EBU Warns Israeli Broadcaster Over Noam Batan Eurovision Ad Campaign
The European Broadcasting Union issued an official warning to Israel's Kan broadcaster after Eurovision 2026 representative Noam Batan launched a multi-language ad campaign urging viewers to use all ten votes for him.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has issued an official warning to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan, following a promotional campaign run by Israel's Eurovision 2026 representative, Noam Batan. According to a report by Norwegian channel TV2, Batan distributed promotional videos in 13 different languages, calling on European viewers to utilize all ten of their available votes for his song "Michelle."
Violation of Voting Regulations
Eurovision Song Contest chief Martin Green confirmed the details, stating that as soon as the matter came to their attention, the union contacted the Israeli delegation, demanding the removal of the videos from all platforms within 20 minutes—a demand that was met immediately. Green clarified that directly calling on viewers to use all ten votes for a single artist violates the rules and spirit of the competition, prompting the official warning to Kan alongside close monitoring of their ongoing activities.
This marks the first enforcement action since the introduction of revised voting rules for Eurovision 2026. The rules, announced in November 2025, were designed to deter disproportionate campaigns backed by external or governmental entities, reducing the maximum number of votes per viewer from 20 to 10. This reform followed the extensive campaign surrounding Yuval Rafael's participation in Eurovision 2025 in Basel, where she secured second place and won the public vote.
Broadcaster Response and Broader Warning
In response to TV2, the Kan corporation stated that the incident was a personal initiative of the artist, free of any illicit funding, and that the videos were removed at the EBU's request.
Following the incident, as reported by Swedish journalist Tobbe Ek on Aftonbladet, the union dispatched an official reminder letter to the heads of the other 34 delegations. The letter clarified that while asking for votes is standard practice, explicitly urging viewers to vote multiple times for a single act is unacceptable.
