The Eurovision Song Contest suffered a sharp decline in television audiences during Tuesday’s first semi-final as boycott calls intensified over Israel’s participation in the competition.

Viewership figures fell across several European countries compared to last year, with hundreds of thousands fewer viewers tuning in despite many nations having contestants competing in the semi-final, News.Az reports, citing The New Arab.

According to Eurovisionfun, audience numbers dropped significantly in Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium and Portugal during the broadcast.

In the United Kingdom, BBC One recorded its lowest semi-final audience since moving the show to its main television channel, with ratings falling by more than 250,000 viewers compared to last year.

Italy also saw a major decline, with the semi-final attracting around 1.8 million viewers, down sharply from nearly 2.5 million in 2025 and marking the country’s lowest interest in three years.

Sweden, despite reaching the final, lost more than 300,000 viewers, while Belgium experienced one of the steepest drops, with its audience falling by over 400,000 viewers compared to the previous year.

The decline comes as criticism and boycott calls continue over Israel’s participation during the ongoing war in Gaza. Protesters and campaigners have urged the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel from the contest, similar to Russia’s suspension after the invasion of Ukraine.

Several countries, including Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland, withdrew from the competition in protest over the conflict in Gaza.

Irish broadcaster RTE chose to air an episode of the comedy series “Father Ted” instead of Eurovision coverage.

During the semi-final broadcast, audience members were seen waving Palestinian flags, booing Israeli singer Noam Bettan during his performance and chanting “free, free Palestine.” Israel nevertheless advanced to Saturday’s final.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova