GENEVA, May 29 — The Eurovision Song Contest confirmed its place as the world’s biggest live televised music event, with 166 million viewers in 37 countries watching the 2025 competition, organisers said yesterday.
This year’s 69th edition in Basel, Switzerland, attracted three million more viewers than last year’s contest in Malmo, Sweden, said the European Broadcasting Union.
The EBU said Eurovision had seen significant increases in youth engagement with a record 60 percent of viewers aged 15-24 tuning in.
The May 17 final was won by 24-year-old Austrian JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, singing “Wasted Love”, which blended techno beats with operatic vocals.
“This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has once again demonstrated its extraordinary power to unite millions across continents through the joy of music and shared celebration,” said Eurovision director Martin Green.
After the nail-biting drama as the votes from national juries and the public were revealed, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356.
Votes were cast from 146 states, with viewers in the United States and Canada voting the most outside Europe, ahead of Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.
The final commanded viewing shares above 50 percent in 19 of the 37 European markets, led by Iceland (98 percent), Finland (91 percent), Sweden (90 percent), Norway (85 percent), and Denmark (75 percent).
The viewing shares in Finland, and in France (40 percent), were the highest ever for Eurovision.
The highest average audience was in Germany, with 9.1 million viewers — the best figures since 2016, said the EBU.
Meanwhile there were 969 million views on Instagram and 748.5 million on TikTok.
Following JJ’s win, next year’s event will be hosted in Austria. — AFP
