Eurovision Changes Voting & Promotion Rules As Israel-Gaza Meeting Looms

Eurovision has tightened its rules around voting and promotion ahead of a key meeting that will decide on Israel‘s participation amid a boycott threat from several nations.

Eurovision director Martin Green told the BBC said there had been “a lot of feedback from members and our fans” following the 2025 show including that there had been too much “undue promotion particularly by third parties, perhaps governments, that are out of proportion of the rest of the natural promotion that you should see in the show.” This followed reports that the Israeli Government Advertising Agency had paid for adverts and promoted its contestant, who came second, via state social media accounts.

With that in mind, Eurovision will now “discourage disproportionate promotion campaigns… particularly when undertaken or supported by third parties, including governments or governmental agencies.”

The contest has also tweaked its rules so that viewers are only allowed to make 10 votes, not 20, while juries will return for the semi finals to “make sure we’re assuring that quality, that diversity of music,” according to Green.

The news comes as the European Broadcasting Union closes in on a meeting that will decide on Israel’s participation for next year. Due to the Israel-Hamas war, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have all said they would consider boycotting next year’s contest if Israel takes part. A vote will not necessarily take place at the postponed meeting in December but Israel’s participation will be discussed. Russia has been banned from competing in Eurovision since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Asked by the BBC if the vote would still be happening, Green appeared to pour cold water on an Israel ban, saying: “We very much hope this package of measures gives our members the reassurance they need to ensure Eurovision remains a neutral and impartial space.”

Speaking to Deadline several months back about Eurovision’s global expansion, Green said Eurovision is “not immune to what’s going on in the world, and neither should we be,” before adding: “But I do think there is a place, particularly in sport and entertainment, for major events that seek, momentarily, to sit to one side. There has to be a space where we can come together and just enjoy ourselves, but also, more seriously, to paint a picture of a world as it could be, rather than as it is.”

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