400 employees of public broadcasting in the Netherlands have signed an open letter to NPO, asking the organisation to withdraw from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest. The letter, titled #NietMijnSongfestival, has been sent to the management and Board of Directors of the Dutch public broadcasting organisation.
#NietMijnSongfestival
Around 400 employees of public broadcasting in the Netherlands have signed an open letter to NPO, asking the organisation to withdraw from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest. This comes after recent media attention, press and political discussion, and public backlash to the news that the Netherlands intends to participate in the 2027 Contest, in Bulgaria.
The letter, titled #NietMijnSongfestival, has been sent to the management and Board of Directors of the Dutch public broadcasting organisation. The signatories of the letter include many employees of the NPO itself. In the letter, the employees say they cannot accept “that the desire to participate in an entertainment program weighs more heavily than the countless lives of people who are murdered”. They also denounce the way the NPO has decided to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest next May.
In their letter, the employees refer to the reasons given by AVROTROS in their decision to no longer participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. These include “geopolitical tensions in the Middle East” and a lack of neutrality of the Contest itself. NPO is organising participation in the 2027 Contest through secondary means, despite no broadcaster expressing intention to be involved at current. The letter from the public broadcasting staff states:
Our bewilderment was therefore great when we received the news that you have chosen to organise your own participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Those who take connection seriously must also be willing to listen to those who are affected by a decision.
Multiple broadcasters dismiss Eurovision 2027 duties
After initial speculation that the Netherlands would boycott the competition for a second year, a press event held by Dutch broadcasting company NPO confirmed last month that the Netherlands will return to Eurovision for 2027. The decision came after AVROTROS, who had been the broadcaster in charge of Dutch Eurovision duties until recently, returned hosting responsibilities to NPO. In a statement on social media, AVROTROS said it did not have sufficient confidence that the EBU’s recent changes to Contest rules have restored Eurovision’s neutral character.
Many other broadcasters under the NPO umbrella have ruled themselves out of Eurovision duties in recent weeks. KRO-NCRV, BNNVARA and Omroep Max, amongst others, have all declared they will not be taking over the reins from AVROTROS for the 2027 Contest. However, at time of writing, NPO will be participating in the 2027 Contest.
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”, after being internally selected to represent the country. Competing in the first semi-final, he eventually qualified for the Grand Final in Basel. In the Final, the Netherlands would finish in 12th place with 175 points. 133 of these points came from the international juries, while the remaining 42 came from the public televote. The Netherlands withdrew from the 2026 Contest in Vienna, but still broadcast the Final in the country. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the country intends to be present at the 2027 Contest in Burgas, despite usual broadcaster in charge of participation, AVROTROS, maintaining their previous stance of non-participation.
What do you think about the current situation in the Netherlands? Do you agree with the employees of Dutch public broadcasting about the country’s participation in ESC 2027? 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: de Volksrant
Photo Credit: Anp / Hollandse Hoogte / Robin Utrecht
Silvia Stifini 
Emma Walton 
Tim J