Eurovision Song Contest
ESC 2026: Austria expects a large advertising effect
After the decision for Vienna as a host city, an economic study promises great positive effects for the whole country. The promotion of the event should be more than 700 million euros.
The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in May 2026 will be good business, according to a study for Vienna and all of Austria. In view of the experience has shown, the advertising value is immense about 160 million TV viewers and billion-fold interactions on social media, said Wolfgang Schwarzbauer from the Eco Austria Economic Research Institute. The European Radio Union (EBU) specified this value for Basel this year with 730 million euros, which can also be assumed for Vienna.
On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Eco Austria’s study assumes that EUR 1.7 for each euro issued by the state. It was to be expected of 31 million for the public sector and the public service broadcaster ORF, but the added value should be 52 million euros, it said. The city of Vienna alone wants to spend up to 22.6 million euros.
Almost 90,000 additional overnight stays
The largest music spectacle in the world will also have “invaluable positive effects” on tourism in the medium and long term, said Tourism State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner. The goal is to raise the whole country from Lake Constance to Lake the Neusiedl during the one -week event. According to the information, the number of additional overnight stays in the ESC week will be around 88,000.
Austria’s capital Vienna will be hosting the ESC for the third time. The final will take place on May 16 in the Wiener Stadthalle. The two million metropolis prevailed in the race for the execution just before the competitor Innsbruck. In May 2025, the Austrian countertenor JJ won the ESC with his pop arie “Wasted Love” in Basel and brought the event to his home country for 2026.
dpa
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
