GENEVA (AP) - Organizers of the Eurovision song contest say Portugal and Romania will return as the glitzy, popular show heads to Ukraine’s capital of Kiev next year.
The European Broadcasting Union said Monday the May 11-15, 2017 event will have 43 countries taking part, matching the record high.
Portugal’s broadcaster skipped out this year partly for programming changes, while Romania was kept out because of outstanding debts that its broadcaster owed to EBU.
EBU says the contest, known for a lineup of techno beats, love songs and pop tunes, had a “reach” of 204 million people in Stockholm last May. That referred to people who tuned in for at least one consecutive minute.
Ukraine’s Jamala won the 2016 extravaganza, which was also aired in places including China and the United States.
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