RTS, the Serbian national broadcaster, have confirmed they are debating a possible return at the 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Ahead of the 2025 Contest, the Head of Entertainment Programming for RTS, Sandra Perović stated that financial issues were the problem, stating:

“Regarding the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, we will unfortunately not participate for financial reasons.”

Now, Predrag Azdejković, a member of the RTS Board of Directors has stepped forward and stated the the public should not believe in financial excuses. Challenging Sandra Perović, Predrag Azdejković had the following to say:

“It’s a complete lie that there are financial reasons. RTS has a budget of almost 140 million euros a year, and organising the Junior Eurovision Song Contest costs tens of thousands of euros. If Sandra said that, she lied outright. RTS has no financial reasons for not participating. I prefer to believe that she said that, as the publisher of the entertainment program, she is unable to organise Eurovision, but that they don’t have the money. I can’t believe it at all.”

Let us know what you think about Serbia and the 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

The Eurovision Community, which Eurovision Ireland are a part of, celebrates diversity through music. Please keep your comments respectful. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming or any other derogatory or hostile language.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: ESCplus Espana