Israel’s Eurovision was seen by 182 million viewers
2019's contest was held in Tel Aviv and drew in an audience across 40 markets.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFThe Eurovision Song Contest grand finale kicks of Saturday night in Tel Aviv(photo credit: THOMAS HANSES/EBU)The world’s largest live music event, the Eurovision Song Contest was seen by 182 million viewers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in a press statement Tuesday.The Grand Final took place on May 18 and drew in double the average prime-time viewing share for channels in Israel and across Europe. The EBU said that 36.7% share across 40 markets watched the competition this year.Israel’s KAN, which hosted the contest, had an audience that was up 24% compared to the 2018 contest. 1.3 million viewers tuned in to the final, making it the largest Eurovision audience since Israel last hosted the event in 1999.In the Netherlands, this year’s winner, 4.5 million viewers watched the Grand Final, over 70% of the TV viewing in the country.Iceland saw the largest viewing share of any country with a market share of 98.4%.Iceland sent controversial act Hatari to Israel, which helped them qualify for the final for the first time since 2014.The EBU said that younger audiences also watched this year’s competition in greater numbers than previous years. They estimated over 45% of 15 to 24-year-olds watching TV in 40 markets enjoyed the Grand Final; up 2% from 2018.
