Norway’s national broadcaster – NRK – has requested a review into the voting system for the Eurovision Song Contest. It comes following the controversy surrounding the results from the 2025 Contest.
NRK demands involvement with review
In a statement, NRK confirmed that they had been in touch with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) regarding the results of the Contest in Basel. They confirmed on Thursday (May 22nd) that they had requested a review of the current voting system.
Speaking on behalf of NRK, entertainment editor Charlo Halvorsen explained the broadcaster was concerned the trust of the voting system was being eroded following allegations of voter manipulation. Her comments came after Israel was accused of using mass advertising campaigns to amass its 297 point televote win.
Charlo said:
It is serious if there is any doubt that the result of the vote reflects the public’s opinion. We cannot have that. We therefore support a thorough review of the voting system to ensure that confidence in the competition is maintained.
The purpose of the review must be to strive for as fair a competition as possible, in line with Eurovision’s intentions and guidelines,
On top of this, NRK demanded that it should be included within the work conducted as part of the review due to its membership of the EBU itself, Halvorsen added.
NRK is now the seventh broadcaster to request transparency regarding the voting, which led to Israel finishing in second place. Several other calls have been made for a review into the voting system, including from RTV SLO in Slovenia and RTVE in Spain. Despite this, NRK has said in a previous statement it would not automatically call for the expulsion of Israel from the Contest.
Norway’s Eurovision journey
The Scandinavian nation made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960, with Nora Brockstedt and the song “Voi Voi”, which placed 4th. Since their debut, they have participated 62 times, and made the Grand Final 59 of these. In addition, Norway has won the competition three times – in 1985, 1995, and 2009.
Norway’s latest Eurovision participation saw them being represented by Kyle Alessandro with the song “Lighter”. After qualifying for the final, Norway placed 18th in the Grand Final, receiving 89 points, 22 of which from the jury and 67 from televoters.
What do you think of the move from NRK? Do you think the EBU will address the voting system? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: NRK
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
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