honor in the name for its birth and the reason for its creation.
Will more countries outside Europe, perhaps the United States, be involved?
I don’t run a membership service, so I don’t know the details. But what I’m saying is, again, public broadcasting is at a very volatile time, and I think more and more people around the world are recognizing the value of coming together and having a stronger, more comprehensive voice.
Before this year’s competition, there were reports that Eurovision was financially unstable, in part due to five countries boycotting it this year. Do you have any comments on that? Are you trying to get Canada involved partly because of the fiscal situation?
Please let me dispel those (rumors). First, use technical terminology. It’s “Bollock”. Eurovision has a very robust model that has survived anything the world has tried to challenge it for over 70 years. So we’re going to be around for years and years and years to come. I understand why that is an unavoidable question, but no, Canada has been talking about joining the EBU for some time. I knew it would give me the right (to participate in Eurovision). Thirty-five countries took part in Eurovision last year, and we expect several more to take part next year. As everyone can see, our door remains open because it will be a great show. Once again, the purpose of Eurovision is to bring the world together, and we’re delighted to have Canada on board.
Last winter, the EBU decided that Israel should be allowed to remain in the competition. Is there a chance there will be another vote on participation?
No, it’s done. The members spoke decisively. Almost 70% believed that public broadcasters were not responsible for the actions of their governments and decided that Mr. Can (of Israel Broadcasting Corporation) should be allowed to participate.
Just before this year’s contest, the New York Times published an article suggesting that Israel, which has ranked in the top five for the past three years, was manipulating the vote. What did you think about that, and was there any internal review of the possibility of vote manipulation?
I reviewed everything previously. Unfortunately, I thought it was like a rehash of a lot of fragments.
We had a well-verified vote again this year. We found no evidence of unreasonably large paid promotions. We also saw no evidence that anything untoward happened in the voting. We know that whether or not each viewer can vote 10 times makes no difference to the outcome.
Our votes are fair, true, verified, and really just like any other vote. If you’re not that enthusiastic about the results, vote more next year and vote for something else.
Have you heard that some of the countries that boycotted this year may return to boycotting next year?
To be fair, even though I know they’ll keep it to themselves because it’s their story and I’m not going to speak for them.
Is there any suggestion that other countries may boycott next year?
Not that I know of.
Dara wins the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest for Bulgaria
This year’s Eurovision also included three countries that returned after a hiatus, including Bulgaria, which returned after a three-year hiatus and took first place. Are there other reasons why countries decide not to participate year after year?
People may not know that you choose to participate in Eurovision every year.
We have a deadline every September and each country can tell us that, but each country has different reasons (and may decide not to participate). They may just want to take a few years off. It’s bloody hard work, isn’t it? Or maybe there’s something going on within your organization or something else.
We only really know next year’s participants when we check out who’s going each October. And what I actually like is that it’s not as strict as having a 10-year contract, so you know exactly who’s going to be in it. There’s a little risk every year when announcing the full list of who’s coming.
It was very emotional to see Dara lift the trophy this year, considering it was Bulgaria’s first ever Eurovision win. How are you preparing for next year’s contest?
They have a good team and I think it’s going to be very special. Especially since Eurovision has never been to Bulgaria. I think this is also the power of a global event. There are probably quite a lot of fans and viewers who have never been to Bulgaria. They suddenly end up learning a huge amount. And obviously it has benefits in terms of future tourism and getting to know a country and its people that you didn’t know about before. Literally, it is the power of a major event.
Preparations are also underway for the first Eurovision Asia, which will be held in Thailand this November. How is it going?
we are very excited. There has never been a continental version of Eurovision. This is a first, and I think there are still more countries than participated in the first Eurovision, but we didn’t want to rush into doing anything too big, so we’re going to start small and grow.
Considering the global interest in K-Pop, it seems like the perfect time to go to Asia.
That’s exactly the case, and I think that’s why we were open to listening to this. Because without a doubt, one country dominates popular music. So I think there were a lot of broadcasters who thought this was a great opportunity to platform other artists and other artists on a global platform and show that there’s more than one (type of) pop music in Asia.
Will it be aired outside of Asia?
At the very least, it will be released via Eurovision’s YouTube channel.
We very much hope that new fans, diaspora fans, current fans, and future fans will watch and congratulate us on the birth of our baby.
Can people outside Asia vote?
Yes, there will be a “Rest of the World” vote.
Conchita Wurst wins the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest for Austria
The US version of Eurovision (NBC’s 2022 American Song Contest) was not as successful as expected. Did you learn any lessons from that?
Yes, I think so too. We shouldn’t have just one country’s Eurovision. When I arrived, I stopped all the conversations that were happening about Eurovision in a country. Because I think our brand is about connecting broadcasters from different countries and artists from different places through music.
Will we be able to see North or South American Eurovision?
I don’t think there’s a reason not to have a conversation if it’s there to have a conversation, but again, you have to make sure you don’t rush things too quickly. Let’s see what happens in Asia.
Eurovision recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. It’s remarkable how consistently ahead of the curve Eurovision has been, considering its historical winners, including drag artist Conchita Wurst, who won for Austria in 2014, Israel’s Dana International, who became the first transgender winner in 1998, and Nimmo, who became the first non-binary winner in 2024.
It’s something we’re really proud of, and I think it’s dangerous if we forget this. Eurovision has always been, and continues to be, a place where the dispossessed find home, where the disenfranchised find love, where people who felt they didn’t fit in suddenly find themselves deeply fitted in, and more importantly, where they stand center stage and sing their hearts out. That will continue. And that is at the heart of this issue as something extremely valuable that we want to protect as much as possible.
2026 is an important year for Eurovision as a brand. As well as the 70th anniversary in May, Malta will host the 23rd Junior Eurovision (performers aged 9-14) in October, and the first Eurovision Asia in November. Additionally, a Broadway version of Will Ferrell’s 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga is also in development. Are there any other big projects in the works?
Watch this space. I hope to talk about some really fun and interesting things before the year is out.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
