As the Eurovision Song Contest marks its 70th anniversary, the event returns to Austria for the first time since 2015. This year’s show, hosted by Austrian public broadcaster ORF, takes place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna.
Broadcast technology has moved on since the last time ORF was in charge of the show, and that will be reflected in the production of this year’s event, Claudio Bortoli, head technical production manager for Eurovision 2026, tells TVBEurope.
The massive operation leading up to Eurovision 2026 involved approximately 750-800 people, with around 350 technical staff dedicated to the live semi-finals and grand final on Saturday night.
A cinematic approach
The 2026 production is utilising 28 cameras inside the arena, with the show produced in 1080i instead of 1080p or UHD due to budgetary concerns. But ORF is still bringing something new to the look of the show. “Eurovision is a huge production in each department, and looking at the budget, sometimes we have to be less innovative,” Bortoli explains. “However, the plan is to use mainly cinematic cameras, including ARRI Alexa 35 Live, which have a larger sensor. With that, we intend to broadcast in a more cinematic style than at previous Eurovision Song Contests.”
As well as the ARRI Alexa systems, the camera setup includes FR7 PTZ cameras and one Sony FX6 gimbal camera to capture the audience. Cinematic lenses are also part of the plan, although not for every camera, as they “can make it harder for the camera operators to handle things like sharpness on the wider shots,” states Bortoli. Cinematic cameras have also been used to capture Eurovision’s ‘Postcards’, ensuring they have the “same style and look as the live transmission”.
ORF has chosen to use three cable camera systems in the arena instead of Spider-Cam. Bortoli says the reasoning for that change is that “there are so many things going on inside the arena, we didn’t think it was the right system”. The plan also includes two 2D systems and a third cable system, combined with a classic dolly.
The Green Room is positioned in the main arena opposite the show’s stage and connected by a walkway. The production team intends to use around four cameras to capture the tension and excitement in the Green Room during voting, though that number may increase to six.
The TV graphics, based on Vizrt systems, are being provided by Austrian company On Air.
Logistics and a ‘green production’ goal
Sustainability is a major goal for ORF, explains Bortoli: “One of our own targets is to make Eurovision a green production and a green event.”
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is the first to use a fully LED- and laser-based lighting concept, eliminating the need for conventional light sources. The arena features more than 2,100 lighting fixtures, as well as over 8,500 individually controllable LEDs. In addition, 80 high-speed winches are in place to create dynamic lighting effects for the first time.
“During the RP tender, it was a must that each supplier provide only equipment which is green and energy efficient,” explains Bortoli. “In terms of the lighting, we have only LED lights that are 100 per cent energy efficient.
“Looking at the other end of the power supply, when ORF hosted 11 years ago, it was the first time that the power supply for the main arena was green, and so it’s the same system again this year. We will have no running generators; we will take the power from the grid, running through a battery. If the grid breaks down, the battery can take over the full load for approximately 8 minutes, during this time the generator will start and take over the power supply.”
The sound of Eurovision
For audio, the team is utilising Sennheiser’s new Spectera system, with the company delivering its largest Spectera set-up to date. This includes 72 RF mics for the stage and around 44 additional mics to capture the atmosphere. The music mix is handled by two ORF-provided sound trucks (one main, one backup), while the final TV mix will take place in the main OB truck, supplied by NEP, who Bortoli says “bring a lot of experience, and that makes things easier”.
Commentator and Green Room logistics have also changed since 2015. This year, 25 commentators will be on site in boxes located on the left and right of the upper top level of the arena. They will all use Riedel technology, which is also part of the commentary control room.
The signals are being sent to broadcasters across Europe, Australia and the United States via two satellite feeds, two fibre lines, and some SRT streams for redundancy.
When asked about the biggest challenge of the production, Bortoli is clear: “It’s always the time,” he states. “It’s always very short, and it goes so very fast. Everything else we can handle.”
But despite the pressure of bringing Eurovision to over 160 million viewers worldwide, Bortoli is excited to be part of the team once again. “It’s a wonderful experience to work with everyone, and very much fun.”
