By Charlie Devereux, Padraic Halpin and Charlotte Van Campenhout
MADRID/DUBLIN/AMSTERDAM, May 15 (Reuters) – Broadcasters boycotting Saturday’s Eurovision final over Israel’s participation will instead offer their viewers a rerun of the sitcom “Father Ted”, an alternative music show featuring Spanish divo Raphael or documentaries about Gaza.
The song contest that drew 166 million viewers in 2025 is in crisis over Israel’s conflict in Gaza, with broadcasters in Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland pulling out over the killing of Palestinian civilians and journalists.
Israel’s contestant Noam Bettan said he was booed by pro-Palestinian protesters when performing in the semi-final on Tuesday in host city Vienna.
Participating broadcasters pay a fee, choose a contestant from their nation and channel voting for the competition, which is usually a good-natured and zany celebration of Europe’s pop music and cultural diversity now in its 70th year.
Irish national broadcaster RTE said it would instead air an episode of the hit 1990s comedy show “Father Ted” in which the hapless Catholic priest and a colleague are chosen as Ireland’s Eurovision contender to ensure the country does not win again and have to endure the cost of hosting.
Ireland won the contest four times in the 1990s.
RTE’s decision to air the episode was strongly criticised by one of the show’s co-creators.
Graham Linehan, a critic of Ireland’s pro-Palestinian stance, said on X he was disgusted about how the episode was being used and accused RTE of antisemitism. A spokesperson for RTE declined to comment on his remarks.
Most Eurovision fans in Ireland will still be able to watch the show, however, on the BBC broadcaster as British television channels are widely available.
ALTERNATIVE VIEWING
Viewers in Spain will be offered an alternative show featuring local musicians including former Eurovision finalists Chanel and Raphael, one of the best-selling Latin music artists in history.
State broadcaster TVE’s director of content production Ana Maria Bordas said the programme would have special significance because it would be aired on the U.N.’s International Day of Living Together in Peace.
Slovenia’s RTV will air a series of documentaries about the Gaza conflict called “Voices of Palestine,” said Natalija Gorščak, president of the management board.
“I would like to point out that every week of January 27, the Holocaust Day, we air the documentaries and films remembering the holocaust,” Gorščak said.
The Netherlands and Iceland will be broadcasting the show despite refusing to participate.
“We are broadcasting it with Icelandic commentary. This is still a popular programme in Iceland, and it has been broadcast here for a long time, both when we have been participating and not,” said a spokesperson for Icelandic broadcaster RUV.
Dutch broadcaster NOS said it was its duty to make important events available to a broad public. Some have said the decision to broadcast the show undermined the boycott.
Even in participating countries, those opposed to Israel’s inclusion are staging their own protests.
In Belgium, organisers of an alternative festival recorded this week are encouraging people to hold parties to watch it instead of Eurovision.
Belgian state broadcaster said its viewing numbers for the Eurovision semi-finals were down by half compared to last year, which they attributed in part to Israel’s participation.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organises the event, has not directly addressed the boycotts but has stressed that the contest is meant to be non-political.
(Reporting by Charlie Devereux, Padraic Halpin, Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Edward McAllister, Stine Jacobsen; writing by Charlie Devereux)
