Eurovision semi-final airs huge show change as BBC viewers fume 'abysmal choice'

Fans of Eurovision were left frustrated by a major change during the first 2026 semi-final. Hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski kicked off the beloved song contest live from the Wiener Stadthalle arena on Tuesday (May 12).

15 countries took to the stage to compete for a place in Saturday's (May 16) grand final, where they will be joined by the Big Four and host nation Austria.

The countries that competed in the first semi-final were Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland, and Serbia - with five of them set to miss out on a place in the final.

After the votes were tallied, hosts Victoria and Michael began to reveal each country's fate. However, viewers quickly spotted a change to the graphics as the results were revealed. Once a country was confirmed to make it through, the screen was filled with the nation's name, rather than the elated reaction of the act.

This change quickly left fans up in arms, with one person writing on X (formerly Twitter): "The full screen country name is an abysmal choice for people who love to capture the artist's reactions."

Another added: "These graphics are so ugly I can't even," while a third said: "I am going to vomit. What in the name of Pete are these graphics, it looks like CapCut + PowerPoint."

A fourth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: "WHY do the results sequence look like an Apprentice teleshopping task?" with another similarly sharing: "Am I insane for kind of missing the three way screen split qualifier announcement."

A sixth viewer commented: "Last year's system was much nicer, it had more suspense." Another said: "I've never been this bored watching Eurovision before. Austria is the worst host country. Everything looks so cheap I mean graphics, too much green screen and nostalgia vibes. What a shame."

That wasn't the only change, as this year's green room, where they acts waited to learn their fates, had been turned into a Viennese café. Viewers seemed to like the new green room, with one person writing: "I'm obsessed with the coffee shop themed green room actually."

Another added: "How cool the stage and the path to the green room look."

At the end of the night, it was confirmed that Portugal, Georgia, Montenegro, Estonia, and San Marino hadn't made it through to the final, after failing to impress viewers. The semi-final notably began with a journey through time, demonstrating that the Eurovision Song Contest's 70-year history represents "70 Years of Love".

A 70-member choir then launched the show with a tribute to L'amour Est Bleu - one of the most popular Eurovision hits of all time. The song was notably performed by Vicky Leandros when Vienna first hosted the contest in 1967.

Later, as the votes came in, the interval act saw hosts Victoria and Michael finally settle on a way to easily distinguish Austria from Australia, with a light-hearted musical performance alongside Go-Jo, who represented Australia in 2025.

The second semi-final will air on Thursday (May 14) at 8pm, with Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania, Luxembourg, Czechia, Armenia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania, Malta, and Norway all competing for votes. Audiences will also get to see automatic qualifiers Austria, France, and the UK perform for the first time.

The Eurovision semi-finals will air at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer on Tuesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 14, ahead of the grand final at 8pm on Saturday, May 16