Czech Republic withdraws from Eurovision 2027

Czech public television announced on Tuesday that it will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, citing budget cuts, AFP reported.

“We will not see the Czech flag on stage next year,” Czech Television said on X, adding that it hoped to return to the competition in the future.

Under Eurovision rules, only a broadcaster that is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) can select the artist representing a country, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

At the 2026 contest in Vienna, won by Bulgaria’s Dara, Czech singer Daniel Zizka finished 16th with the song “Crossroads.” No Czech artist has ever won the competition.

The nationalist coalition government led by billionaire Andrej Babis wants to replace the current system of licence fees paid by viewers with direct state funding and has pledged to reduce funding for public television and radio.

Both public broadcasters have already announced job restructuring and changes to their programming. The Czech parliament, where Babis’s coalition holds a majority, has yet to vote on the proposed reform of public media funding.

Critics, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have warned that the proposed changes could threaten the independence of public media. Czech Television and Czech Radio held a symbolic strike against the plans in June.

Babis’s critics have also accused him of seeking to restrict the independence of public media, drawing comparisons with policies pursued by his political allies, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who lost the election in April.

The Czech Republic’s withdrawal from Eurovision represents another financial setback for the EBU after Ireland and Spain announced plans to boycott the 2027 contest over Israel’s participation.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ cited the “appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza” and the continuing humanitarian crisis.

Five European countries — the Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain — boycotted the 2026 contest, questioning why Israel was permitted to participate amid the war in Gaza while Russia had been suspended shortly after its invasion of Ukraine.

Photo: Chat GPT