{"id":1943251,"date":"2026-05-19T12:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1943251"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:13:12","slug":"viral-posts-falsely-claim-eurovision-winner-was-secretly-bought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1943251","title":{"rendered":"Viral posts falsely claim Eurovision winner was secretly bought"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/76\/24\/16\/1200x675_cmsv2_0d370215-e82c-53c4-880b-eb8da9cb9ccf-9762416.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2894827-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2894827\" data-cid=\"9763896\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2894827-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" 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id=\"abe-2894856-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2894856\" data-cid=\"9764023\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2894856-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/76\/40\/23\/189x106_cmsv2_4cb1af07-0788-51f8-8a0f-b3d2fc4bd3db-9764023.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\" FILE:  Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) in Strasbourg, France, Jan.26, 2023. \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Ukraine &#8216;paying the highest price to return home to European values&#8217;\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2894702-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2894702\" data-cid=\"9763164\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2894702-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/76\/31\/64\/189x106_cmsv2_bae0de2a-5db2-5c0b-904c-abbad7a2d93b-9763164.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Police try to disperse protestors during a demonstration of European farmers near the European Parliament in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    EU\u2019s fertiliser rescue plan aims to prevent another farm uprising\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Europe<\/p>\n<p>                          Europe Decoded<\/p>\n<p>                          The Cube<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Viral posts falsely claim Eurovision winner was secretly bought<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative u-max-width-1280 u-margin-x-auto\" data-video=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;xaa7zco&quot;,&quot;articleId&quot;:2894566,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Viral posts falsely claim Eurovision winner was secretly bought&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/SHD\/44\/29\/56\/04\/SHD_PYR_4429564_20260519100832.mp4&quot;,&quot;programId&quot;:&quot;the-cube&quot;,&quot;player&quot;:&quot;dailymotion&quot;,&quot;geoBlock&quot;:[&quot;&quot;],&quot;sources&quot;:[{&quot;file&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/SHD\/44\/29\/56\/04\/SHD_PYR_4429564_20260519100832.mp4&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;hd&quot;,&quot;default&quot;:true}],&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Posts claiming that the infamous pan-European music competition was rigged gained significant traction online, amidst wider scrutiny about the contest's voting rules and promotional campaigns.&quot;,&quot;isLive&quot;:false,&quot;articleUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/video\/2026\/05\/19\/viral-posts-falsely-claim-eurovision-winner-was-secretly-bought&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:117640}\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/76\/24\/16\/1536x864_cmsv2_0d370215-e82c-53c4-880b-eb8da9cb9ccf-9762416.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt='Dara from Bulgaria performs the song \"Bangaranga\" and celebrate onstage after winning the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Sunday, May 17, 2026.'><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              Dara from Bulgaria performs the song &#8220;Bangaranga&#8221; and celebrate onstage after winning the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Sunday, May 17, 2026.<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">AP Photo<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright\">\n      Copyright\u00a0AP Photo\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspTamsin Paternoster\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1779192792\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-05-19 14:13:12 +02:00\">19\/05\/2026 &#8211; 14:13 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-partage-commentaire u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-partage-commentaire__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-partage-commentaire-share\"><span>Share<\/span><\/span><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-partage-commentaire-popup-overlay js-c-article-partage-commentaire-popup-overlay u-display-none\">\n<div 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the article video embed link below:<br \/>\n                        <\/span><span class=\"c-article-partage-commentaire-popup__content__embed u-display-flex\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/icon-copy-to-clipboard.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Copy to clipboard\" class=\"u-cursor-pointer js-c-article-partage-commentaire-copy\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"c-article-partage-commentaire-popup__content__embed--success-copied u-display-none js-c-article-partage-commentaire-video-embed-success-link-copied\"><br \/>\n                                Copied<br \/>\n                            <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        Posts claiming that the infamous pan-European music competition was rigged gained significant traction online, amidst wider scrutiny about the contest&#8217;s voting rules and promotional campaigns.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content js-article-content\">\n<p>A viral X post claiming that Eurovision&#8217;s 2026 contest was secretly &#8220;fixed&#8221; in Finland&#8217;s favour spread widely in the days leading up to this year\u2019s final in Vienna. <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post, which initially circulated on TikTok, amassed more than 1 million views and presented itself as testimony from a Eurovision &#8220;security guard.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I can freely say through a secret account that the winner is picked,&#8221; the viral post said, alleging that Finland had offered organisers of the competition around \u20ac16 million to secure victory. <\/p>\n<p>However, this claim later unravelled during the final itself when Finland \u2014 tipped as a favourite to win the competition in betting markets and among fans \u2014 ultimately finished in sixth place once the televote was announced, with Bulgarian popstar Dara taking home the trophy. <\/p>\n<p>The anonymous account behind the viral claim has no verifiable connection to Eurovision and no previous posts, nor did it provide screenshots, documents or any verifiable information linking itself to Eurovision&#8217;s organisers. <\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Geneva-based European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the Eurovision Song Contest, told us in the run-up to the grand final that the allegation was &#8220;false information.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How Eurovision&#8217;s voting system works<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The claim the post makes directly contradicts how the EBU&#8217;s voting system works. <\/p>\n<p>According to the broadcasting union, Eurovision&#8217;s final result combines public televotes with rankings submitted by professional juries in each participating country. <\/p>\n<p>National juries are composed of seven music industry professionals who rank performances during a dress rehearsal before the live final. <\/p>\n<p>Public viewers vote for their favourite acts during the final via phone, text message or online \u2014 all for a fee \u2014 although they are not allowed to vote for their own country. <\/p>\n<p>Votes, according to the EBU, are processed through telecom operators, payment providers and national voting partners before they are independently verified. <\/p>\n<p>This year, in response to concerns raised by broadcasters over promotional campaigns for acts, the EBU announced it would reduce the number of votes viewers can cast each from 20 to 10 and introduced new rules that discouraged &#8220;government-backed campaigns.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t the only false claim to spread amidst the contest. The Cube, Euronews&#8217; fact-checking team, found a raft of claims circulating on social media claiming that the competition was rigged and posts claiming various countries had paid to win the contest. <\/p>\n<p>After Dara was announced as the winner, social media users on Reddit and X circulated unsupported claims that Israel had funded the Bulgarian act alongside several others. <\/p>\n<p>Eurovision acts are primarily funded by their country&#8217;s national public service broadcaster. <\/p>\n<p>In this case, publicly available reports show that Bulgarian National Television (BNT), alongside Dara&#8217;s Bulgarian record label, Virginia Records, organised and supported Bulgaria&#8217;s Eurovision participation, including its national selection process, staging and costs to enter the contest. Dara partnered with international writers and producers for her hit &#8220;Bangaranga&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>We found no credible evidence of undisclosed Israeli government funding of Bulgaria&#8217;s entry. <\/p>\n<h2>False claims spread amidst controversy<\/h2>\n<p>The majority of allegations that Eurovision was rigged emerged on social media, among others, during heightened scrutiny over the contest&#8217;s voting system and promotional campaigns. <\/p>\n<p>In the past two years, investigations by the New York Times and the EBU&#8217;s own fact-checking unit, Eurovision News Spotlight, have examined Israeli government-backed promotional campaigns encouraging viewers in participating countries across Europe to vote for Israel\u2019s Eurovision entry.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli broadcaster KAN said that it believed no Eurovision rules had been broken in response to the controversy. <\/p>\n<p>Additional government support and promotion of Eurovision acts, beyond that provided by state-backed broadcasters, is not unusual, with tourism boards and cultural institutions in particular sponsoring artists&#8217; promotional tours and publicity efforts. <\/p>\n<p>The EBU said it remained confident that the 2025 contest had delivered a &#8220;valid and robust result&#8221; despite complaints from several public broadcasters over televoting transparency and promotional campaigns. <\/p>\n<p>The EBU later tightened its rules on the number of public votes in response and introduced measures discouraging what it called &#8220;disproportionate&#8221; government-backed campaigns. <\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not the first time the EBU has altered the competition&#8217;s rules amidst controversy. In 2022, it removed jury votes during the second semi-final from six countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and San Marino, after identifying what it described as &#8220;irregular voting patterns.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This controversy, which was denied by broadcasters, led to organisers temporarily removing professional juries from the semi-finals between 2023 and 2025. Jury votes in the semi-finals were reintroduced for this year&#8217;s competition. <\/p>\n<p>However, unlike what viral posts claim, none of the controversies surrounding Eurovision&#8217;s voting system has produced credible evidence that the contest winner is secretly predetermined by countries offering the EBU money in exchange for victory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-partage-commentaire u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-partage-commentaire__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-partage-commentaire-share\"><span>Share<\/span><\/span><span>Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Noam Bettan thanks supporters after controversial Eurovision second place<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Eurovision 2026: Bulgaria wins as nail-biting final sees Israel finish second <\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Watch: Beyond Eurovision&#8217;s glitter &#8211; how geopolitics became the biggest act in Vienna<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto\">\n<ul id=\"adb-article-tags\" class=\"c-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Eurovision 2026<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Eurovision song contest<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  TheCube<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Bulgaria<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"o-article-newsy__aside\">\n<div class=\"c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-1\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-top-stories\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-top-stories\">\n<h2 class=\"c-top-stories__title\">Top stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2894702-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2894702\" data-cid=\"9763164\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2894702-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/76\/31\/64\/320x180_cmsv2_bae0de2a-5db2-5c0b-904c-abbad7a2d93b-9763164.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Police try to disperse protestors during a demonstration of European farmers near the European Parliament in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 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report claims<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2894416-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2894416\" data-cid=\"9761748\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Europe\u2019s poverty divide: Which cities and regions are most at risk?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2894627-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2894627\" data-cid=\"9762762\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Iran sets up Hormuz transit authority to charge ships for passage<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2894708-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2894708\" data-cid=\"9763219\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Trump: I called off attack on Iran planned for Tuesday<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2894524-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2894524\" data-cid=\"9762389\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Iran heads to World Cup training camp with no US visas issued<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">A viral X post claiming that Eurovision&#8217;s 2026 contest was secretly &#8220;fixed&#8221; in Finland&#8217;s favour spread widely in the days leading up to this year\u2019s final in Vienna.\u00a0The post, which initially circulated on TikTok, amassed more than 1 million views and presented itself as testimony from a Eurovision &#8220;security guard.&#8221;&#8221;I can freely say through a secret account that the winner is picked,&#8221; the viral post said, alleging that Finland had offered organisers of the competition around\u00a0\u20ac16 million to secure victory.\u00a0However, this claim later unravelled during the final itself when Finland \u2014 tipped as a favourite to win the competition in betting markets and among fans \u2014 ultimately finished in sixth place once the televote was announced, with Bulgarian popstar Dara taking home the trophy.\u00a0The anonymous account behind the viral claim has no verifiable connection to Eurovision and no previous posts, nor did it provide screenshots, documents or any verifiable information linking itself to Eurovision&#8217;s organisers.\u00a0A spokesperson for the Geneva-based European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the Eurovision Song Contest, told us in the run-up to the grand final that the allegation was &#8220;false information.&#8221;How Eurovision&#8217;s voting system worksThe claim the post makes directly contradicts how the EBU&#8217;s voting system works.According to the broadcasting union, Eurovision&#8217;s final result combines public televotes with rankings submitted by professional juries in each participating country.National juries are composed of seven music industry professionals who rank performances during a dress rehearsal before the live final.Public viewers vote for their favourite acts during the final via phone, text message or online \u2014 all for a fee \u2014 although they are not allowed to vote for their own country.Votes, according to the EBU, are processed through telecom operators, payment providers and national voting partners before they are independently verified.\u00a0This year, in response to concerns raised by broadcasters over promotional campaigns for acts, the EBU announced it would reduce the number of votes viewers can cast each from 20 to 10 and introduced new rules that discouraged &#8220;government-backed campaigns.&#8221;It wasn&#8217;t the only false claim to spread amidst the contest. The Cube, Euronews&#8217; fact-checking team, found a raft of claims circulating on social media claiming that the competition was rigged and posts claiming various countries had paid to win the contest.After Dara was announced as the winner, social media users on Reddit and X circulated unsupported claims that Israel had funded the Bulgarian act alongside several others.Eurovision acts are primarily funded by their country&#8217;s national public service broadcaster.In this case, publicly available reports show that Bulgarian National Television (BNT), alongside Dara&#8217;s Bulgarian record label, Virginia Records, organised and supported Bulgaria&#8217;s Eurovision participation, including its national selection process, staging and costs to enter the contest. Dara partnered with international writers and producers for her hit &#8220;Bangaranga&#8221;.We found no credible evidence of undisclosed Israeli government funding of Bulgaria&#8217;s entry.False claims spread amidst controversyThe majority of allegations that Eurovision was rigged emerged on social media, among others, during heightened scrutiny over the contest&#8217;s voting system and promotional campaigns.\u00a0In the past two years, investigations by the New York Times and the EBU&#8217;s own fact-checking unit, Eurovision News Spotlight, have examined Israeli government-backed promotional campaigns encouraging viewers in participating countries across Europe to vote for Israel\u2019s Eurovision entry.Israeli broadcaster KAN said that it believed no Eurovision rules had been broken in response to the controversy.Additional government support and promotion of Eurovision acts, beyond that provided by state-backed broadcasters, is not unusual, with tourism boards and cultural institutions in particular sponsoring artists&#8217; promotional tours and publicity efforts.The EBU said it remained confident that the 2025 contest had delivered a &#8220;valid and robust result&#8221; despite complaints from several public broadcasters over televoting transparency and promotional campaigns.The EBU later tightened its rules on the number of public votes in response and introduced measures discouraging what it called &#8220;disproportionate&#8221; government-backed campaigns.It&#8217;s not the first time the EBU has altered the competition&#8217;s rules amidst controversy. In 2022, it removed jury votes during the second semi-final from six countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and San Marino, after identifying what it described as &#8220;irregular voting patterns.&#8221;This controversy, which was denied by broadcasters, led to organisers temporarily removing professional juries from the semi-finals between 2023 and 2025. Jury votes in the semi-finals were reintroduced for this year&#8217;s competition.\u00a0However, unlike what viral posts claim, none of the controversies surrounding Eurovision&#8217;s voting system has produced credible evidence that the contest winner is secretly predetermined by countries offering the EBU money in exchange for victory.\u00a0<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2026\/05\/19\/viral-posts-falsely-claim-eurovision-winner-was-secretly-bought&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/76\/24\/16\/1200x675_cmsv2_0d370215-e82c-53c4-880b-eb8da9cb9ccf-9762416.jpg&#8221;] Europe News Brussels\u2019 Manneken Pis goes sporty Sport Game of Thrones: The secret of Florentino P\u00e9rez&#8217;s power at Real Madrid Europe News Ukraine &#8216;paying the highest price to return home to European values&#8217; Europe News EU\u2019s fertiliser rescue plan aims to prevent another farm uprising Europe News Brussels\u2019 Manneken Pis goes sporty [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[226,36],"class_list":["post-1943251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","tag-crawlmanager","tag-euronews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1943251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1943251\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1943251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1943251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1943251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}