Several broadcasters in the Netherlands have confirmed that they will not take on organising duties for the Netherlands’ participation at Eurovision. It comes after AVROTROS confirmed it would not be returning to Eurovision for the 2027 Contest.
Broadcasters start pulling out
On Monday (August 24th), AVROTROS announced it would not be taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year, continuing the boycott triggered in the wake of the General Assembly last December. In the announcement, AVROTROS claimed the Contest was “no longer neutral”, and the inclusion of an Israeli act would continue to bring the Contest into disrepute.
In the run-up to AVROTROS’ announcement, the Dutch government said that one of the other members of the NPO broadcasting group would take over responsibility for the competition. The Netherlands is legally obliged to show the Contest, due to the legal complexity of the Dutch broadcasting network.
However, in the wake of the announcement, several members of the NPO network have ruled themselves out of the running to take on the organising role. It was previously revealed that Omroep MAX had walked back its proposals to step in on behalf of AVROTROS. Now, KRO-NCRV and BNNVARA have confirmed they are also refusing to take on the duty.
Mismatch of programming
KRO-NCRV, a largely Catholic and religious-based channel confirmed it would not be taking on organising roles for Eurovision. In a statement to nu.nl, the broadcaster said:
In terms of programming, this does not fit with KRO-NCRV’s programming lineup, so we have no plans for it.
Meanwhile, BNNVARA has confirmed it would stand in solidarity with AVROTROS, with a spokesperson saying:
We consider it a strong and courageous decision by AVROTROS and fully support our colleagues in this.
Meanwhile, the NPO network itself has said it will continue to evaluate the thoughts of all its members – and decide whether they will continue to boycott or not based on this. A statement released by the network’s bosses said:
We also see that geopolitical tensions are having a divisive effect. Therefore, this was not an easy decision for our colleagues. We will reflect on the upcoming edition and return to this at an appropriate time.
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 make of the decision from NPO broadcasters to step back from Eurovision? Will any broadcaster volunteer or will the Netherlands once again miss the Contest? Let us know your thoughts on social media and follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and ZOOP for more information on Eurovision 2027!
News Source: nu.nl
Photo Credit: Anp / Hollandse Hoogte / Robin Utrecht
Thomas James 
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