How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 — and why you should

Eurovision week is already upon us, and all eyes are on Europe and the one country, one artist, and one song that will be crowned the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 edition.

But Eurovision is more than a simple music competition. It is the Superbowl midtime show on steroids, the Champions League or the Olympics of music, and the European Union presidential election in an America’s/Britain’s Got Talent format. After iconic wins from trans artist Dana International (1998) and drag queen Conchita Wurst (2014), it has also become a worldwide pride party and a visibility celebration for the LGBTQ+ community.

I’ve been a fan of the show for 13 years, and here’s my personal guide to the contest, looking at how to watch it even if you don’t live in Europe, how to vote, and which countries you should be keeping your eyes on.

Eurovision Song Contest 2024: Important information

• What is the Eurovision Song Contest? Eurovision is an annual international song competition where countries* from Europe (and a few outside of it) compete by performing original songs live. It’s one of the most-watched non-sports events of the year, with hundreds of millions of viewers from Europe, the US, and Australia tuning in to the final every year. It’s known for its elaborate performances, diverse musical styles, and sometimes controversial voting process and results.
• When is the Eurovision Song Contest 2024? The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be held over two semi-finals on May 7 and May 9, with the final on Saturday, May 11. All shows start at 9 PM CEST time, or 3 PM ET and 12 PM PT (convert it to your current timezone).
• Where will the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 be held? The 2024 contest will be held in Malmö, Sweden after Loreen won the 2023 edition with her song Tattoo (YouTube).
• What makes the Eurovision Song Contest special? The drama and the rules contribute to the contest’s growing aura. Three minutes max song duration, no more than six people on stage, live vocals (pre-recorded background vocals are allowed), an original song, nations with massive budgets vs. smaller budgets, props, fire, flames, dance breaks, costume changes, wind and smoke machines, obscure musical instruments and genres, drinking games that every at-home Eurovision watch party must have, cultural alliances and influences (Greece-Cyprus, the Nordics), political tensions (like Ukraine vs. Russia in 2016), disagreements between the jury and public votes, diaspora influences, betting odds, and the huge economical impact of the contest on the host country and city — there’s a lot more to this “song” contest than just the songs. Add the fact that no viewer votes for a good, competent song but for the one that catches their eyes and ears, and it’s often the most controversial or divisive packages that end up climbing to the top of the scoreboard.

* If we are being pedantic, it’s not the country per se that participates; it’s the country’s national broadcaster that does. So, on paper, the BBC is competing, not the UK, although everyone just equates the broadcaster with their country and vice versa.

Peacock, NBC’s live-streaming platform, will be the official source to watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US. Peacock no longer offers a free plan, but you can sign up for an ad-supported $5.99/month Premium or a $11.99 Premium Plus subscription to catch all three shows. There are other deals to get Peacock for free if you’re an Xfinity, Instacart, Chase, or American Express subscriber, though, so check out the link first before you commit to an unnecessary monthly subscription.

Otherwise, you can use a VPN and tune into the free YouTube streams and multiple European broadcaster streams linked below for the rest of the world.

How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 worldwide

Outside the US, the easiest way to stream the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is via the contest’s official YouTube channel. Both semi-finals and the grand final show will be live-streamed there. Here are the links.

Watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on TV

For those of you who live in Europe, you can catch the contest on your TV with live commentary in your language — a good perk if the commentator adds context and helps explain some of the performances and songs in unfamiliar languages.

Here is the list of the official broadcasters and channels that will be airing the full contest as part of their May 7, 9, and 11 live TV programming.

37 countries are participating in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. These are divided into two semi-finals, with six automatic qualifiers to the grand final.

Automatic qualifiers for the Eurovision Grand Final

The five biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, earn a direct-to-final ticket, so they don’t compete in the semis. The same goes for the previous year’s winner, which is Sweden in this case. Even though they’re not competing for qualification, they will all still perform during the semi-finals so people can become familiar with their songs and performances before the grand final.

• 🇫🇷 France: Slimane – Mon Amour
• 🇩🇪 Germany: ISAAK – Always on the Run
• 🇮🇹 Italy: Angelina Mango – La Noia
• 🇪🇸 Spain: Nebulossa – Zorra
• 🇸🇪 Sweden: Marcus & Martinus – Unforgettable
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Olly Alexander – Dizzy

First semi-final Eurovision Song Contest participants (by running order)

10 countries will advance to the final from the 15 competing in the first semi. The results are based on 100% public votes from the 15 participating countries, plus Germany, Sweden, and the UK who will be guest-appearing in this show.

• 🇨🇾 Cyprus: Silia Kapsis – Liar
• 🇷🇸 Serbia: Teya Dora – Ramonda
• 🇱🇹 Lithuania: Silvester Belt – Luktelk
• 🇮🇪 Ireland: Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue
• 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria
• 🇵🇱 Poland: Luna – The Tower
• 🇭🇷 Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim
• 🇮🇸 Iceland: Hera Björk – Scared of Heights
• 🇸🇮 Slovenia: Raiven – Veronika
• 🇫🇮 Finland: Windows95man – No Rules!
• 🇲🇩 Moldova: Natalia Barbu – In the Middle
• 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan: Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov – Özünlə apar
• 🇦🇺 Australia: Electric Fields – One Milkali (One Blood)
• 🇵🇹 Portugal: Iolanda – Grito
• 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: Tali – Fighter

Second semi-final Eurovision Song Contest participants (by running order)

10 countries will advance to the final from the 16 competing in the second semi. The results are based on 100% public votes from the 16 participating countries, plus France, Italy, and Spain who will be guest-appearing in this show.

• 🇲🇹 Malta: Sarah Bonnici – Loop
• 🇦🇱 Albania: Besa – Titan
• 🇬🇷 Greece: Marina Satti – Zari
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland: Nemo – The Code
• 🇨🇿 Czechia: Aiko – Pedestal
• 🇦🇹 Austria: Kaleen – We Will Rave
• 🇩🇰 Denmark: Saba – Sand
• 🇦🇲 Armenia: Ladaniva – Jako
• 🇱🇻 Latvia: Dons – Hollow
• 🇸🇲 San Marino: Megara – 11:11
• 🇬🇪 Georgia: Nutsa Buzaladze – Firefighter
• 🇧🇪 Belgium: Mustii – Before the Party’s Over
• 🇪🇪 Estonia: 5miinust and Puuluup – (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi
• 🇮🇱 Israel: Eden Golan – Hurricane
• 🇳🇴 Norway: Gåte – Ulveham
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: Joost Klein – Europapa

The absolute favorite to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 (32-33% odds) is currently Croatia‘s Baby Lasagna with his song Rim Tim Tagi Dim. A real Cinderella story, Baby Lasagna wasn’t even supposed to compete in Croatia’s own national pre-selection for Eurovision; his song was initially a reserve title in case someone else didn’t make it. Yet he stormed the hearts of Croatia and Europe, won the local final, and rose in the odds with an upbeat rock-folk hymn that speaks of young adults’ immigration to greener pastures.

With simple lyrics like “I’m a big boy now, I’m ready to leave, ciao, mamma, ciao,” and iconic silliness like “Gonna miss you all, but mostly the cat,” and “Meow, cat, please, meow back,” (he really likes his cat), Baby Lasagna has an approachable song, a charismatic personality, and a tight stage show that is making the entirety of Croatia dream of a win.

Switzerland (16% odds) with Nemo and The Code is losing a bit of steam behind Croatia’s bulldozing entry and currently sitting tight as a runner-up. A non-binary artist, Nemo explores the struggle of gender identity in a computer analogy many of us geeks would understand: “Somewhere between the 0’s and 1s, that’s where I found my kingdom come.”

The song ebbs and flows between genres and styles, pirouetting like Nemo on that spinning platform, from operatic pop to rap. With a catchy hook of “I, I went to hell and back, to find myself on track, I broke the code, whoa-oh-oh,” Nemo is aiming to speak to every person who grew up not fitting in a mold and took the long journey towards self-acceptance.

Hot on the heels of Switzerland is Italy (11% odds) with Angelina Mango’s La Noia. A woman for Italy? Singing an upbeat Latin song? With a glam goth theme? It’s all confusing for long-term Eurovision fans who are used to swooning Italian men delivering heart-wrenching songs. But Angelina oozes charisma, dances like there’s no tomorrow, and has an impeccable live voice — watch out for her a capella bit toward the end.

Don’t let the happy rhythm fool you, though. La Noia (boredom, in Italian) is Angelina tackling monotony and a feeling of being trapped (by society and expectations) with the Colombian cumbia dance and rhythm. If “a crown of thorns will be the dress code for my party” is one of the most powerful lyrics and appropriate stage depictions in this year’s contest, it’s the “Total” and its finality that just hits over and over again.

The fourth favorite to win is Ukraine (8-9% odds) with the female power duet of Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil. You get a powerful singer, a powerful rapper, and a song with heavy religious connotations in its Teresa & Maria title. The mixed Ukrainian and English lyrics reveal a deeper meaning to the song, though, with the two artists celebrating women — specifically Ukrainian women — who surpass their human limitations in the face of adversity to become superwomen. “All the divas were born as human beings” is a beautifully simple but efficient message, and the ethereal voice of Jerry, with the impactful rap of Alyona, delivers it to perfection.

Ireland‘s Bambie Thug with Doomsday Blue has risen stratospherically in the odds (6%) from nowhere to fifth place. Another non-binary artist, Bambie has made the most of the little resources provided by the Irish delegation to create a genre-mashing shouty horror, candle-lit, demon-slaying moment on stage that morphs into a deceivingly happy break, only to pull you back into its darkness. The stage is set from the first second with “Avada Kedavra, I speak to destroy,” and for the first time in years, the Irish fans have a performance they can be proud of instead of the multiple shades of dull beige music the country has been sending for years.

Beyond the excellent top five in the odds, my personal favorites and the ones I recommend you keep an eye on are:

• Netherlands’ Joost Klein and his upbeat Europapa tune that hides a heart-crushing dedication to his deceased father.
• France’s Slimane and Mon Amour’s unique vocal powerhouse moment — I won’t spoil it for you, but expect goosebumps!
• The United Kingdom’s Olly Alexander with an eye-popping thirst trap of a stage concept. The vocals might not be up to par, though.
• Lithuania’s Silvester Belt and his chill electronic Luktelk. He’s saying he doesn’t want to dance, but he does indeed dance.
• Belgium’s Mustii with the slowest-growing song of all. Give it time; a proper belting earworm awaits you at the end.
• Norway’s Gåte and Ulveham, a haunting folk/metal/electronica tune that transports you to a dark enchanted forest.
• Finland’s Windows95man, a master of cringe, and his No Rules! song. Well, yes, rules, because he had to blur the Windows 95 logo on his t-shirt and cover some anatomical bits to remain family-friendly.
• Sweden’s Marcus and Martinus twin duet and the slickest, most perfected staging of all. However, Unforgettable, the song, is regrettably very forgettable.
• Spain’s Nebulossa and Zorra, a public appropriation and reclamation of the Spanish word for “bitch,” which has become a personal hymn for the LGBTQ+ community in Spain.
• Czechia’s Aiko and Pedestal, with the best self-affirming lyrics of the contest: “Put myself on a pedestal!”

Everyone can vote for their favorite in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. It’s easier in the participating countries where you get SMS, phone calls, and more options, but there’s also a “rest of the world” vote for people living in the US and across the world, which counts as one extra country.

However, it’s important to know when and for whom you can vote too:

• Participating countries can only cast their votes during a specific window and, importantly, can not vote for their own country:
  • In the semi-finals, the voting is only open for 15-25 minutes after the last song has been performed. The presenters will announce this with an enthusiastic, “Europe, start voting now!”
  • In the final, voting is open from the beginning, just before the first song is performed, and up until 25 to 40 minutes after the last song. Once again, the presenters on the stage will provide cues and reminders.
• Non-participating countries have two windows to cast their online vote for their favorites, and they can vote for anyone:
  • From midnight on the day of both semis and the final, and until the live show begins at 9 PM CEST.
  • An extra window will open up in parallel to the participating countries during all three shows too.

The public vote counts for 100% of the result in the semi-finals, so it’s on you to choose who makes it to the final. In the grand final, the vote is divided 50-50 between a jury of music professionals from each country and the public vote.

Once all the votes have been tallied and presented, we will have a newly-crowned Eurovision 2024 winner and start the cycle again for next year’s contest.