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Online top-three voting
Eurovision organizers are proposing to change viewer voting rules by moving public voting entirely online and limiting how viewers can support acts, with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) saying politically motivated voting has become “a persistent phenomenon, which is a source of deep concern for many.”
““We can confirm that we have begun investigating a move to wholly online audience voting for the Eurovision Song Contest”
Under the current system described by the BBC, viewers can vote up to 10 times for their favourite act by phone, text message or online, but the EBU’s letter to participating broadcasters proposes ending the ability to cast multiple votes for one contestant.
The BBC ties the scrutiny to Eurovision 2025, when Yuval Raphael’s song “New Day Will Rise” placed 15th with the contest’s juries but scored 297 points in the public vote to finish as the overall runner-up.
The EBU says the proposed reform would require fans to select their top three acts—“for example their three favourites”—as part of “two changes” aimed at reducing the impact of coordinated voting.
The EBU also says it has begun investigating “a move to wholly online audience voting for the Eurovision Song Contest,” with more details to be announced in the months ahead.
Letter signed by EBU
Aftonbladet reported that an internal letter to Eurovision participating broadcasters is signed by EBU Chief Executive Jean Phillip De Tender and Eurovision Reference Group Chair Ana Maria Bordas, and it frames the possible changes as already “underway” with the hope of being ready by 2027.
In the letter, Bordas and De Tender say: “Our research points towards two changes: moving the public vote entirely online and requiring people to vote for more than one entry, for example their three favourites.”
Eurovoix similarly describes the letter’s proposed shift as moving the televote entirely to the Internet and requiring voters to select more than one entry, noting that the current system lets viewers use all 10 votes on one country if they choose.
The BBC adds that the latest proposals would end the ability to cast multiple votes for the same country, while dedicated fans could still register for additional accounts with different payment methods.
The EBU’s stated rationale in the letter, as quoted by the BBC, is that it would “help dilute the effect of a mobilised block vote, without compromising fairness or trust,” even as the rules move toward online voting.
2027 stakes and timing
The proposed voting overhaul is linked to Eurovision 2027 in Burgas, with the BBC saying the contest will take place from 12 to 15 May, 2027 and the grand final scheduled for May 15.
“The 71st edition of the competition will take place from 12 to 15 May, 2027.”
The BBC also reports that the EBU’s rule changes come alongside other adjustments for 2027, including that broadcasters will no longer be eligible to host the event if their state is involved in an “armed conflict” or “sensitive geopolitical situation.”
Eurovisionworld adds that from 2027 the winning broadcaster will be automatically ineligible to host the following contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation or another situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of the country or its immediate region.
Eurovoix reports that the EBU’s letter points to the technical difficulty of requiring fans to vote for multiple acts via text message or phone votes, and it says the goal is to make the public vote fairer for viewers next May.
Separately, the BBC reports that the EBU revealed Israeli cosmetics company Moroccan Oil had ended its sponsorship of Eurovision after six years, as the contest faces a “flurry of developments” around voting and hosting rules.
