Executive Producer Assaf Blecher reflects on building Eurovision Asia 2026 from scratch, addressing in an interview with EuroMix budget rumors and format changes ahead of the Bangkok contest.
On Saturday, November 14th, one of the most ambitious entertainment shows will launch in Bangkok: Eurovision Song Contest Asia, featuring 11 participating countries. Among those who helped establish the project is Assaf Blecher, who resides in the United States and serves as the contest’s Executive Producer. In an interview with EuroMix, Blecher presents the challenges of building a massive event from scratch in the Far East, addresses rumors regarding production cuts, and provides a definitive answer regarding Israeli participation in the contest.
“Explaining What Eurovision Is From Scratch”
One of the central challenges in establishing the competition was building infrastructure and awareness in countries where the format was completely unknown. “I don’t know how many rice workers in Mongolia or farmers in Cambodia know what Eurovision is,” Blecher shares with a smile. “It took a lot of time to teach them and find the right partners.”
Blecher emphasizes that, contrary to quick fixes, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and his team insisted on holding a live national selection show in every country: “It’s not a problem to find a singer and say ‘they are the representative.’ But that’s not enough. The representative needs to come with a country that believes in the song. In Vietnam and the Philippines, the songs that won the national selections immediately reached the top of the charts.”
How Does It Differ From the American Version?
Four years ago, there was an attempt to produce an American version of the Eurovision format (American Song Contest), which did not survive beyond a single season. Blecher explains the key lesson learned from that experience:
“In the US, they turned it into a bit of a reality show. I think it was 10 to 12 episodes with an elimination every week. In my eyes, it lost the magic of ‘we all gather tonight, all of Europe, to choose the winner.’ Also, as a half-American, in the US I don’t know the difference between music from California, Nevada, or Arizona. In Asia, there is a huge musical difference between Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, and South Korea.”
Are the Asian Songs “Eurovision-Style”?
When asked what musical style will conquer the Asian audience, Blecher admits it is a fascinating experiment: “This is a show still in its infancy, kind of a pilot. They haven’t watched Eurovision like us for many years and aren’t used to the classic structure that starts soft, moves to a crescendo, modulation, and a Eurovision-style ending – although there are countries (like Laos) that did nice research on that exact formula. I have my own taste, but I’m influenced by watching Eurovision for many years. They don’t know what a Eurovision song is yet, so I don’t know if they will choose more traditional songs or if they’ll want to pick someone singing in English.”
Budget Cut Reports: “We Dreamed Big, Now Back to Reality”
Reports in Sweden recently claimed a crisis in production, the replacement of the international crew with a local team, and a 25% cut to the Eurovision Asia budget. Blecher clarifies the situation, recalling that it is no different from other major productions worldwide:
“Newspapers love headlines. Here, I am proof that the international crew is still here. Of course, I would have liked to produce with a European budget of 30-40 million euros, but that isn’t available, and adjustments were made to meet the budget without compromising on the vision for the first year. We dreamed big, now we have to return to reality. Nobody is breaking the rules – this is what we have for the first year, and next year we will dream even bigger.”
Voting System and Israel’s Status
The competition will maintain the familiar voting structure: 50% jury and 50% televote, alongside the “Rest of the World” voting – in which the international audience will also be able to participate and vote for free. However, as in Junior Eurovision, each vote must be split among three countries.
Regarding rumors of Israeli participation in the Asian contest, Blecher, as an Israeli producer who lives in America, puts an end to the speculation: “Even though we are on the Asian continent, Israel is in the European Eurovision and will stay in Europe. From every aspect, we must remain in Europe, and I don’t think we will participate in both competitions simultaneously.”
Participating Songs in Eurovision Asia 2026
Following the opening performances, the 11 national representatives will take the stage one by one. The event will be hosted by Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop.
Here is the grand final running order:
- Vietnam: Tóc Tiên – “Em Tiên” (in English: “I’m Tiên”)
- Cambodia: Monetrey – “I Let You Go”
- Laos: Thinla – “BAE”
- Mongolia: Beck – “Without You”
- Bhutan: Nyendra – “Lhayi Semo” (in English: “Heavenly Princess”)
- Philippines: Carmelle – “Sobra-Sobra” (in English: “Too Much”)
- Bangladesh: Beatmosphere – “Tumi Ele” (in English: “When You Came”)
- Thailand: Mang x Daou – “Aroma”
- South Korea: Junhee – “Deep Dive”
- Nepal: Pratik Himal Rai – “Ananta Maya” (in English: “Endless Love”)
- Malaysia: Aina Abdul – “Bluest Sky”
All You Need to Know About Eurovision Asia
The Eurovision brand continues its global expansion with Eurovision Song Contest Asia, launched in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to mark the 70th anniversary of the original contest. Following the American Song Contest in 2022, which was not renewed for a second season, this new chapter aims to bring the beloved Eurovision format to a new continent and reach a massive potential audience of over 600 million viewers. Unlike the American adaptation that focused on a single nation, this is a large-scale, multi-national competition. The inaugural Grand Final will take place on November 14, 2026, at the One Bangkok Forum arena in Thailand, preceded by a Preview Show on November 13. Hosted by media figures Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop, this historic edition will feature 11 countries: Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Nepal, Laos, Bhutan, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
Unlike the European format, the contest in Asia operates under a centralized production model. It is produced by the international production company Voxovation in partnership with the leading Asian production company S2O. This structure subsidizes the selection process in various countries, allowing nations with limited budgets to participate. Additionally, the winning country will not automatically host the contest the following year but will instead be invited to perform as a guest artist at the traditional Eurovision. The voting system has also been adapted for the continent, based entirely on a unified, free digital platform that combines televoting with professional juries, giving unprecedented decisive power to the international audience through the “Rest of the World” voting. Furthermore, ZOOP will serve as the exclusive social partner of the event, enabling fans to take an active role in the digital experience.
Eurovision Asia 2026: The first Eurovision Asia contest will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on November 14. The host arena of the contest is the “One Bangkok Forum”, which has a capacity of about 6,000 seats. This is an official expansion project of the Eurovision brand outside the borders of Europe, launched ahead of the original contest’s 70th-anniversary celebrations.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-50-9441919
Tal Dahan – Journalist, radio broadcaster, and Eurovision content creator.
Tal Dahan is an Israeli journalist and editor specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest, working with the EuroMix editorial team for four years. Since 2022, she has provided regular on-site coverage of Eurovision from the host city, and from 2023 has also reported directly from the press room—offering the Israeli audience live updates, exclusive interviews, and in-depth commentary.
Tal is a member of the Eurovision tribute and parody band “EuroFalsh,” a radio broadcaster, and a student of political science and communications.
She is considered one of Israel’s leading young Eurovision experts. In addition to covering the main contest, Tal has reported from Eurovision pre-parties and national selection events across Europe (in Thessaloniki, Stockholm, Madrid, and more), been interviewed by major media outlets in Israel and internationally, and presented Eurovision-themed podcasts and radio shows.
