Eurovision 2025 delivers a noteworthy performance for broadcasters, brands, and Basel
Austria’s JJ may have taken home the trophy at Eurovision 2025 with his song “Wasted Love,” but broadcasters, brands, and the city of Basel walked away as the true winners of the world’s biggest music competition.
Held on May 13, 15, and 17, the contest brought together artists from 37 countries who battled it out to become this year’s champion. With record-setting viewership, high-impact brand campaigns, and a major economic windfall for the Swiss host city, Eurovision once again proved it delivers far more than just earworms and catchy tunes.
Eurovision draws a massive global audience
Eurovision ranks among the most-watched televised events in the world. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reported this year’s contest was watched by 166 million viewers across linear TV and streaming platforms, up 3 million year-on-year. Country-specific viewership results reflected strong interest in this year’s competition across markets:
UK: Eurovision outdrew the FA Cup by 2 million viewers, according to the BBC.
Germany: More than 9 million people watched the grand final on Das Erste and One, delivering a combined 64.3% TV viewing share—the highest since 2016.
Finland: Local broadcaster Yle reported a 45% year-over-year increase in viewership compared with the 2024 final, fueled by the participation of Finnish artist Erika Vikman and Swedish entrant Kaj.
Spain: Nearly 6 million people watched the grand final on La 1, marking the country’s largest Eurovision audience in 17 years. Viewership peaked at 6.1 million during Spanish singer Melody’s performance—a number not seen since Chanel captivated audiences with “SloMo” in 2022.
Brands seize the spotlight with Eurovision-themed campaigns
From Eurovision-themed promotions to brand activations featuring popular songs and artists, the contest’s enduring appeal continues to give marketers a timely and culturally relevant opportunity to engage consumers before, during, and after the competition. A few examples from this year’s competition include:
Duolingo capitalized on Eurovision’s linguistic diversity by launching localized, competition-themed content across its country-specific Instagram accounts. For example, @duolingodeutschland used Sweden’s entry to help German speakers understand the lyrics, presenting the content in the fun, engaging style typical of the platform’s language lessons.
Novartis, headquartered in Basel, brought its brand values to life with a citywide out-of-home (OOH) ad campaign that blended science and music. With slogans like “From DNA to Do-Re-Mi. Sure sounds like Basel,” the campaign leveraged Eurovision’s cultural relevance to spotlight themes of togetherness, openness, and innovation. A QR code on the ad led passersby to an interactive site highlighting how Novartis fosters global connection and local pride through scientific progress and shared cultural moments.
easyJet, Eurovision’s official airline partner, launched its “Orange Runway” campaign to celebrate the event and engage fans across Europe. The campaign featured orange-themed airport installations, inflight performances, and social content designed to extend the Eurovision experience beyond the stage. By tapping into the contest’s color, energy, and inclusiveness, easyJet reinforced its positioning as a dynamic, pan-European carrier that connects people through travel and culture.
Host cities benefit from a long-lasting economic boost
Eurovision’s appeal translates into tangible economic value for host cities. The annual contest provides a welcome influx of sales for businesses—particularly those in the hospitality sectors of participating countries. Recent competitions generated significant economic revenue and tourism benefits for cities like Liverpool, UK and Malmö, Sweden.
In Liverpool, Eurovision generated a net economic impact of $70.3 million (€65 million) in 2023, creating thousands of jobs and local opportunities for the city’s economy. The competition also helped boost its brand to an international audience, bringing in an additional 72,454 trips to the city in the year following the event from those who came to the 2023 competition. This helped contribute an additional $14.1 million (€13 million) to the local economy.
In Malmö, last year’s competition infused more than $43.9 million (€40.6 million) in tourism-related spending into the local economy.
Basel expects similar gains from hosting this year’s competition. Known for its vibrant art scene and strategic location on the borders of France and Germany, Switzerland’s third-largest city welcomed more than 500,000 visitors from 80 countries during Eurovision Week 2025.
To help local businesses tap into the energy of Eurovision, Basel Tourismus launched a “Friends of Eurovision” initiative. The campaign provided a branded toolkit for small and midsize businesses, hotels, restaurants, and cultural venues interested in participating in the festivities. From special promotions to Eurovision-branded signage, the initiative gave local establishments a way to actively engage visitors and celebrate the city’s role as host.
Hotels were sold out, restaurants operated at capacity, and demand surged across the entertainment and transport sectors.
Hosting Eurovision is expected to generate between $79.5 million and $170.3 million (CHF 70 million to CHF 150 million) in economic activity for Basel, with an additional $227.1 million (CHF 200 million) possible over time as the city benefits from increased tourism and international exposure, per BusinessNow.mt.
“Beyond the direct economic value, the Eurovision Song Contest offers a unique platform thanks to its extensive media reach,” said Conradin Cramer, President of the Basel Government. “It helps further raise Basel’s international profile and position the city as an open, culturally vibrant destination with a high quality of life.”