The 64th Eurovision Song Contest, held in Tel Aviv, was won by the Netherlands with Duncan Laurence's 'Arcade' before 182 million viewers.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 64th Eurovision Song Contest
- Winner
- Netherlands – 'Arcade' by Duncan Laurence
- Participating countries
- 41 countries
- TV audience
- 182 million viewers
- Venue
- Expo Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Final date
- 18 May 2019
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Israel qualified to host the 2019 contest after Netta won the 2018 edition with 'Toy'. The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) organised the event in partnership with the EBU, while geopolitical tensions surrounding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict generated significant pre-contest controversy and calls for relocation or boycott.
The 64th Eurovision Song Contest took place at Expo Tel Aviv across two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May and a grand final on 18 May 2019, hosted by Erez Tal, Assi Azar, Lucy Ayoub, and Bar Refaeli. Forty-one countries competed. The Netherlands topped the combined vote with 'Arcade', while North Macedonia and San Marino achieved their best-ever results.
Duncan Laurence's victory earned the Netherlands the right to host the 2020 contest. Political protests marked the broadcast, including demonstrations by Madonna and Hatari referencing the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Bulgaria's financial withdrawal and Ukraine's controversy-driven absence highlighted ongoing participation pressures for smaller broadcasters.
Work
Eurovision Song Contest 2019
The 2019 contest drew 182 million viewers and sparked debate over the role of political protest in an ostensibly apolitical event, while delivering a breakout international career for Dutch winner Duncan Laurence.