The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are members of the Council of Europe or to the observers to the Council whose public service broadcasting values align with those of the EBU. , it is made up of 115 member organisations from 57 countries, 27 associate members from a further 17 countries, 1 ancillary member, and 6 approved participants. It was established in 1950, and has its administrative headquarters in Geneva.
The EBU owns and operates the Eurovision and Euroradio telecommunications networks on which major television and radio broadcasts are distributed live to its members. It also operates the daily Eurovision news exchange in which members share breaking news footage. In 2017, the EBU launched the Eurovision Social Newswire, an eyewitness and video verification service. Led by Head of Eurovision Social Newswire, Derek Bowler, the service provides members of the EBU with verified and cleared-for-use newsworthy eyewitness media emerging on social media.
The EBU, in co-operation with its members, produces programmes and organises events in which its members can participate, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, its best known production, or the Eurovision Debates between candidates for president of the European Commission for the 2014, 2019 and 2024 parliamentary elections. Noel Curran has been director-general since 2017. It is currently a member of the World Broadcasting Union.
General description
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members are public service media (PSM) broadcasters established by law but are non-partisan, independent, and run for the benefit of society as a whole.
Membership is for media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA), as defined by the International Telecommunication Union, or who are members of the Council of Europe. On 25 June 2026, the EBU statute was revised, and membership was opened to countries which are observers to the Council of Europe, and whose "public service media system aligned with core Council of Europe standards"..
EBU members come from as far north as Iceland and as far south as Algeria, from Portugal in the west to Azerbaijan in the east, and almost every nation in between; and, since 2026, Canada.
The statutory purpose of the EBU is to promote broadcasting, in particular promotion and development of the concept of public media (i.e. radio, television and other electronic media) and their values, in particular, universality, independence, quality, diversity, accountability and innovation, as stated in the Declaration on the Core Values of Public Media of the European Broadcasting Union. protecting and improving freedom of expression and information, which is one of the most important foundations of a democratic society and one of the fundamental conditions for its progress and development of every person. strengthening media freedom and pluralism, the free flow of information and ideas, and the free formation of opinions. the use and development of information and communication technologies as a means of realizing the right, regardless of State borders. express, seek, receive, and disseminate information and ideas, regardless of their source. development of cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and exchanges in order to promote tolerance and solidarity. protecting and popularizing Europe's cultural heritage and developing its audiovisual creativity by providing an increasing selection of programs and services. strengthening the identity of peoples, social cohesion and integration of all individuals, groups and communities. meeting the expectations of the public in the information, educational, cultural and entertainment fields through the production and distribution of a wide range of high-quality programs.
The minimum membership fee in the European Broadcasting Union for a broadcasting organization is 45,000 Swiss francs, and the maximum is 4,000,000 Swiss francs.
Members benefit from: Access to content ranging from exclusive sports rights to exchanges for news, music, and children's programmes. Representatives in Brussels, and in other international arenas, lobbying for PSM and ensuring the optimal legal and technical framework for broadcasters. Opportunities for sharing, learning and collaborating through conferences, working groups, training, and dedicated advice and guidance. A centre for learning and sharing new technology and innovation with a team of experts providing strategic advice and guidance.
The EBU owns and operates the Eurovision and Euroradio telecommunications networks on which major television and radio broadcasts are distributed live to its members. The EBU's highest-profile production is the Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU also organises the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the Eurovision Young Musicians competition, and other competitions which are modeled along similar lines.
Radio collaborations include Euroclassic Notturno—an overnight classical music stream, produced by BBC Radio 3 and broadcast in the United Kingdom as Through the Night—and special theme days, such as the annual Christmas music relays from around Europe. The EBU is a member of the International Music Council.
Most EBU broadcasters have group deals to carry major sporting events including the FIFA World Cup and the inaugural European Championships. Another annually recurring event which is broadcast to the EBU members through the Eurovision network is the Vienna New Year's Concert.
Eurovision Media Services is the business arm of the EBU and provides media services for many media organisations and sports federations around the world.
Ident Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Prelude to Te Deum is the tune played before and after the events broadcast via the Eurovision network, including the Eurovision Song Contest.
History
The EBU was a successor to the International Broadcasting Union (IBU) that was founded in 1925 and had its administrative headquarters in Geneva and technical office in Brussels. It fostered programming exchanges between members and mediated technical disputes between members that were mostly concerned with frequency and interference issues. It was in effect taken over by Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and thereafter the Allies viewed it as a compromised organisation that they could not trust.
In the spring of 1946, representatives of the Soviet radio committee proposed forming a new organisation; however, at the same time preparations were being made for an inter-governmental "European Broadcasting Conference" in Copenhagen in 1948 to draw up a new plan for frequency use in the European Broadcasting Area. It was considered necessary to have an organisation that could implement the "Copenhagen Wavelength Plan" but there was disagreement among broadcasters and particularly a fear expressed by the BBC that a new association might be dominated by the USSR and its proposal to give each of its constituent states one vote. France proposed that it would have four votes with the inclusion of its North African colonies. The United Kingdom felt it would have little influence with just one vote.
On 27 June 1946, the alternative International Broadcasting Organisation (IBO) was founded with 26 members and without British participation. The following day the IBU met in General Assembly and an attempt was made to dissolve it but failed; though 18 of its 28 members left to join the IBO. For a period of time in the late 1940s both the IBU and IBO vied for the role of organising frequencies but Britain decided not to be involved in either. The BBC attempted but failed to find suitable working arrangements with them. However, for practical purposes, the IBO rented the IBU technical centre in Brussels and employed its staff. The BBC then proposed a new solution based on the IBO changing its constitution so there will be only one member per International Telecommunication Union (ITU) country, thus ensuring a Western majority over the USSR and its satellite states. In August 1949 a meeting took place in Stresa, Italy, but it resulted in disagreement between delegates on how to resolve the problems. One proposal was for the European Broadcasting Area to be replaced by one that would exclude Eastern Bloc, the Levant, and North Africa.
After Stresa, a consensus emerged among the Western Europeans to form a new organisation and the BBC proposed it be based in London. Meetings in Paris on 31 October and 1 November 1949 sealed the fate of the IBU and IBO, but it was decided not to allow any broadcaster from West Germany to be a founder of the new organisation. On 13 February 1950 the European Broadcasting Union had its first meeting with 23 members from the ITU defined European Broadcasting Area at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay, United Kingdom. The first president was Ian Jacob of the BBC who remained at the helm for ten years while its operation was largely dominated by the BBC due to its financial, technical, and staff input. The most important difference between the EBU and its predecessors was that EBU membership was for broadcasters and not governments. Early delegates said EBU meetings were cordial and professional and very different from the abrupt tone of its predecessors. Broadcasters from West Germany were admitted since 1951 and a working relationship forged with its Eastern counterpart, the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), which existed in parallel with the EBU until its merger on 1 January 1993.
Sunday, 6 June 1954, became the official date of the creation of the Eurovision television program exchange system, when at 4:30 p.m Central European time, the first live broadcast from Montreux, Switzerland, from the Daffodil Festival, a flower festival held every two years since the end of the 19th century (1897), took place under its auspices the year in honor of the return of spring. On the same day, at 19:00 Central European time, a broadcast was organized from the Vatican — a visit to the Apostolic Palace (Sixtus V Palace) and St. Peter's Cathedral, which ended with a sermon by Pope Pius XII on television and a blessing in six languages.
In 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest was first held, broadcast in 10 European countries. An important event was the coverage of the first Olympic Games for the network, the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo. During the 13 days of the Games, more than 54 programs were broadcast on the network with the participation of the main broadcaster, the Italian RAI. During the Olympic exchange, broadcasters from the GDR and Czechoslovakia temporarily joined the network for the first time. The landmark events broadcast on the network in 1956 also include the wedding of Prince Rainier II and Grace Kelly, broadcast with the participation of the Monaco RMC, and the broadcast of the Tour de France cycling race on the continental air.