TVR recorded its largest audience for a Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final since 2018, with over 160,000 viewers following the contest live from Vienna.
Romania’s return to the Eurovision Song Contest has been a ratings success for TVR, bring its biggest audience for a Semi-Final in the contest in nearly a decade. On average, 161,000 viewers watched as Romania competed in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time since 2023. At its peak 245,000 watched as Alexandra Căpitănescu performed “Choke Me” on the stage in Austria.
The broadcast saw TVR1 move from its average placement as the 20th most watched channel in the time slot to the 10th most watched show, with the channel ranking as 5th most watched in urban areas. Alexandra Căpitănescu qualified for the final of Eurovision 2026, bringing Romania back to the final for the first time since 2022.
Source: Pagina de Media
Romania first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. The country tried to participate in 1993 but failed to get through the pre-qualifying round. At the 1994 contest, Dan Bittman finished 21st in the final scoring 14 points, Romania didn’t make it through to another final until 1998. Romania’s best results in the contest are two third-place finishes. In 2005, Luminita Anghel & Sistem finished 3rd scoring 158 points, while Paula Seling & Ovi finished 3rd in 2010 with the song “Playing with Fire”. Romania missed the 2016 contest due to TVR being removed from the EBU due to debts to the organisation. Romania has not participated in Eurovision since 2023, coming back only this year.