Eurovision Song Contest Asia
The Eurovision Song Contest Asia logo
Genre Song contest
Created by European Broadcasting Union
Based on Eurovision Song Contest
No. of episodes
  • 1 planned contest
Production
Production companies European Broadcasting Union
S2O Productions
Voxovation
Original release
Release 14 November 2026 (2026-11-14)
Related
  • Eurovision Song Contest
  • Junior Eurovision Song Contest
  • American Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest Asia (ESCA)[1] is set to be an international song competition modelled after the Eurovision Song Contest, in which countries of the Asia-Pacific region are set to compete. The inaugural edition, organised by Voxovation, S2O Productions, and host broadcaster Channel 3, will take place on 14 November 2026 at IdeaLive in Bangkok, Thailand.

Plans for an adaptation of the Eurovision Song Contest for the Asian continent began in earnest in 2008. The project was taken up in 2016 by Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), which developed an iteration of the format with Blink TV and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for a planned debut in 2019. SBS shelved the project in 2021, and it was subsequently handed to Voxovation, a company established to develop adaptations of the Eurovision format for other territories with license from the EBU. No further updates were made until 2025, when the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) aired a competition titled Druk Dra, which was intended to select its entry for a Eurovision Asia contest before Voxovation asked the broadcaster to halt it. On 31 March 2026, the EBU and Voxovation officially announced the competition, with Thailand as the host country and an initial list of ten participating countries.

Development

In September 2008, the EBU announced that an Asian counterpart to the Eurovision Song Contest would be held in 2009.[2] Dubbed Our Sound – The Asia Pacific Song Contest by 4 March 2009, it was set to be held in the second half of the year,[3] and was to be coordinated by the Singaporean company Asiavision, led by German entrepreneur Andreas Gerlach. Fifteen countries and regions were slated to compete, namely Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.[2] The contest was delayed multiple times and never materialised.[4]

In March 2016, the EBU began development on an adaptation of the Eurovision Song Contest for the Asia-Pacific region with SBS.[5] SBS was working on the project with its production partner Blink TV.[6] The first contest was scheduled to be held in Australia in 2017.[6] The official name of the competition was revealed to be Eurovision Asia Song Contest (or simply Eurovision Asia) in August 2017.[7][8][9] By May, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore had shown interest in hosting the first edition of the contest.[8] The Singaporean government put forward $4 million to host the event, while the city of Sydney and the state of New South Wales said they would invest in hosting.[10] The city council of Gold Coast claimed in November 2018 that the first contest would take place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 30 November to 7 December 2019.[11] In May 2021, it was confirmed that SBS had shelved the project.[12]

SBS's plans from May 2016 were for every country in Asia to be eligible to compete, meaning there would be a maximum of 68 participants.[13] Membership in the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) would not be a requirement for participation.[14][dead link] By March 2019, ten countries had confirmed their intention to participate: Australia, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, South Korea and Vanuatu.[15] Australia confirmed its participation, while China, Japan and South Korea were named as potential participants.[15]

In May 2025, the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) confirmed its intention to participate in Eurovision Asia, stating that the inaugural contest would be held in Bangkok, Thailand, with 18 countries participating.[16][dead link] On 24 June, the EBU published its Brand Impact Report for the Eurovision Song Contest, listing an adaptation in Asia as under "ongoing development".[17] In August, the location was instead stated by BBS as Mumbai, India, as it began organising a national selection titled Druk Dra that same month to select the Bhutanese representative.[18] Additionally, Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV), which serves Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City area, had initially allocated a timeslot for a programme titled Eurovision Asia on 31 August.[18] On 28 August, Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, stated that "no plans have been confirmed or announced to date" for the contest in Asia, further clarifying that Druk Dra was taken off air and deleted from online platforms at the request of the EBU's partners.[19] In November, Marcus Tang was hired by Voxovation to serve as "Managing Director Asia".[20] On 15 December, Christer Björkman, Head of Music and Founder at Voxovation, stated in the Eurovision Uncovered podcast that Eurovision Asia was ongoing "intensive preparations", with hopes of a public reveal "quite soon".[21] In an interview, Eurovision Director Martin Green said that the national broadcasters in Asia appreciated the contest as a way of giving a chance to national pop stars, portraying it as a "no-brainer". The name "Eurovision" was included in the title, despite the event consisting of Asian participants, at the request of the prospective participating broadcasters.[22]

2026 contest

Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026
United by Music
Date and venue
Final
  • 14 November 2026
Venue IdeaLive
Bangkok, Thailand
Production
Host broadcaster Channel 3
Producers Voxovation
S2O Productions
Participants
(provisional; as of April 2026)
Intend on participating 10
Debuting countries
  •  Bangladesh
  •  Bhutan
  •  Cambodia
  •  Laos
  •  Malaysia
  •    Nepal
  •  Philippines
  •  South Korea
  •  Thailand
  •  Vietnam
Participation map
  • A coloured map of the countries of East Asia}}}
         Countries which have provisionally confirmed their participation in 2026
Eurovision Song Contest Asia

On 29 March 2026, a website was launched, claiming that the contest would take place on 14 November in Bangkok, provisionally featuring nine countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.[23] The website was temporarily taken offline a few hours later.[24] The contest was formally announced on 31 March under the name Eurovision Song Contest Asia, to be organised by the EBU and Voxovation with S2O Productions serving as partners, and Thailand's Channel 3 serving as the host broadcaster. The initial announcement listed ten participants (the aforementioned countries plus South Korea) alongside their respective broadcasters.[25][26]

Format

On 31 March 2026, the EBU, Voxovation, and S2O Productions announced that the inaugural edition of the contest will be held on 14 November 2026 at IdeaLive in Bangkok, Thailand.[27][28][29] Consisting of a single show, the results will be decided by a 50/50 split of professional jury voting and public voting.[27] Each competing entry must be under three minutes and performed by no more than six people.[27] All countries are expected to organise national finals to select their entry. The winner will be invited to perform as a guest in the following edition of the main Eurovision Song Contest.[22]

Provisional list of participants

As of April 2026, 10 countries have been provisionally confirmed to participate:

Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 participants[30][31]
Country Broadcaster Artist Song Language Songwriter(s) Ref.
 Bangladesh NTV
 Bhutan BBS
 Cambodia TV5
 Laos VTE9
 Malaysia TV3
   Nepal Himalaya TV TBD 19 September 2026 [32]
 Philippines ABS-CBN
 South Korea ENA TBD 4 September 2026 [33]
 Thailand Channel 3
 Vietnam VTV3

Other countries

  •  Australia – On 31 March 2026, Australia was not listed among the initial countries competing in the contest. SBS later issued a statement confirming that Australia will not participate in the inaugural event but "will be watching with interest as it develops".[34] SBS had previously worked with the EBU to develop an adaptation of the Eurovision Song Contest for the Asia-Pacific region.[5] However, another Australian broadcaster could still be invited to take part.

Broadcasts

Each participating broadcaster will broadcast the contest live. The European Broadcasting Union will stream the contest on their Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel.[27] Viewers outside of Asia can also stream the contest.[22]

See also

  • Eurovision Song Contest 2026
  • Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026
  • Eurovision Young Musicians 2026

References

  1. ^ Leong, Adeline (1 April 2026). ""We Don't Need It" Critics Call To Boycott Eurovision Asia". The Rakyat Post. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Asian 'Eurovision' to take place". ABC News (Australia). 19 September 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Our Sound™ – The Asia-Pacific Song Contest defies economic slump" (PDF). Asiavision.tv. 4 March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Our Sound – The Asia-Pacific Song Contest". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b Granger, Anthony (21 March 2016). "Asia: SBS to create Eurovision Song Contest in Asia". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b Jordan, Paul (21 March 2016). "Eurovision Song Contest concept to be developed in Asia!". Eurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  7. ^ Jordan, Paul (18 August 2017). "The Greatest Song Contest in the World is coming to Asia!". Eurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  8. ^ a b Granger, Anthony (19 May 2017). "Three cities interested in hosting Eurovision Asia". Eurovoix World. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  9. ^ Cobb, Ryan (13 July 2018). "Eurovision Asia on hold? Organizers and EBU "still early in the development process"". ESCXtra. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  10. ^ Spence, Ewan (6 May 2017). "Eurovision Insight Podcast: Insight Asks Australian Head Of Delegation Paul Clarke". ESC Insight. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  11. ^ Wolf, Brendon (1 November 2018). "Gold Coast to host inaugural Eurovision Asia". 9News. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  12. ^ Carter, Ford (25 May 2021). "SBS drops plans for Eurovision Asia". aussievision. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  13. ^ Granger, Anthony (7 May 2016). "Asiavision 12 countries the aim for the first contest". Eurovoix World. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  14. ^ Adams, William Lee (28 August 2017). "Eurovision Asia: Full membership in the ABU is NOT required to participate in the song contest". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  15. ^ a b Granger, Anthony (4 March 2019). "Eurovision Asia Song Contest Still in The Works". Eurovoix World. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Announcement". BBS. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Brand Impact Report 2025" (PDF). ebu.ch. EBU. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025. Ongoing development: Eurovision Song Contest Asia - Promising global expansion shows the brand awareness of the ESC and the attractiveness of the format.
  18. ^ a b Tsinivits, Kyriakos (25 August 2025). "Is Eurovision Asia actually going to happen?". Aussievision. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  19. ^ "EBU shuts down Eurovision Asia speculation". The Eurotrip Podcast. 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 28 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  20. ^ "About Us". Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  21. ^ "Eurovision Uncovered Meets Christer Björkman: "There are Challenges in Almost Every Act"". Eurovision Uncovered Podcast. 15 December 2025. Archived from the original on 15 December 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  22. ^ a b c Marshall, Alex (31 March 2026). "Eurovision Song Contest to Add Asian Edition This Year". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  23. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 — Bangkok". Archived from the original on 29 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  24. ^ Mouriquand, David (30 March 2026). "A decade in the making: Will Eurovision Asia take place in 2026?". Euronews. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Asia will debut in 2026". Eurovision.com. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  26. ^ Kaur, Baani (31 March 2026). "Eurovision launching Asia edition, grand final to take place in Bangkok in November". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  27. ^ a b c d Granger, Anthony (31 March 2026). "Eurovision Song Contest Asia Launches With Final in Bangkok This November". Eurovoix.com. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  28. ^ "'Eurovision Asia 2026' announced; Himalayan TV to hold auditions in Nepal". Online Khabar. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  29. ^ "'युरोभिजन एसिया २०२६' : नेपालका प्रतिभा अब विश्वमञ्चमा, हिमालय टिभीले राष्ट्रिय छनोट गर्ने" ['Eurovision Asia 2026': Nepal's talents now on the world stage, Himalaya TV to select the national representative]. Online Samaya (in Nepali). 31 March 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  30. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Asia". Eurovision.com. EBU. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  31. ^ "Eurovision Goes East: Bangkok to Host First-Ever Eurovision Song Contest Asia in 2026". Eurovision.com. EBU. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  32. ^ "'युरोभिजन एसिया २०२६' घोषणा : हिमालय टिभीले नेपालबाट अडिसन गर्ने" ['Eurovision Asia 2026' announced: Himalaya TV to hold auditions in Nepal]. Online Khabar (in Nepali). 31 March 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026. उनका अनुसार, १९ सेप्टेम्बरमा नेपालको विजेता छनोट हुनेछन् । [According to him, the entrant from Nepal will be selected on September 19.]
  33. ^ @esc_asia (31 March 2026). "JJ, Kiss of Life, P1Harmony, AB6IX, Byrd & Heart, and AtHeart were among the artists featured in a new promotional video for the launch of #EurovisionAsia" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 March 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  34. ^ "SBS release statement on Australia's participation in Eurovision Asia". Aussievision. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.