Eurovision 2027: Dutch entry dropped, television coverage stays
· BehindLines newsroom
The Netherlands will have no entry in Eurovision in 2027. On 27 October, NPO, the organisation coordinating Dutch public broadcasting, abandoned the return it had been preparing. It cited inadequate backing among broadcasters, amid divisions surrounding Israel’s participation. Dutch viewers will still be able to watch the competition through NOS.
A planned return that did not take shape
Responsibility for the proposed entry had shifted. After AVROTROS withdrew, NPO sought to arrange a joint public broadcasting project. On 23 September, an NPO press release announced this Dutch return for the 2027 edition.
That announcement therefore described a plan, rather than an outcome that was beyond change. In NPO’s latest statement, its board chair, Jet de Ranitz, says early discussions appeared to offer enough support, but no workable arrangement emerged. Media director Jurre Bosman argues that performers and staff need the backing of the broadcasters sending them.
An entry and a broadcast are separate choices
The earlier proposal already distinguished responsibility for preparing an entry from responsibility for covering the event. NPO would coordinate the artistic project, while NOS would provide independent reporting.
The withdrawal now announced concerns a Dutch act appearing in the competition. NPO says NOS will continue showing both semi-finals and the final, with commentary in Dutch. For audiences, having nobody representing their country on stage does not mean that the programme will disappear from television.
A pause, with no return date
NPO describes its decision as a pause: Jet de Ranitz considers it too early to take part in 2027, and Jurre Bosman says talks with the EBU on the contest’s future are continuing. This is a withdrawal announced for 2027, not a permanent departure.
The two Eurovision.com statements about these announcements could not be accessed (not consulted), so this article rests solely on NPO’s press releases and reports no reaction from the organiser. Those texts set no date for another Dutch entry. Their immediate value is to clarify how the return announced in September differs from the decision made in October.