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Eurovision Asia Song Contest is a proposed internationalsong competition modeled after theEurovision Song Contest, in which countries of theAsia-Pacific region would compete. The first contest, planned for 2019, was in the hands of the Australian broadcasterSpecial Broadcasting Service (SBS), which developed it with Blink TV and theEuropean Broadcasting Union. SBS shelved the project in 2021, and no further updates were made until 2025, when a Bhutanese national selection titledDruk Dra promptedMartin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, to issue a statement clarifying that no plans have been confirmed to date for an adaptation in Asia.
In March 2016, theEuropean Broadcasting Union began development on an adaptation of the Eurovision Song Contest for theAsia-Pacific region with SBS.[1] SBS was working on the project with its production partner Blink TV.[2] The first contest was scheduled to be held in Australia in 2017.[2] The official name of the competition wasEurovision Asia Song Contest (or simplyEurovision Asia) in August 2017.[3] The planned inaugural edition has been postponed multiple times, mainly owing to the political climate in Asia.[4][5][6]
By May 2017,Australia,Hong Kong andSingapore had shown interest in hosting the first edition of Eurovision Asia.[4] The Singaporean government put forward $4 million to host the contest, while the city ofSydney and the state ofNew South Wales said they would invest heavily in hosting.[7] The city council ofGold Coast claimed in November 2018 that the first contest would take place at theGold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 30 November to 7 December 2019.[8] By August of that year, the contest was still in development.[6] In 2021, it was confirmed that SBS had shelved the project.[9]
SBS's plans from May 2016 were for every country in Asia to be eligible to compete, meaning there would be a maximum of 68 participants.[10] Membership in theAsia-Pacific Broadcasting Union would not be a requirement for participation.[11] By March 2019, ten countries had confirmed their intention to participate:Australia,Vanuatu,Japan,Kazakhstan,China,South Korea,New Zealand,Maldives,Papua New Guinea andSolomon Islands.[12] Australia confirmed its participation, while China, Japan and South Korea were named as potential participants.[12]
In May 2025, theBhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) confirmed its intention to participate in Eurovision Asia, stating that the inaugural contest would be held inBangkok, Thailand, with 18 countries participating.[13] On 24 June, the EBU published its Brand Impact Report for the Eurovision Song Contest, listing an adaptation in Asia as under "ongoing development".[14] In August, the location was instead stated by BBS asMumbai, India, as it began organising a national selection titledDruk Dra that same month to select the Bhutanese representative.[15] Additionally, Vietnamese broadcasterHo Chi Minh City Television (HTV) had allocated a timeslot for a programme titled "Eurovision Asia" on 31 August.[15] On 28 August, Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, stated that "no plans have been confirmed or announced to date" for the contest in Asia, further clarifying thatDruk Dra was taken off air and deleted from online platforms.[16] HTV's timeslot was subsequently changed to "Eurovision", later revealing that it was for a Vietnamese dub of the 2017 French documentaryEurovisions.[citation needed]
In November 2025, Marcus Tang was added to the Voxovation website, as "Managing Director Asia".[17] On 15 December,Christer Björkman, Head of Music & Founder at Voxovation, stated in theEurovision Uncovered podcast that Eurovision Asia was ongoing "intensive preparations", with hopes of a public reveal "quite soon".[18]
Ongoing development: Eurovision Song Contest Asia - Promising global expansion shows the brand awareness of the ESC and the attractiveness of the format.
