MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is set to take part in the first Eurovision Song Contest held in the Asian continent, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), global entertainment company Voxovation, and S2O Productions announced on Tuesday.
According to the Contest website, ABS-CBN will be the network in charge of selecting the country’s entrant in the upcoming contest, that will be held in Thailand in November.
The network, however, is yet to make an announcement, as of press time.
The announcement of the Asian version of the Contest came less than two months before the regular Contest that will be held in Vienna, Austria in May.
“The Contest will be broadcast in partnership with Thailand’s Channel 3, with broadcasters from 10 countries across Asia confirmed with more to be announced in the coming months, each bringing their own voice, identity and storytelling to the stage,” the Eurovision website read.
Apart from the Philippines, other countries participating include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, South Korea, Vietnam, and hosts Thailand.
Other countries such as Japan, China, and India are yet to follow. Australia, which is in the Asia Pacific region, had been taking part in the main Eurovision Song Contest since 2015, the last time the Contest was held in the Austrian capital.
An Asian version contest had been planned as early as 2007, but never materialized, however shows like the ABU TV Song Festival were non-competitive in nature.
Last year, Filipino Austrian singer JJ won the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria in Davos, Switzerland and was also seen performing on ABS-CBN’s Sunday noontime show ASAP in the United Kingdom and in the Philippines.
Austria was also represented by former ASAP perfomer Vincent Bueno in 2021, but did not advance to the final.
The first Eurovision Song Contest Asia is set to be hosted in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 14, 2026, while the main contest in Europe will take place on May 12, 14, and 16 in Vienna, with 35 countries across Europe and Australia taking part.
Started in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual song competition in Europe, was known for producing stars such as Julio Iglesias, ABBA, Celine Dion, Lulu, and Cliff Richard.
