STVR, the Slovakian national broadcaster, has confirmed to ESCToday that Slovakia will not participate at the forthcoming 2025 Eurovision edition next year.

The Eurovision fan fraternity will be dissapointed to learn that Slovakia will be not returning to our beloved contest next year either. We will not be hearing  ‘Good evening Europe, this is Bratislava calling….’come 2025…..

ESCToday contacted STVR to shed some light on its participation at the forthcoming 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. The Slovak broadcaster confirmed to ESCToday that Slovakia will not to return to the competition next year in Switzerland. Slovakia’s non participation at the Eurovision Song Contest is due to financial reasons and low viewership. A Eurovision participation would incurr high financial costs for the Slovak broadcaster.

STVR gave ESCToday the following statement:

Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) was the official broadcaster of the Eurovision Song Contest in the past. However in recent years it has been repeatedly decided not to include this international competition in the broadcast, based on a careful evaluation of several factors. Above all, it was the financial resources spent and the viewership of the program. The STVR does not plan to broadcast Eurovision in the next season. It also does not intend to register Slovak artists, as the nomination is associated with high financial costs.

STVR (formerly known as RTVS) was eyeing a return to Eurovision in 2025 but these plans have now been dampened and a Slovak return will not happen next year.

Thus Slovakia joins the list of countries who have so far confirmed their non-participation at the forthcoming 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland.

Slovakia withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 and has not returned since.

Slovakia in Eurovision

Slovakia first attempted to partake in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 when it competed in the special preliminary semifinal in Slovenia, but failed to qualify. The landlocked central European nation debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 with Martin Durinda and Tublatanka.

The last time we saw Slovakia on the Eurovision stage was back in 2012 when Max Jason Mai defended the Slovak colours in Baku with his entry Don’t close your eyes. Slovakia has participated 8 times in the competion and has been quite unfortunate when it comes to results, achieving its best result in 1996 when Marcel Palonder placed 18th in Oslo.

Source: ESCToday
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