Eurovision Asia lineup: 10 countries confirmed for Bangkok
According to the official EBU launch announcement, the opening lineup includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Organizers said more broadcasters could still join in the coming months, expanding a contest they say is being built around a regional audience of more than 600 million people.
The Eurovision Asia section on Eurovision’s official site says the event will be broadcast in partnership with Thailand’s Channel 3, while confirmed broadcasters range from ABS-CBN in the Philippines and Vietnam Television’s VTV3 to Bhutan Broadcasting Service and South Korea’s ENA, produced by PK Inc.
On the official Eurovision Asia site, organizers say every participating country will hold a national selection show before sending its act to Bangkok. That keeps the format close to Eurovision’s long-running country-by-country buildup rather than turning the launch into a single regional casting event.
As Associated Press reported, organizers are framing the launch as part of Eurovision’s 70th anniversary year while leaving room for more countries to join before November. For Bangkok, the contest also doubles as a culture-and-tourism showcase, with Thai officials pitching the city as a natural meeting point for live music, entertainment and regional travel.
Eurovision Asia’s long road to launch
The Bangkok edition also arrives after years of false starts. In 2016, SBS said it had secured an exclusive option to develop an Asian version of the contest, and The Guardian reported that same year that the early Asia-Pacific plan envisioned an Australia-hosted launch with as many as 20 competing countries.
That version never reached air. By 2021, The Music Network reported that SBS had stepped away from the project after years of delays, with the pandemic adding to the logistical and geopolitical complications that had already slowed the format.
What is different now is the tighter launch model: a confirmed host city, a smaller starting field, identified broadcasters and a clearer route to air. That makes Bangkok less a speculative announcement than a live test of whether Eurovision can turn one of the world’s most varied music markets into a recurring regional television event.
For now, the immediate question is whether 10 broadcasters can turn November’s Grand Final into a platform for broader expansion in 2027. If the format lands with viewers, Bangkok may be remembered not just as a host city, but as the point where Eurovision Asia finally moved from concept to calendar fixture.
