EBU proposes online-only Eurovision voting overhaul for 2027 to curb bloc voting

Proposed voting overhaul

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has written to participating broadcasters with a proposal to move public voting at the Eurovision Song Contest entirely online and require viewers to select their top three favourite acts instead of casting multiple votes for a single entry. Under the proposal, viewers would vote only once, online, and distribute their preference across three entries. The current system allows up to 10 votes per payment method by phone, text message, or online, with all votes concentrated on one country if desired. The EBU confirmed it has "begun investigating a move to wholly online audience voting" and said more details will follow in the coming months.

Political voting concerns

The EBU told member broadcasters that politically motivated voting has become "persistent" and is "deeply worrying" to many fans, with the current geopolitical climate driving votes for certain artists for reasons that have little to do with musical performance. The proposed changes aim to "dilute the effect of mobilised bloc voting, without compromising fairness or trust," according to the EBU letter signed by Jean Philip De Tender and Ana Maria Bordas. A fully online system would also make it technically feasible to capture multiple preferences, which phone or SMS voting cannot easily handle. The EBU acknowledged that dedicated fans could still create additional accounts with different payment methods under a digital system.

Israel and the 2025 contest

The reform debate was triggered in part by the 2025 contest, when Israeli government social media accounts, including that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urged fans to vote up to 20 times for Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael. Her song "New Day Will Rise" placed 15th with the juries but won the public vote with 297 points, finishing second overall. Several broadcasters subsequently questioned how Israel achieved such a high public-vote result. A report found that an Israeli government agency had paid for advertisements targeting the Eurovision public vote.

2026 changes and further reforms

For the 2026 contest, the EBU reduced the maximum number of votes per payment method from 20 to 10. The Israeli broadcaster Kan received an official warning after its act urged fans to "vote for Israel 10 times," which the EBU said did not match the "spirit of the competition" and ordered the posts removed. Israel's Noam Bettan, singing "Michelle," was the runner-up in the 2026 contest, with Israel placing third in the public vote. Five countries (Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain) did not compete in 2026 in protest at Israel's inclusion.

Additional rule changes for 2027

Earlier in the week, the EBU announced several other rule changes for the 2027 edition, planned for Burgas, Bulgaria. The minimum age for contestants will rise from 16 to 18. A winning broadcaster will automatically be ineligible to host if their state is involved in an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any situation materially affecting security or stability. The EBU also ended its six-year sponsorship with Israeli cosmetics company Moroccan Oil without giving reasons; the sponsorship had faced criticism over Israel's participation during the Gaza war.

The Eurovision Song Contest is constantly evolving, and our annual review of the rules is an important part of making sure the Contest remains fair, transparent and consistent for all those who participate, including the millions who engage with the event globally.