How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 online

The BBC's logo for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023
(Image credit: BBC)

Music fever is here, because the Eurovision 2023 final is just around the corner on Saturday, May 13, with the semi-finals already bringing us two evenings of musical magic.

How to stream

UK: BBC / iPlayer (free)
US: Peacock
AU: SBS (free)
VPN: ExpressVPN

The previous two nights of music have brought us some fantastic tunes already, and the best are set to play again on Saturday as the continent picks a winner.

While Eurovision is hosted in the UK this year, the vast majority of people can't make their way to Liverpool, but luckily the contest is easy to watch online.

If you want to stream Eurovision online, whether it's so you can host a big-themed party or just on the side while you do something else, this guide will help you do so.

How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 online in the UK

If you live in the UK, you've got a few different options on how to stream Eurovision, with BBC holding the broadcast rights. Each show begins at 8 pm, but the UK will only be performing in the Final.

The Semi-finals and Final will all be shown on BBC One, and if you'd rather listen BBC Radio 2 will be your station of choice. If you would rather stream using the internet than watch on TV, you can use BBC's iPlayer to watch live channels.

For the Eurovision Final, the BBC will also be streaming coverage straight to iPlayer— the difference between this and using iPlayer to watch BBC One is that your latency will be better, so you'll be more up-to-date and the stream won't freeze as much.

How to watch Eurovision elsewhere

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch Eurovision, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). 

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your major events like Eurovision or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to watch what you want from anywhere you want to watch it. 

It's straightforward and easy to use, has great security, is available on loads of streaming devices and, best of all, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out 100% risk-free.

How to watch Eurovision in Australia

In Australia, SBS has the broadcast rights for Eurovision, so you can use the SBS channel to watch the coverage...

... if you're willing to wake up in time, with each event starting at 5 am ACT! Australia is scheduled to take part in Semi-final 2, which will be on Friday, May 12, and if it's successful it'll also make its way over to the finals two days later.

How to watch Eurovision in the US

In the US, NBC has broadcast rights for Eurovision, and it's streaming the event on its platform Peacock

That's right, you'll have to pay for Eurovision, unlike people who live in Europe, with the service starting at $4.99 per month for its cheapest tier.

Each event will begin at 3 pm ET/midday PT.

All you need to know about Eurovision

When will each team perform?

Most of the performances will take place in the two semi-final rounds, with the 'Big Five' countries and last year's winners, Ukraine, only performing in the final. Here's when:

Semi Final 1 (May 9)

  • Azerbaijan
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Finland
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Latvia
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Portugal
  • Serbia
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland

Semi Final 2 (May 11)

  • Albania
  • Armenia
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Georgia
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Lithuania
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Slovenia

Final (May 13)

  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom
  • +10 best from Semi Final 1
  • +10 best from Semi Final 2

Who's representing each Eurovision nation?

That's the most important question! Here is the artist and song for each nation.

  • Albania — Albina and Familja Kelmendi — Duje
  • Armenia — Brunette — Future Lover
  • Australia — Voyager — Promise
  • Austria — Teya and Salena — Who the Hell is Edgar?
  • Azerbaijan — TuralTuranX — Tell Me More
  • Belgium — Gustaph — Because of You
  • Croatia — Let 3 — Mama ŠČ!
  • Cyprus — Andrew Lambrou — Break a Broken Heart
  • Czech Republic — Vesna — My Sister's Crown
  • Denmark — Reiley — Breaking My Heart
  • Estonia — Alika — Bridges
  • Finland — Käärijä — Cha Cha Cha
  • France — La Zarra — Évidemment
  • Georgia — Iru — Echo
  • Germany — Lord of the Lost — Blood & Glitter
  • Greece — Victor Vernicos — What They Say
  • Iceland — Diljá — Power
  • Italy — Marco Mengoni — Due vite
  • Ireland — Wild Youth — We Are One
  • Israel — Noa Kirel — Unicorn
  • Latvia — Sudden Lights — Aijā
  • Lithuania — Monika Linkytė — Stay
  • Malta — The Busker — Dance (Our Own Party)
  • Moldova — Pasha Parfeni — Soarele și luna
  • Netherlands — Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper — Burning Daylight
  • Norway — Alessandra — Queen of Kings
  • Poland — Blanka — Solo
  • Portugal — Mimicat — Ai coração
  • Romania — Theodor Andre — D.G.T. (Off and On)
  • San Marino — Piqued Jacks — Like an Animal
  • Serbia — Luke Black —Samo mi se spava
  • Slovenia — Joker Out — Carpe Diem
  • Spain — Blanca Paloma — Eaea
  • Sweden — Loreen — Tattoo
  • Switzerland — Remo Forrer — Watergun
  • Ukraine — Tvorchi — Heart of Steel
  • United Kingdom — Mae Muller — I Wrote a Song

Where does the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 take place?

While the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest usually hosts it the next year, Ukraine, which won in 2022, isn't hosting for obvious reasons.

Instead, the competition will be held in the United Kingdom, in the Liverpool Arena in Liverpool. The Opening Ceremony is taking place at St George's Hall, and the city is also hosting various other Eurovision-related events over the course of the competition.

Tom Bedford
Streaming and Ecommerce Writer

Tom is the streaming and ecommerce writer at What to Watch, covering streaming services in the US and UK. His goal is to help you navigate the busy and confusing online video market, to help you find the TV, movies and sports that you're looking for without having to spend too much money.