THERE’S SET TO be a second Eurovision Song Contest this year. 

An Asian version of the comptition has been announced for November – set to be hosted in the Thai captial of Bangkok. 

Broadcasters from ten countries have confirmed their participation – including South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are also on board – and organisers are hopeful more countries will sign up over the coming months. 

The European Broadcasting Unit (EBU), which runs the contest, confirmed the news this morning. The project is a collaboration with global entertainment company Voxovation,  Thai-based S2O Productions and Thailand’s Channel 3.

The final is set for Saturday 14 November 2026, and each participating broadcaster will choose its entries via national finals in the months leading up to the event.

Eurovision director Martin Green said it’s hoped they can build a show that “reflects the voices, identities and ambitions of the region, while staying true to what has always made the contest special”.

Initial plans for Eurovision Asia were first announced back in 2016 but were later dropped. It was reported in 2018 that the concept was being revived, but again the plans never came to fruition.

This is not the first time the Eurovision format has expanded into other regions. In 2021 NBC acquired the rights to host the American Song Contest. The contest, hosted by Snoop Dogg, saw competitors from all fifty states, five territories and Washington DC take part. 

After qualifying rounds and semi-finals, ten competitors reached the grand final. Oklahoma would go on to win the contest by over 200 points with the song Wonderland.

The show premiered in March 2022 and ran for 8 episodes but was not renewed for a second season. 

In an interview with The Journal in 2023, EBU Director General Noel Curran said the American Eurovision project was on ice for the moment but that the team behind the contest was actively exploring other avenues for expansion.

“We feel there’s opportunities in other areas for this format and these values,” Curran said. 

The Eurovision Song Contest has been mired in controversy due to Israel’s particpation in recent years. 

In December last year RTÉ confirmed that Ireland would not be particpating in Eurovision 2026 in Vienna and that the contest will not be shown on the national broadcaster.