It has been reported by Yedioth Acharonot that the winner of the next series of Hakochav haba (The next star) will represent Israel at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.

The next star, commonly recognised under the name Rising star, is an interactive singing competition created by Keshet Broadcasting. Aspiring artists are asked to perform on stage in front of a judging panel and is broadcast live to the viewing public where they are able to vote for their favourite performances via a designated app. Once an artist receives a certain percentage of votes (70%), they then move forward to the next stage of the competition until four artists remain. The winner is then crowned as “the next star”.

Hakochav haba 1 – Arye & Gil Gat (Runner up)

Hakochav haba 1 – Evyatar Korkus (Winner)

According to Yedioth Acharonot, the Israeli national broadcaster of the Eurovision Song Contest, IBA, has reached an agreement with Keshet Broadcaster meaning that the winner of the second series of The next star will represent Israel in the host city of Vienna. Keshet Broadcasting would also be responsible for the costs of producing and recording the Israeli entry whilst IBA would be the broadcaster of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.

ESCToday has contacted IBA regarding their possible selection choice, however IBA stated that, as of now, nothing has been confirmed.

Last month, Israel confirmed their preliminary participation at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest in the host city of Vienna. Shortly after IBA’s announcement, it was reported by Yedioth Acharonot that IBA had shortlisted three artists who they would like to see represent Israel at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest – Marina Maximilian Blumin, Esther Rada and Asaf Avidan. However last week, the Israel Hayom reported that Marina had turned down the offer to represent her country at the competition.

[2014] Mei Finegold – Same heart

Stay tuned to esctoday.com for the latest news on Israel and the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.