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Sunday, 17 May 2026 - 15:45

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Around 798,000 people watched Eurovision final across the Netherlands

An average of 798,000 people watched the Eurovision Song Contest final on Dutch television Saturday, according to figures from the Nationaal Media Onderzoek (NMO).

The finale ranked third among the 25 most-watched programs of the day. Its preview show drew 481,000 viewers, and the results segment drew 679,000, RTL reports. The NOS Journaal at 8 p.m. on NPO 1 was the top program on Saturday, attracting 1.364 million viewers.

Viewership dropped sharply from last year’s final, which averaged 3.59 million viewers. The NMO said the figures cannot be directly compared because of repeated changes in measurement methods. Saturday’s numbers reflect only live linear viewing; delayed and multi-device viewing will be added later.

The Netherlands did not compete this year because of Israel’s participation, a decision that likely contributed to the lower audience. Bulgaria’s DARA won the contest, with Israel’s Noam Bettan finishing second.

It remains unclear whether the Netherlands will return next year. Public broadcasters NPO and AVROTROS said they will await the evaluation of this year’s edition before deciding. The European Broadcasting Union will review the Song Contest next month.

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