Another European country has followed in the footsteps of Ireland and Spain by confirming they will not broadcast this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The string of exits have come as a response to Israel’s ongoing participation.
Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV indicated last year that they would not be entering any music into the competition, and now they have also said the show won’t be aired in their country at all.
Speaking to Associated Press, RTV Slovenia’s director Ksenija Horvat said (via Guardian): “We will not be broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest. We will be airing the film series Voices of Palestine, featuring Palestinian documentaries and feature films.”
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The country was represented last year by the song ‘How Much Time Do We Have Left’, written and performed by Klemen Slakonja.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s RTÉ announced in late 2025 that it would not be broadcasting nor participating, and last week Spain’s RTVE confirmed the same. This marks the first time since 1961 that Eurovision is not being shown in the latter country.
It is understood that broadcasters from The Netherlands and Iceland will still show the event, even though they will not be participating in it themselves, also in protest at Israel’s involvement.
2026 marks the 70th anniversary of Eurovision, with festivities set to take place in Vienna following Austria’s win in 2025. Semi-finals will take place on 12 and 14 May, with the final on 16 May.
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Amid the ongoing controversy, 2024 winner Nemo, who won for Switzerland with their song ‘The Code’, has gone so far as to hand their trophy back.
“Last year I won Eurovision and with it I was awarded the trophy,” they shared in an Instagram post in December, adding that they are “immensely grateful for the community around this contest” and “everything this experience has taught me both as a person and artist”.
However, they said they “no longer feel this trophy belongs on my shelf”, explaining: “Israel’s continued participation, during what the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions made by the EBU.”
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“This is not about individuals or artists,” they added. “The contest was repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while the EBU insisted Eurovision is ‘non-political’.”
Last year, Eurovision rules were tightened, aiming to discourage governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting entries. When those new rules were accepted by members, a planned vote on Israel’s participation was called off – leading to some countries withdrawing.
The United Kingdom is still involved, and will be represented by Look Mum No Computer.
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place on Saturday 16 May, with the Semi-Finals airing on Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 May. They will air live on BBC One and iPlayer, as well as via BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
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Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online; specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who’ll listen.