Eurovision 2026 final becomes Bulgaria’s second most-watched broadcast in history after landmark victory

The broadcast delivered exceptionally high ratings across the country, with a strong audience share and peak viewership figures that placed it just behind the 2017 Eurovision final in terms of popularity, News.Az reports, citing Eurovoix.

An average of 588,591 viewers watched the live final from Vienna, giving it a 45.7% audience share and a peak audience of around 895,000 viewers, according to figures released after the broadcast.

This makes it the second most-watched Eurovision final ever recorded in Bulgaria, surpassed only by the 2017 contest when Kristian Kostov finished second in Kyiv.

Semi-final viewing figures also showed solid interest, with the second semi-final attracting 492,900 viewers and a 28.6% share, while data for the first semi-final was not available.

Bulgaria’s winning entry, performed by DARA, featured the song “Bangaranga”, written and composed by Anne Judith Wik, Cristian Tarcea, Darina Yotova and Dimitris Kontopoulos.

The victory marked Bulgaria’s first-ever win in the Eurovision Song Contest after years of participation, with the country previously achieving its best result in 2017.

DARA also became one of the rare winners to secure both the public and jury vote, as Bulgaria emerged as a surprise frontrunner during the competition and climbed rapidly in betting odds ahead of the final.