Israel’s Eurovision 2027 Selection HaKokhav HaBa Premieres November 15th with New Voting System
Photo Credit: Ortal Dahan Ziv
The reality singing competition “HaKokhav HaBa” (The Next Star) for Eurovision 2027 will air on Sunday, November 15th, featuring the first auditions episode. Filming for the audition stage began two months ago. The upcoming season will once again be hosted by Assi Azar and Rotem Sela. The judging panel will return with Assaf Amdursky, Keren Peles, Shiri Maimon, and Itay Levi, alongside new judge Osher Cohen. The winner of the 13th season of “HaKokhav HaBa” will represent Israel at Eurovision 2027.
The hosts and judges of “HaKokhav HaBa” gathered over the weekend for the official season launch event at the Elkonin Hotel in Tel Aviv. In addition, the winner of the previous season and Israeli representative for Eurovision 2026, Noam Bettan, attended to pass the torch to the new batch of contestants.
Eurovision-Style Scoring System Introduced
The upcoming season of “HaKokhav HaBa” will feature a significant change in its voting system. Instead of casting a “blue” vote for a liked performance or a “red” vote for a less favorable one, the judges will now award points using the traditional Eurovision voting system – ranging from 4 to 12 points (douze points). The iconic screen remains part of the format, requiring artists to reach a 70% threshold to lift it.
This modification is expected to create a fresh dynamic among the judges and heighten tension from the initial moments of the season, providing a broader variation in scores and a challenging path to securing maximum points. Public voting will remain on a “pass/fail” system, while the overall weight remains 60% judges and 40% viewers.
The promo for the new season frames the updated format as a “revolution,” introducing new judge Osher Cohen. The judges express surprise at the new rules, with comments such as “What is this madness?” and “This new system is tough.” Excerpts from the auditions are showcased alongside the slogan: “Europe, get ready for a revolution.”
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
Kan and Keshet Renew Partnership for Eurovision 2027
The Israeli national broadcaster Kan and commercial broadcaster Keshet have agreed to extend their collaboration for Eurovision 2027, confirming Israel’s participation in Eurovision in Bulgaria. The agreement secures the continuation of “HaKokhav HaBa” as the official national selection mechanism, building on the country’s recent results using the format.
מישל
Israelנועם בתן represented Israel at Eurovision 2026 with “מישל”. The entry finished 2nd in the grand final with 343 points.
Israel competed at Eurovision 48 times between 1973 and 2026. The country has won four times, most recently in 2018 with Netta Barzilai’s “Toy”. In 2026, נועם בתן represented Israel with “מישל”, finishing 2nd in the grand final with 343 points.
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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.
