The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the biggest music events of the year. Millions of people, both in person and online, watch as nearly 40 countries compete for the highly-sought after Eurovision trophy. At the same time, this is an event where Europe (and Australia) gather under one roof to celebrate music, as the rest of the world watches from far away.
In the USA, the song contest can be streamed via Peacock, a service owned by NBCUniversal. Unfortunately, Variety reported back in late January that the free tier was gone, and users would have to pay $4.99 or $9.99 a month. Due to this, is there still a way to watch the Song Contest for free? Or will Americans be stuck behind a paywall?
How to stream the Eurovision Song Contest for free?
If you can’t access the Eurovision Song Contest through Peacock, there are still ways to watch the show without needing to pay a subscription fee. After all, why should one country be paywalled to watch something that’s easily accessible in others? Unfortunately, as you might have noticed, the YouTube live stream isn’t accessible to those living in the USA due to geoblocking. So you have to look elsewhere if you want to watch the Song Contest for free.
Fortunately, there is a way to access the Eurovision Song Contest without using Peacock or YouTube. Fans will have to check if the participating regional broadcasters have a region lock-free stream. The official Eurovision website has a list of broadcasters and a link to their associated websites.
You may find yourself watching Australia’s stream via SBS OnDemand, Sweden’s SVT stream, Finland’s YLE semi-final and grand final pages, and Iceland’s RUV stream with English commentary. All have a history of being region-free, so there is a high chance for it to be accessible to others once more. Just note, if you’re watching the Eurovision Song Contest outside of YouTube, viewers will miss out on some green room moments due to those spots being replaced with ad breaks.
The first Semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest has ended. But don’t fret since semi-final 2 and the Grand finals are fast approaching. If you don’t want to miss out, the Eurovision Song Contest will resume on May 11 and 13 at 3 P.M. ET.