Austria grapples with venue, funding for Eurovision '26

The Advertiser

19-05-2025

The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time.
Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost.
The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures.
As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output.
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times.
His caption: "It wasn't enough..."
National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered.
"If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied.
"We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held.
Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix.
Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest.
JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself.
"I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air.
The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time.
Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost.
The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures.
As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output.
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times.
His caption: "It wasn't enough..."
National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered.
"If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied.
"We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held.
Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix.
Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest.
JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself.
"I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air.
The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time.
Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost.
The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures.
As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output.
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times.
His caption: "It wasn't enough..."
National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered.
"If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied.
"We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held.
Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix.
Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest.
JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself.
"I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air.
The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time.
Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost.
The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures.
As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output.
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times.
His caption: "It wasn't enough..."
National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered.
"If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied.
"We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held.
Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix.
Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest.
JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself.
"I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air.