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Norwegian broadcaster NRK wrote to the EBU after Eurovision 2026 raising concerns about Israel, political campaigning and whether the Contest can remain credible if tensions continue to grow.
Norway’s NRK has confirmed to Norwegian newspaper VG, that it sent a fairly pointed letter to the European Broadcasting Union after this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. In the letter, the broadcaster raised concerns about Israel’s continued participation, the increasingly political atmosphere surrounding Eurovision and attempts to influence the public vote through organised campaigns.
NRK’s new entertainment editor Jostein Olseng (pictured) says the broadcaster told the EBU that Eurovision’s credibility depends upon its own rules actually being followed.
The letter warns that wider geopolitical disputes risk overwhelming what is supposed to be a cultural and entertainment event. It also questions what continued controversy might mean for the reputation of both Eurovision and the EBU itself.
TL;DR: how many consecutive Contest weeks involving protests, political arguments, security concerns and broadcasters threatening to leave can Eurovision absorb before something gives?
NRK also raised the issue of campaigns intended to influence televoting.
Olseng told VG that the broadcaster wanted clearer rules covering advertising and the spending of money to persuade people to vote for a particular entry, regardless of whether they actually considered it the best song.
That particular can of worms has been sitting at the back of the Eurovision fridge, behind the margarine, for a while.
NRK’s concerns reportedly also extend to the substantial security operation surrounding the Israeli delegation and the effect this has on other delegations and performers.
VG has been trying to obtain the full letter, but the spoilsports at NRK said no. The newspaper, however, says it has seen parts of the correspondence through EBU channels.
And Israel is specifically mentioned.
To be clear, whatever the socials may claim, this is not a Norwegian boycott. NRK is not asking the EBU to expel Israel. The broadcaster explicitly says in its letter that it does not see its role as campaigning for the boycott of another EBU member.
Olseng argues that NRK, as an independent public broadcaster, must remain politically neutral. His position is that countries which disagree profoundly with one another should still be capable of meeting at an event such as Eurovision without turning the Contest itself into another political battleground.
