BBC coverage of Eurovision suffers huge UK ratings blow, ‘losing a million viewers’

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The Eurovision Song Contest has concluded for this year, and Bulgaria will host the 71st competition after Dara won with her upbeat dance track, ‘Bangaranga’.

The UK didn’t have a successful night at the competition, finishing in last place. Look Mum No Computer received only one point – from the jury vote – for their unusual synth song, ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei’.

The UK’s performance continued to underwhelm, and the BBC’s live broadcast of the event saw its lowest viewership in 15 years. Only 5.2 million people tuned in, which is 1.49 million fewer than watched last year, according to Eurovoix.

The semi-finals, broadcast on Tuesday, May 12th, and Thursday, May 14th, averaged 1.3 million and 1.2 million viewers, respectively. These numbers represent only those who watched the live broadcast and don’t include viewers who streamed the shows.

Digital Spy has contacted the BBC for comment.

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The UK had another frustrating night at the competition, earning its only point from the Ukrainian jury. The public vote, however, didn’t award any points to the UK.

Since the year 2000, the country has only achieved a top-10 finish on three occasions (2002, 2009, and 2022). They’ve finished last five times – in 2003, 2008, 2010, 2019, and 2021, as well as this year. Notably, they received zero points in both 2003 and 2021.

Sam Battle, known as Look Mum No Computer, shared his thoughts on Threads, expressing that Bulgaria was a deserving winner.

I met so many wonderful people. What mattered most was that everyone gave it their all, no matter the challenges. We need to keep pushing forward and doing our best, no matter what happens! #eurovision

Even though the performance didn’t win, Digital Spy complimented it for fully embracing the over-the-top spirit of Eurovision. We noted that the song, with its silly lyrics, unusual dancers, and quirky choreography, was definitely memorable and visually striking.

Sam really threw himself into the joyful and lighthearted spirit of Eurovision, never taking things too seriously. He deserves a lot of credit for that.

Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is streaming on BBC iPlayer.

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2026-05-18 17:19