The Netherlands will not participate in Eurovision 2027

Stating that Israel's participation in the competition caused various reactions in the society, led to discussions and divisions, Dutch public broadcaster Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO) Media Director Jurre Bosman announced that they decided not to participate in Eurovision 2027 after consultations with the Broadcasters Board.

The Netherlands did not participate in Eurovision 2026, held in Vienna, the capital of Austria, in May, again due to Israel.

According to AFP, NPO Chief Executive Officer Jet de Ranitz said that despite this decision, the contest will continue to be broadcast on national open channels, while making a slightly more cautious statement, "We must conclude that it is currently too early to participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest. Due to current sensitivities, we have decided to take a step back for now." he said.

Meanwhile, there was a decrease in the viewing numbers of the last competition, which was held in the shadow of the boycott decisions due to Israel's participation.

The number of viewers who watched the first semi-final broadcast on state television RAI in Italy was 1 million 856 thousand. It was noteworthy that the number of viewers in the country, which was announced as 2 million 489 thousand last year, decreased significantly this year.

In the Netherlands, which decided to boycott due to Israel's participation, the number of views decreased by 42 percent compared to 2025.

This year's semi-final was watched by an average of 541 thousand viewers. Accordingly, the semi-final was the least watched competition in the Netherlands since the first semi-final in 2012.

Compared to last year, the first semi-final of this year's competition was watched less by 253 thousand in England, 316 thousand in Sweden, and approximately 430 thousand in Belgium.