It’s been a two year wait, but the highly competitive and often surreal annual event that is the Eurovision Song Contest returns tonight for its 65th edition. Don’t miss a moment with our guide to getting a Eurovision 2021 live stream.
Bringing together European countries, as well as Australia and Israel, the singing competition sees acts representing each nation belt out a succession of sometimes catchy but often weird numbers, with a complicated and often controversial voting system deciding the winner.
From Sweden’s ABBA with “Waterloo” in 1974, to Celine Dion representing Switzerland in 1988 with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi,” the competition has provided a launchpad for a number of worldwide stars.
Canceled last year due to the pandemic, the massively popular event is back, with this year’s Eurovision taking place at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands following Duncan Laurence’s win for the Dutch in the 2019 edition of the competition with the song “Arcade”.
This year’s big favorite coming into Saturday’s final is Italy’s Måneskin singing Zitti E Buoni, with Barbara Pravi singing Voilà for France also being strongly tipped to win.
Read on as we explain below how to get a Eurovision 2021 live stream, no matter where you are in the world.
Eurovision Song Contest 2021: Where and when?
The Eurovision 2021 takes place on Saturday at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands.
The show is set to start at 9pm CEST local time, with broadcasts around the world set to begin at 8pm BST / 3pm ET / 12pm PT / 5am AEST.
Watch the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest online from outside your country
We have details of all the U.S., UK, Australian and Canadian broadcasters of this weekend’s event from Rotterdam further down in this guide. If you’re intent on watching Eurovision 2021 but find yourself away from home then you’ll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as it’s likely to be geo-blocked.
That’s where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a lifesaver. They allow you to virtually change the location of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that’s back in your home country, letting you watch as if you were back there.
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How to watch Eurovision 2021 online in the U.S.
For the first time, U.S. audiences will be able to watch the glamor and wackiness of Eurovision live with NBC snapping up broadcast rights for the show in the States for the next two years.
NBC will be showing the event via its new streaming platform Peacock, which you can try with a FREE 7-day trial of its Premium tier. Outside of the trial, the service starts at a reasonable $4.99 per month for all that NBC goodness.
Peacock Premium
Peacock’s Premium plan gets you access to a Eurovision 2021 live stream and there’s a 7-day trial if you want to try it out for free. It’s $4.99 per month after that.
From $5 at Peacock
Coverage of the grand final on Saturday kicks off at 3pm ET / 12pm PM.
If you find yourself unable to access Peacock’s coverage because you’re out of the country, remember that you can use a VPN to tune into your usual coverage just like you would at home. Of the many options, ExpressVPN as outlined above, remains one of the best services currently out there.
How to stream the Eurovision 2021 live in the UK
As ever it’s pretty straightforward to stream this year’s Eurovision in the UK. Just fire up BBC iPlayer, where you can get a live stream and catch all of host Graham Norton’s witty asides from 8pm BST.
Provided you’ve got a valid UK TV license, it’s totally free to watch Eurovision 2021 online with the BBC. If you’re currently outside the UK then you’ll need to download a VPN and follow the instructions above to live stream the event.
BBC iPlayer
Stream the BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for free online with BBC iPlayer.
Free at BBC iPlayer
Can I stream Eurovision 2021 live in Canada?
Yes, you can! Canadians can watch this year’s competition somewhat appropriately via multicultural network OMNI Television.
The network will be showing a tape delay of the event at a later date, but for those wanting to watch this year’s completion live, you’ll be able to watch via a live stream on OMNI’s website, with coverage set to begin at 3pm ET / 12pm PT on Saturday.
Live stream Eurovision 2021 live in Australia
While Australia’s entrant Montaigne was eliminated in the first semi-final, Eurovision fans Down Under can still tune in to watch the grand final for free via SBS and its SBS On Demand streaming service.
The show starts at 5am AEST in the early hours of Sunday morning, but Aussies also have the option of watching the event in full at the more civilized time of 7.30pm in the evening on Sunday.
If you’re out of the country and want to catch that SBS broadcast, just grab a VPN and you can watch Eurovision 2021 as if you were back at home on your laptop, mobile, or other TV streaming device.
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