The Eurovision Song Contest was facing a potential budget squeeze after Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia said they would withdraw from next year’s competition in protest at Israel’s participation. The planned boycott brought to a head a row that has overshadowed the past two contests, and followed threats by the four they would pull out if the organiser did not exclude Israel over the conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza. The walkout by Spain, one of the “big five” backers of the contest, and two of Europe’s wealthiest countries, raises the prospect of less sponsorship income and viewers for the extravaganza that draws millions of viewers worldwide.
Austria will host the next edition in May, and national broadcaster ORF said the loss of the four would be felt – but would not prevent a successful show. “Overall, it would of course be a financial burden if several countries did not participate, but we had already taken this into account,” ORF chief Roland Weissmann said. Members of the contest organiser, the European Broadcasting Union, on Thursday resisted calls by critics for a vote on Israel’s participation, instead passing new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the competition.