SVT, the Swedish national broadcaster, have revealed a format change for the results, during Melodifestivalen 2026 – their national selection for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna.

SVT has revealed some new features are being introduced to enhance the experience for viewers and get even more people involved in the competition. Now, for the first time, viewers can vote for Radiohjälp in the app, which was previously only possible via phone. Another new feature is that the semi-finals will end on SVT Play, where the selection for the final qualifier will be broadcast.

Anders Wistbacka, Project Manager for Melodifestivalen 2026, had the following to say:

“We always want to innovate Melodifestivalen and find new ways to engage viewers. Radiohjälpen is important to us and this year we are therefore testing the introduction of Radiohjälpen voting in the app as well. It will be introduced gradually during each competition and the ambition is that as many people as possible will have the chance and want to try the new function during the season.

Ever since SVT Play came into the picture, the channel has been part of the broadcast, including exclusive winner interviews. This year we are taking it a step further and inviting viewers to Play to select the artists who will go to the final qualifier there. By informing in time, we hope to give everyone who watches the opportunity to prepare and choose whether they want to follow the broadcast on SVT1 or all the way on SVT Play. The new arrangement means that the program on SVT Play will be ten minutes longer, which means more Mello for the audience.

When we made the change last year, many viewers got in touch and said they missed the results show. It’s great that there’s so much engagement, and that’s why it feels right to bring it back this year and report everyone’s scores at the end of the program.”

Money is still been raised for Radiohjälpen, through the voting. The money raised will go towards Radiohjalpen’s campaign Children of the World. New for this year is that a selection of viewers will be able to Radiohjälp vote directly in the Melodifestivalen app, something that was previously only possible via phone. The new feature will be launched in stages. In each competition, a randomly selected proportion of users will have access to Radiohjälp voting via the app. The ambition is that as many as possible will be able to test the feature during the competition. To be able to Radiohjälp vote in the app, you must be 16 years old. It is still possible to vote in favour of Radiohjälpen by phone and this year only Radiohjälpen’s number is used for telephone voting.

This year, SVT Play will have a bigger role in Melodifestivalen. Previously, viewers have been able to see winner interviews on SVT Play, but this year the selections for the final qualifiers in the first four rounds will be shown there. During the rounds, two contestants go directly to the final, and a final qualifier will be chosen. Previously, this has been shown at the end of the SVT1 broadcast, but this year the final qualifier will be chosen on SVT Play, after 21:30 CET. That part will therefore not be broadcast on SVT1, but only on SVT Play, during the first four rounds. This means that the program on SVT Play will be extended by ten minutes and will be broadcast between 20:00 and 21:40. The SVT1 broadcast will be between 20:00 and 21:30, and then viewers can continue on SVT Play to see which entry will advance to the final qualifiers.   The final round (round five) will be broadcast in its entirety on SVT1 from 20:00 to 22:00.

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Author: Richard Taylor

Source: SVT