by Noy Yehoyada Comment Closed




Millions across Europe tuned in to the first Eurovision 2025 semi-final broadcast from Basel, Switzerland. Discover all the surprising viewership figures!

The broadcast of the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025 last night (Tuesday) managed to attract millions of viewers throughout Europe, showcasing impressive trends of increased viewership in many countries-including Israel, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, and Belgium.

Changes in broadcasting channels, memorable performances by local representatives, and even new viewing habits among young audiences all contributed to significant ratings jumps. Meanwhile, countries such as Germany and the Netherlands experienced a slight decline compared to previous years, though the audiences remain large and engaged.




Portugal: Record Viewership During the Performance

On Portugal’s national broadcaster RTP1, an average of approximately 752,000 viewers tuned in, with a 15.5% audience share. During the performance of the country’s representatives, the band NAPA with the song “Deslocado,” viewership peaked at about 900,000. This marks a notable increase from last year’s average of around 660,000 viewers. Portugal succeeded in qualifying for the Grand Final, which will take place on Saturday night.

Spain: Sharp Increase Thanks to Switch to Main Channel

In Spain, about 1.35 million viewers watched the broadcast on “La 1,” with an average audience share of 11%. This represents an increase of more than 650,000 viewers compared to the first semi-final in 2024, which aired on La 2. Young audiences led the ratings: the 13–24 age group recorded a 19.8% share, and the 25–44 group reached 19.7%. Over 6 million Spaniards watched at least one minute of the show.

As one of the “Big Five,” Spain did not compete but did perform in the first semi-final-with Melody, who is guaranteed a spot in the Grand Final. During her three-minute performance, 1.586 million viewers tuned in, with a 13.23% share-making it the second most-watched choice during that time slot, just behind Antena 3.




Sweden: The Most-Watched Program in the Country

In Sweden, approximately 1,465,000 viewers watched the live broadcast of the first semi-final on SVT1, making it the most-watched program in the country that day. This is a significant increase compared to last year’s first semi-final (about 1.08 million) in which Sweden performed, and even higher than the second semi-final of 2024 (about 1.36 million). Sweden qualified for the Grand Final for the 14th consecutive time with the song “Bara Bada Bastu” by the group KAJ.

Israel: Kan 11 Dominates Prime Time with Record Ratings Since 2019

In Israel, the national broadcaster Kan 11 achieved an exceptional result, broadcasting the first semi-final and reaching viewership figures not seen since Eurovision 2019. The broadcast recorded a 12.1% rating-about 317,000 viewers-surpassing commercial competitors in prime time, including “HaBogdim” on Keshet 12 and “HaPatriotim” on Channel 14. The peak viewership occurred at the start of Ukraine’s song, with a 16.1% share-the most-watched moment on television that evening. This marks a sharp increase from last year, when the rating was only 8.4% with 228,000 viewers. These figures may indicate a shift in Israeli viewing habits and the strengthening of the public broadcaster’s position in international competition broadcasts.




The Netherlands: Decline Compared to Previous Years

In the Netherlands, viewership remained high but was lower compared to previous peaks-with over 2.3 million viewers watching at least part of the broadcast, and about 1.9 million watching until the end of voting to find out if the country’s representative, Claude, qualified for the final, which he did. This is a decline compared to past record viewership: about 3.8 million in 2013, 3.3 million in 2014, and over 3 million in 2019. For comparison, last year nearly 3 million Dutch viewers watched Joost Klein qualify for the final-before his subsequent disqualification.

Germany: Slight Decline, but Interest Among Young Viewers

In Germany, about 670,000 viewers watched the first semi-final on ARD One-a slight decrease from about 680,000 viewers in 2024. However, among young people aged 14–49, there was an increase in audience share-from 7.7% to 8.6%. This is nearly double the share from 2022, when it stood at 3.4%. It should be noted that Abor & Tynna, the duo representing Germany, did not perform in this semi-final. They will take the stage only in the second semi-final, which will take place tomorrow (Thursday)-even though Germany is not competing for a spot in the final, as it is one of the “Big Five” countries with automatic qualification.

Belgium: Highest Viewership in the North

In Belgium, about 1,180,000 viewers watched the broadcast-an increase of roughly 180,000 compared to 2024. In the Dutch-speaking region (Flanders), more than 914,000 watched on VRT1, making it the most-watched program in the country that evening. In the French-speaking region, 266,043 watched on La Une, ranking the program fourth that night. Belgium’s representative, Red Sebastian, did not qualify for the final.




Eurovision 2025: Dates and Time

The Eurovision Song Contest for 2025 will take place in May, as per tradition. Here are the exact dates:

For those wondering “What time will Eurovision 2025 air?” each event will begin at 21:00 CET.

Eurovision 2025: This will be Switzerland’s 65th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Switzerland joined the competition in 1956, being one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Its most recent victory was at the last Eurovision in 2025, with Nemo’s song “The Code.” This win follows Switzerland’s previous victory in 1988 with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi,” performed by international singer Céline Dion.