Germany SWR to become Germany’s Eurovision broadcaster from 2026!
Germany will have a new broadcaster for Eurovision starting in 2026.
Norddeutscher Rundfunk, or NDR, has been the German broadcaster in charge of Eurovision since 1996. However, this will change starting next year when broadcaster Südwestrundfunk, or SWR will take the lead and organize German participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
SWR had organized Germany’s participation in Eurovision twice before. However, they had not done it since 1978. Both SWR and NDR are members of the ARD network of regional broadcasters in Germany. This means that ARD runs the overall network, and the regional broadcasters make programming within it.
In its press release announcing the decision, ARD stated that SWR’s decision to replace NDR in Eurovision is part of a larger plan for the regional networks to “specialize” their programming and that “the regional broadcasting companies are increasingly working together.”
According to ARD, SWR will replace NDR after Eurovision 2025 in Basel. They will be involved also in the current contest to guarantee a smooth transition. NDR will still be in charge of planning Germany’s 2025 Eurovision participation. They have developed a new national selection for Germany this year, Chefsache 2025, in collaboration with TV producer Stefan Raab and commercial broadcaster RTL.
A German victory in 2025?
If Germany wins the Eurovision Song Contest, NDR will organize the hosting of Eurovision 2026 in Germany. Frank Beckmann, the departing broadcaster’s program director, expressed his hope to bring the Eurovision trophy to Germany in their last year, even though they didn’t want to let the competition end:
On the other hand, the incoming broadcaster SWR, has been more cautious and pragmatic. According to Programme Director for SWR Clemens Bratzler,the broadcaster is facing budget problems. He said in a press release that SWR “cannot spend any additional money” on Eurovision. Therefore the plans for SWR will be to make internal budget reallocations to guarantee German’s participation in Eurovision.
Source: Eurovision.de
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