Gov't wants to use advertising revenue to fund Eurovision Song Festival: report

Minister Arie Slob plans to use better-than-expected advertising revenue from Ster to cover the government's contribution to the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Rotterdam next year, sources told De Telegraaf. Ster is the foundation that provides advertising to the Dutch public broadcasting system.

Dutch public broadcasting foundation NPO recently asked the government to provide 12.4 million euros for organizing the song festival. Should Slob, the minister responsible for the Media portfolio, decide to cover this shortfall with money from Ster, the money will actually come from the NPO's own wallet and not from tax money.

Slob's spokesperson could not yet confirm these plans to newspaper AD. "The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is still looking at the NPO's request", the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Ster said that this is not something they are currently working on. "But it is true that we will pay more than the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science estimated", he said to the newspaper.

The Eurovisioin Song Contest will take place in Ahoy in Rotterdam in May next year. It will cost an estimated 26.5 million euros. The European Broadcasting Union, the driving force behind the international song festival, will contribute 9.6 million euros. NPO will contribute 2.5 million euros, and AVROTROS 2 million euros, according to AD.

Slob is expected to make his decision on how the government will come up with its part of the contribution by November 25th, when the lower house of Dutch parliament will debate the media budget.