For the first time since 2015, the two Eurovision semi-finals are back on the recently resurrected BBC Three, and will not air on BBC Four or BBC One. The broadcasts will be available both on the live, linear channel – and via BBC iPlayer.
The first Semi-Final will air on Tuesday, May 10, and the second on Thursday, May 12. Scott Mills and Rylan Clark will provide the commentary on BBC Three, live from the PalaOlimpico Arena in Turin, Italy.
The grand final will then air on Saturday, May 14, on BBC One and iPlayer, with Graham Norton returning to do the commentary.
In Italy, all three Eurovision broadcasts will also air in 4K (Ultra HD) – but in the UK, no plans have been announced by the BBC for a 4K stream, although some live events were available in UHD on BBC iPlayer in the past (we approached the BBC for further comment, and will update accordingly).
Leading up to the grand final, BBC Two and BBC Radio will air a selection of entertainment and documentary programmes about the world’s biggest song contest.
This year marks the 66TH edition of the competition, where 40 countries will compete. As one of the Big Five countries (United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Italy), the UK does not have to qualify from the semi-final stage of the competition and will gain automatic access to the Grand Final.
TikTok sensation and singer-songwriter Sam Ryder will be representing the UK with his single “Space Man”.
How To Watch Eurovision 2022 Semi-Finals In The UK
This year, both Eurovision Semi-finals are back to their old home – BBC Three.
BBC Three started its life as a linear TV channel back in 2003, but in 2016 it turned into a streaming-only channel. Then, on February 1 this year, it returned to linear TV.
The channel, which also remained on BBC iPlayer for those who prefer to stream and watch on-demand, is targeting viewers aged 16-34 who – according to the BBC, don’t typically watch TV online.
Eurovision is one of the most popular Entertainment programmes for younger audiences on the BBC, with 1.5 million 16-34 year olds tuning in for the Grand Final last year, therefore its return to BBC Three makes sense.
The linear version of BBC Three is available to watch on:
- Freeview Channel 23 in SD, and Freeview Channel 109 in HD
- Freesat Channel 107 (SD/HD) and Channel 179 (SD Only)
- Sky Q / Sky+ Channel 117 (England except London), Channel 173 (London), Channel 141 (Scotland)
- Sky Glass Channel 118 (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland), Channel 119 (Wales)
- Virgin Media Channel 107 (England and NI), Channel 157 (Wales and Scotland)
- BT TV Channel 23 (SD), Channel 109 (HD)
The semi-finals will also be available to stream live, or on-demand, on BBC iPlayer.
The first Semi-Final on May 10 (8pm) will see performances from Albania, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Moldova, Portugal, Croatia, Denmark, Austria, Iceland, Greece, Norway and Armenia.
The second Semi-Final on 12 May (8pm) will see performances from Finland, Israel, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Australia, Cyprus, Ireland, North Macedonia, Estonia, Romania, Poland, Montenegro, Belgium, Sweden and Czech Republic.
BBC Three viewers watching the second Semi-Final will also be able to vote for their favourite performances of the evening in the televote.
The UK’s act Sam Ryder will be interviewed by the Italian hosts, and viewers will see an exclusive preview of the stage performance of his song, ahead of Saturday’s Grand Final.
How To Watch Eurovision 2022 Grand Final In The UK
The Eurovision Grand Final will air live on BBC One, as well as on BBC iPlayer, on Saturday, May 14 at 8pm.
BBC iPlayer is available on most of the streaming devices sold in the UK, as well as on Smart TVs and Freeview Play boxes.
On radio, BBC Radio 2 is the home of Eurovision 2022, with the Grand Final hosted by Ken Bruce, who will be broadcasting from Turin.
After viewers have cast their votes, each national spokesperson from the 40 participating countries will present the points of their professional jury live to the world.
AJ Odudu will be the United Kingdom’s spokesperson, delivering the all-important results live from Salford for the very first time.
The result of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest will then be determined by a 50/50 vote. 50% of the votes come from the televoting in each participating country and the other 50% of votes will come from a group of five music professionals from each of the 40 countries taking part.
Leading up to the Grand Final, BBC Two will air two Eurovision specials:
The A-Z of Eurovision: First broadcast in 2020, Rylan narrates a guide to all things Eurovision in this compilation of highlights, as he takes a sideways look at the greatest singing contest on the planet.
Abba at the BBC: The programme charts the meteoric rise of the band with some of their greatest performances at the BBC.
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