Netherlands won't participate in 2027 Eurovision Song Contest after all

The Netherlands will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after all. The Dutch public broadcaster NPO has decided to withdraw. Insiders told AD that this was due to significant criticism of the decision to participate with Israel while the war still rages in Gaza.

After boycotting last year, AVROTROS, the broadcaster that managed the Dutch participation for years, returned the rights for the Eurovision Song Contest to the NPO. The broadcaster would not be involved in the song contest due to Israel’s continued participation and involvement in the situation in Gaza.

At the end of September, the NPO announced that it had decided that the Netherlands would return to the contest. It intended to structure the participation through an external team of experts, with the option for individual members of broadcasters to contribute.

The announcement was met with fierce opposition. The public broadcasters’ ombudsman received dozens of complaints, and around 400 NPO staff members sent a letter to the broadcaster, urging it to withdraw. They took serious issue with NPO giving more weight to “the desire to participate in an entertainment program” than to the “countless human lives lost” in Gaza.

The NPO was also unable to secure the necessary support for participation. All the Dutch broadcasters informed the NPO that none of their staff would help it with the Eurovision Song Contest, according to AD.

The Eurovision Song Contest will happen in Burgas, Bulgaria, from May 11 to 15 next year. It will still be broadcast on NOS, complete with Dutch-language commentary and a pre-show.