KiKA has confirmed to ESC Kompakt that it will not be participating in or broadcasting future editions of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n
Germany will not be competing in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for the foreseeable future after KiKA confirmed that it will neither compete in nor air upcoming editions of the competition. KiKA competed in the contest between 2020 and 2024. German participation in the contest started in 2020 when NDR, KiKA, and ZDF collaborated. From 2021, NDR and KiKA jointly organised participation, but after NDR lost responsibility for overall German participation, KiKA withdrew from competing in 2025.<\/p>\n
KiKA said in a statement that:<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing a comprehensive internal consultation process, we have decided to discontinue our participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. This decision is the result of structured discussions between the editorial team, program managers, and the responsible body, the KiKA Program Commission, which carefully evaluated participation over the past few months. <\/p>\n
We thank all the young artists, their families, and our national and international partners for their trusting and inspiring collaboration. Supporting young talent remains a central concern for us, which we will continue to pursue with great dedication. We wish the competition all the best for the future and many more special musical moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Should Germany wish to return to the competition, participation in the contest would need to be taken up by another EBU member broadcaster. ARD and its regional members would need to decide to compete without the involvement of a children\u2019s channel, or ZDF would need to compete standalone in a Eurovision contest for the first time since Eurovision Young Musicians 2004.<\/p>\n
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026<\/p>\n
Junior Eurovision 2025 was won by France, but the French broadcaster has declined to host the competition. As a result, conversations are currently ongoing regarding where the 2026 contest will be held. To date, the following broadcasters have confirmed their intention to compete in the 2026 contest:<\/p>\n
\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\uddea Georgia: GPB
\n\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea Ireland: TG4
\n\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1 Netherlands: AVROTROS
\n\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddf0 North Macedonia: MRT
\n\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 Poland: TVP
\n\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf9 Portugal: RTP
\n\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf2 San Marino: SMRTV<\/p>\n
The following broadcasters, who have previously participated, have declined returning to the contest:<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea Belgium: VRT \u2013 Last competed in 2012
\n\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf0 Denmark: DR \u2013 Last participated in 2005
\n\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea Germany: KiKA \u2013 Last participated in 2024
\n\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4 Norway: NRK \u2013 Last participated in 2005
\n\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddee Slovenia: RTVSLO \u2013 Last participated in 2015
\n\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea Sweden: SVT \u2013 Last participated in 2014
\n\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73Wales: S4C \u2013 Last participated in 2019
\n\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa Australia: SBS \u2013 Last participated in 2016<\/p>\n
The following broadcasters have ruled out debuting in the contest:<\/p>\n
\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf8 Iceland: R\u00daV \u2013 Last broadcast the contest in 2021
\n\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff Czechia: \u010cT \u2013 Never broadcast the contest
\n\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Finland: Yle \u2013 Last broadcast the contest in 2003<\/p>\n