Overview
- Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV announced its exit, adding to a growing list of withdrawals over Israel’s participation.
- Spain’s RTVE will not broadcast the semifinals on May 12 and 14 or the May 16 final after confirming its withdrawal.
- Spanish viewers can still watch the official livestream on YouTube and vote via the Eurovision app, with their votes counted as part of the ‘rest of the world’ category.
- Public broadcasters in the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia cited humanitarian concerns, press freedom issues and doubts about the contest’s neutrality in their statements.
- The withdrawals raise questions about audience size and advertising revenue for the contest, given Spain’s role as a major viewing market.