Eurovision 2026 will be broadcast live on NPO1 despite the Netherlands not participating, the NOS has reported. The news follows the Netherlands withdrawing from the contest.
Not AVROTROS but NOS and NTR
The NPO, which is the governing body of the Dutch public broadcasters, announced in a press statement that Eurovision will keep its traditional slot on main channel NPO1. The broadcast however will be done by NOS Evenementen and NTR, not AVROTROS as was the case in prior years. This is not the first time that NOS is involved in Eurovision. They were the Dutch participating broadcaster between 1970 and 2009.
In the same statement, head of NOS Evenementen Heidi Wulfsen said that everyone involved respects AVROTROS’ decision. However, she and the NPO agree that Eurovision should still be watchable on the Dutch public broadcaster. Wulfsen went on to also say that NOS and NTR will cover the contest with a “journalistic approach”.
The Netherlands’ Eurovision journey
The Netherlands are one of the founding countries of the ESC, having performed the very first song ever on the Eurovision stage back in 1956. While the result of “De Vogels van Holland” is unknown, the Netherlands have garnered 5 wins, with their most recent in 2019. However the Netherlands are also known to have had the longest ever non qualification streak in the semi-final era – they missed out on the final a whopping 8 times between 2005 and 2012.
Claude represented the Netherlands in 2025 with the song “C’est La Vie”. Competing in the first semi-final, he eventually qualified for the final in Basel. In the final, the Netherlands would eventually finish in 12th place with 175 points. 133 of these points came from the juries, while the remaining 42 came from the televote.
What do you think of The Netherlands’ withdrawal? What do you think of the contest still being broadcast in The Netherlands? 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: NOS
Photo Credit: NOS
Thomas James