AVROTROS, the Dutch national broadcaster, has confirmed that it will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027.

AVROTROS will not participate in Eurovision 2027 and will continue its boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest. In a statement released, AVROTROS stated:

“AVROTROS will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 because the event can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are having a significant impact on the Contest and have led to deep divisions. Over the past year, AVROTROS has called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to establish transparent rules for the participation of countries involved in military conflicts. However, the recently announced changes by the EBU do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored. Participation is therefore no longer consistent with the values of AVROTROS: trustworthiness, independence and humanity.

The severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza and the ongoing restrictions on press freedom have contributed to increasing divisions surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years. This is reflected in, for example, the decision of five countries not to participate in 2026, former winners returning their trophies, and more than 1000 musicians and cultural professionals calling on the EBU, in an open letter, to intervene. This underlines the need for a clear framework for assessing the participation of countries involved in military conflicts. Under which circumstances is participation compatible with a neutral Eurovision Song Contest, and when is it not? For AVROTROS, it remains unclear on what basis the EBU makes that assessment.”

Taco Zimmerman, Director-General of AVROTROS, added:

“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.”

AVROTROS has informed NPO, the governing body for Dutch public broadcasting about its decision and is transferring the responsibility of Eurovision participation to them. One of the other broadcasters that is a member of NPO may take up participation responsibilities for the Netherlands. Omroep Max has already stated that it will not take over participation duties.

NTS (Nederlandse Televisie Stichting) was responsible for Dutch Eurovision participation between 1956 and 1969, before NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting) took over between 1970 and 2009. TROS then took over in 2010 and continued participation when it was merged with AVRO to create AVROTROS, which was responsible for Dutch Eurovision participation until now.

AVROTROS withdrew from the 2026 contest due to objections to Israel’s participation in the contest. The contest was still aired in the Netherlands with support from NOS and NTR providing commentators.

AVROTROS is the first broadcaster that boycotted Eurovision 2026 to confirm its continued non-participation in Eurovision 2027. RÚV (Iceland), RTÉ (Ireland), RTVSLO (Slovenia) and RTVE (Spain) have yet to state their positions.

Source: AVROTROS

Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest+

The Netherlands debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 and has gone on to compete in all but four contests. The Netherlands has won the contest on five occasions; 1957, 1959, 1969, 1975 and most recently 2019. Prior to Duncan Laurence’s victory in Tel Aviv, the Netherlands had been waiting 44 years for their next victory. Duncan Laurence won the contest in Tel Aviv with the song “Arcade”.