As deadline day for the host bidding of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 rapidly approaches, representatives from the EBU and Austrian broadcaster ORF have met to discuss the next edition of the contest.
Early planning meeting for Eurovision 2026 takes place
Following Austria’s third victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, with JJ’s, ‘Wasted Love’, the planning for Eurovision 2026 is already underway. Next May in either the second or third week of the month, everyone’s favourite music contest will take over Austria. So far a number of cities have shown interest in formally submitting a bid:
Although bidding remains open until July 4 and a final decision is not expected until August at the latest, representatives from the EBU and ORF have met to discuss key milestones in the planning phases of the next contest. Among the topics discussed were organisational strategies and the timeline of events. As well as a brief overview of ORF’s plans for Eurovision 2026.
The representatives that attended the meeting were:
- Martin Green (Director of Eurovision)
- Martin Österdahl (Executive Supervisor ESC)
- Jurian Van Der Meer (Eurovision Commercial Director)
- Roland Weißmann (ORF Director-General)
- Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz (ORF Programming Director)
- Eva Schindlauer (ORF Commercial Director)
- Harald Kräuter (ORF Technical Director)
- Ingrid Thurnher (ORF Head of Radio)
“After winning in Basel, we at ORF have committed to hosting a Eurovision Song Contest in 2026 that meets the demands of the world’s largest TV entertainment show in every form. Work on it began the day after the win; and together with the EBU in May 2026, we will stage an event that will engage our entire country and inspire TV audiences around the globe. We can only achieve this through good coordination and close cooperation with the EBU, which is why I would like to thank Martin Green, Martin Österdahl and Jurian Van Der Meer for this personal exchange of knowledge and look forward to further collaboration.”
Roland Weißmann, (ORF Director General)
“I attended the final in Basel myself and got a good impression on how much the song contest has developed over the past ten years. An event of this scale can only work if everything is coordinated. The close coordination with our friends from the EBU is essential for this. It is a good feeling to be able to exchange ideas with each other in such a trusting way.”
Stefanie Groiss Horowitz, (ORF Programming Director)
“At the EBU, it is our job to support the host broadcaster in the best possible way through the entire process. There are numerous basic requirements that must be met, but also a lot of creative freedom, which makes every single song contest unique. Implementing a project like the ESC in just one year is a big task and I am therefore particularly pleased that we were able to get to know our partners at ORF in this early phase.”
Martin Green CBE, (Director of Eurovision)
“The exchange of knowledge and experience, good coordination and close cooperation are success factors for the organisation of a Eurovision Song Contest. We were already in contact with the ORF managers from the first moment after Austria’s victory and are using this kick-off meeting to give an overall view and structure the path to ESC 2026.”
Martin Österdahl, (Executive Supervisor ESC)
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