The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has confirmed that lawyers and cybersecurity teams have been mobilized following a leak of rehearsal footage from the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. The breach, described as a “potential hack,” occurred ahead of the first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland.
Clips from Monday evening’s dress rehearsals circulated on social media, though the exact content of the leak remains unclear. At a press briefing on Tuesday, Eurovision director Martin Green acknowledged the incident, stating:
We have to send a signal out to the juries during those shows and, amongst our different members, technology differs in how modern it is. And therefore, sadly, if you have the intent to do it, you can potentially hack into that … is what I understand. It’s sad that people do that.
He added that the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) cybersecurity team and lawyers are actively addressing the situation to prevent further dissemination of the unauthorized content.
An EBU spokeswoman expressed regret over the leak, emphasizing efforts to maintain the surprise element of the live shows:
We regret that despite our best efforts to keep the content of our shows a surprise for the millions watching around the world, it’s regrettable that some people spoil the experience by publishing dress rehearsal content online.
The first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 took place last tonight on 13 May in Basel, Switzerland. The second semi-final is scheduled for 15 May, and the Grand Final on 17 May.
