UK Sees Lowest Viewing Figures for Eurovision Final Since 2010

Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final attracted its smallest UK audience in 16 years – as millions across Europe switched off amid a growing boycott due to Israel’s participation.

Around 5.2 million people tuned into the BBC to watch as Israel lost out on the top spot to Bulgaria – 1.49 million fewer than last year and the lowest number since 2010, according to entertainment site Eurovoix, which cited data from Digital i. 

While there may be various reasons for declining audience numbers, there have been widespread calls for fans to abandon the contest until Israel is excluded, just as Russia was banned after it invaded Ukraine. 

Last month, more than 1,000 artists, including Macklemore and Paloma Faith, signed an open letter calling on viewers to join the boycott. 

Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland all refused to compete in this year’s contest in response to the decision to allow Israel to compete while it carries out a genocide in Gaza. Broadcasters in Ireland, Spain and Slovenia also refused to air the contest. 

Israel’s government has also been accused of unfairly influencing the public vote by spending money on marketing campaigns. Its propaganda office has spent at least $1m (£750,000) on marketing even though governments are not supposed to intervene, a report by the New York Times found. 

The team behind Israel’s artist, Noam Bettan, was reprimanded by Eurovision’s director Martin Green for calling on fans to vote for him up to 10 times. “Employing a direct call to action to vote 10 times for one artist or song is… not in line with our rules, nor the spirit of the competition,” Green told the newspaper.

Viewing figures for the final also fell in France, where 1.2 million fewer people watched than last year. But other countries saw audiences increase. In Greece, the number of viewers tuning in reached a 15-year high, Eurovix reported.