Eurovision Announces Major Changes After Controversy Over This Year's Voting

Austrian singer JJ celebrating his win at this year's Eurovision Song ContestEurovision bosses are introducing several new measures ahead of next year’s competition.On Friday morning, it was revealed that there would be several tweaks to the voting system at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026, which is due to take place in Vienna following JJ’s win for Austria earlier this year.Voting has been a contentious issue for the contest in the last couple of years, with many participating broadcasters taking issue with Israel’s government paying for cross-platform advertising which encouraged people to vote for their representative during last year’s final.Similarly, others issues raised questions about the fact that Israel’s song – Yuval Raphael’s New Day Will Rise – finished in first place at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest among Eurovision televoters, despite getting just 60 points from the competition’s jurors.Despite its apparent popularity among Eurovision voters, it was also later pointed out that Israel’s song had not even been among the top five most-streamed tracks from the competition on Spotify’s global chart after the event.At the time, Eurovision director Martin Green insisted that the organisation took all broadcasters’ “concerns seriously”, but added: “It is important to emphasise that the voting operation for the Eurovision Song Contest is the most advanced in the world and each country’s result is checked and verified by a huge team of people to exclude any suspicious or irregular voting patterns.“An independent compliance monitor reviews both jury and public vote data to ensure we have a valid result.“Our voting partner Once has confirmed that a valid vote was recorded in all countries participating in this year’s Grand Final and in the Rest of the World.”A post on Eurovision’s website has now confirmed that next year, jurors will return to the semi-finals, ensuring it’s not just Eurovision televoters who pick which acts progress to the next stage of the contest, while viewers at home will now have just 10 votes rather than the previous 20, “encouraging fans to spread support across more entries”.The post noted: “Enhanced technical safeguards will also be introduced, to detect and block coordinated or fraudulent voting activity.“And stronger limits on promotion will be implemented to curb disproportionate third-party influence, including government-backed campaigns.”Yuval Raphael on stage at Eurovision in MayMartin Green said: “We’ve listened and we’ve acted. The neutrality and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest is of paramount importance to the EBU, its Members, and all our audiences. It is essential that the fairness of the Contest is always protected. “We are taking clear and decisive steps to ensure the contest remains a celebration of music and unity. The Contest should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalised”. He added: “These [new] measures are designed to keep the focus where it belongs – on music, creativity and connection.“While we are confident the 2025 Contest delivered a valid and robust result, these changes will help provide stronger safeguards and increase engagement so fans can be sure that every vote counts and every voice is heard.“The Eurovision Song Contest must always remain a place where music takes centre stage - and where we continue to stand truly United by Music.”Meanwhile, Israel’s presence at Eurovision continues to be a contentious issue as a result of the conflict in Gaza.Israel’s involvement has long been a controversial subject among Eurovision fans, but as the conflict in the Middle East has escalated over recent years, the debate around Israel’s participation has continued to grow even louder, with some calling for a boycott of the contest as long as Israel remains part of it.Four national broadcasters have now said that they will not be competing at Eurovision in 2026 should Israel be invited back, with numerous key figures associated with the contest, including the previous two reigning winners, backing calls for Israel’s expulsion.However, others involved in Eurovision have also taken the opposite view.Earlier this year, it was confirmed that each broadcaster that takes part in Eurovision would be casting a vote in December to determine whether or not Israel should be allowed to return next year.In light of the historic peace plan that was announced in October, the EBU confirmed this vote would no longer be taking place, and instead, the matter would instead be discussed at length at a meeting to be held next month.Since this intended ceasefire was put in place just over a month ago, Al Jazeera has reported that Israeli attacks have killed at least 242 people in Palestine, with 622 more injured.MORE EUROVISION:These Are All The Countries That Have Spoken Out About Israel's Involvement At Eurovision 2026This Is How British Eurovision Fans Really Feel About Isreal Potentially ReturningCanada Is Eyeing A Place At The Eurovision Song Contest

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