The Austrian national broadcaster, ORF, and the EBU held their first Eurovision meeting in Vienna yesterday in order to officially kick off the preparations for the forthcoming 2026 Eurovision edition in Austria.
ORF and Austria are gearing up in full steam to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with preparations having already kicked off in the Alpine nation. Austria will have the grand honour of welcoming the Eurovision bandwagon for the third time having already hosted the event in 1967 and 2015 in Vienna.
A special EBU delegation travelled to Vienna in order set the first stone for Eurovision 2026. EBU officials met up with ORF executives and officials in order to exchange ideas and to discuss the key milestones to host the upcoming Eurovision edition in Austria. The EBU officials provided an overview of the entire project and discussed the ESC organizational planning and schedule with their Austrian counterparts. Additionally these discussios the structured collaboration between the EBU and ORF on the road to Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
The EBU and ORF executives at the meeting:
- EBU-ESC Director- Martin Green
- EBU-ESC Executive Supervisor- Martin Österdahl
- EBU-ESC Commercial Director -Jurian Van Der Meer
- ORF Director General- Roland Weißmann
- ORF Program Director- Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz
- ORF Commercial Director- Eva Schindlauer
- ORF Technical Director -Harald Kräuter,
- ORF Radio Director -Ingrid Thurnher
Roland Weißmann (ORF Director General) says:
With our triumph in Basel, we at ORF have also committed to hosting an Eurovision Song Contest in 2026 that fully meets the standards of the world’s biggest TV entertainment show. Work on this began the day after our victory, and together with the EBU, we will stage an event in May 2026 that will engage our entire country and delight TV audiences around the globe. We can only achieve this through close coordination and cooperation with the EBU – I would therefore like to thank Martin Green, Martin Österdahl, and Jurian Van Der Meer for this personal exchange of knowledge, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.
Stefanie Groiss Horowitz (ORF Program Director) says:
I attended the final in Basel myself and got a good impression of how much the Song Contest has evolved over the past ten years. An event of this magnitude can only work if everything is coordinated. Close coordination with our friends at the EBU is essential for this. It’s a good feeling to be able to exchange ideas in such a trusting manner.
Martin Green (ESC Director/ EBU)
As the EBU, it is our job to support the host broadcaster as best as possible throughout the entire process. There are numerous basic requirements that must be met, but also a great deal of creative freedom that makes each individual Song Contest unique. Implementing a project like the ESC in just one year is a major undertaking, and that’s why I’m particularly pleased that we were able to meet our partners at ORF in person at this early stage.
Supervisor Martin Österdahl (ESC Executive Supervisor/ EBU):
The exchange of knowledge and experience, good coordination, and close cooperation are success factors for hosting a Eurovision Song Contest. We have been in contact with the ORF officials from the very first moment after Austria’s victory and are using this kick-off meeting to provide an overview and structure the further path to the ESC 2026.
