Dutch broadcaster Avrotros has pulled out of next year's Eurovision Song Contest in protest at Israel's participation amid the war in Gaza.
The public service broadcaster is part of the Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), the umbrella organisation for the Dutch public broadcasting system. In a statement, Avrotros said it would not participate “because the event can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict.”
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The broadcaster's withdrawal from this year's contest in Burgas, Bulgaria, does not necessarily rule out Dutch participation in Eurovision 2027.
AvroTros has stated that it will hand the decision on Dutch participation to the NPO, meaning another broadcaster within the Dutch public broadcasting system could take it on.
However, the Netherlands boycotted this year's contest in Vienna, Austria, after Israel was allowed to compete. The Dutch were joined in their boycott by broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia.
Next year's competition is due to take place in Bulgaria in 2027 after singer Dara's victory for the country in May 2026.
Taco Zimmerman, Director-General of Avrotros, said: “The Eurovision Song Contest was originally created to bring people and countries together. It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the contest, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division. As a public broadcaster, we remain committed to our values. They guide us in everything we do, even when that means stepping away from an event that is very close to our hearts. That is painful, as we would have very much liked to be part of the contest again next year.”
Martin Green, Director of the Eurovision Contest, said in a statement that the EBU regretted Avrotros's decision but respected its views. He commented: "We will now continue our dialogue with NPO, the umbrella organisation for Dutch public service media, regarding the opportunities for another broadcaster to participate. We very much hope that audiences and artists in the Netherlands can continue to be represented in the Eurovision Song Contest."
Adrian Pennington recently went behind the scenes at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 to find out how the event generated billions of views on digital platforms across three live shows. Discover more here.
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