Eurovision 2019 live stream: how to watch the song contest semi-finals from anywhere

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Prime the vocal cords, pull on the sequins, prepare to be fabulous. The Eurovision Song Contest is back for 2019 - the 64th edition of the annual singing extravaganza. This year all eyes are on the Tel Aviv Convention Centre in Israel after the country won in 2018 with Netta's (frankly brilliant) song "Toy". Before we get to the main event, there's the semi-finals and then we march on to the final this Saturday night - and we have all the information here about getting a 2019 Eurovision live stream.

18 acts are due to sing in the second semi-final after 10 successfully went through on Tuesday. The top ten from each will progress to join the host nation Israel as well as the "Big Five" of the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, for a 26 act final event. That's where the real business really begins, with acts from the Netherlands, Russia and Sweden the early favorites to take home the trophy and the right to host next year's event.

Once everyone has performed Madonna is set to take to the stage for a highly anticipated performance. Word is that she'll be performing the incredible Like a Prayer, in addition to one of her new tracks.

Winners are then picked based on viewers' votes and with up to 20 votes available per song, it's important to play your part if you want to be involved. So watching the event is key and we're going to tell you exactly how you can live stream the Eurovision 2019 song contest from wherever you are in the world.

How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest from outside your country

This year the semi-final events, as well as the grand final, will all be available to watch via the Eurovision YouTube channel. This means easy access through any device that you can get at YouTube with. The downside? You'll miss out on the commentary (or perhaps that's a positive if you're hosting a Eurovision party and really like the limelight).

If you're more interested in watching your home country's coverage - and there are details on watching in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada further down this page - but you're abroad this week, then you'll soon discover that the Eurovision goodness is geo-blocked by the broadcaster. Annoying, if you take particular delight in your domestic coverage. But the good news is that there's another way to get hold of it.

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How to live stream Eurovision 2019 in the UK for FREE:

Good old aunty Beeb will be broadcasting the entire Eurovision Song Contest for free (assuming you have a TV Licence, of course). That means you can watch the main final via the BBC One on your TV from 8pm BST but it also means you can enjoy it online and on mobile via the iPlayer with Graham Norton as your wise-cracking host. For the semi-finals you'll need to find your way over to BBC4 where Scott Mills and Rylan Clark-Neal will be commentating.

Representing the UK is 21-year-old singer Michael Rice who was voted in after competing on the BBC's You Decide selection show. He will sing a song called "Bigger Than US" which was written by Laurell Barker, Anna-Khara Folin, Jonas Thander, and John Lundvik.

Outside the UK this week? Fear not, as you can follow our instructions above to use a VPN and watch as if you were back in blighty. So that means no need to miss out on Graham Norton's unique take on the whole thing. Once downloaded, installed and a UK server has been chosen, head over to TVPlayer.com for a steady, free stream.

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How to live stream Eurovision 2019 in Australia for FREE:

Since Australia's SBS is airing the whole final it should be easy to enjoy it on the big screen. That also means you can get all the fun online using the SBS On Demand service that works on multiple devices – ideal if you're on the go. Just remember to set your alarm if you want to watch all the singers live, as the show begins at 5am AEST.

Find out more in our full guide on live streaming Eurovision in Australia.

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How to stream Eurovision live in New Zealand this year:

New Zealand's usual Eurovision broadcaster, UKTV, doesn't appear to be airing the event this year. But you don't need to be home in New Zealand to enjoy. You can still watch all the action online using a VPN. Check out how easy that is up the page with our handy guide.

Once you've sorted that, the next step is working out how you'll get up early enough to watch it!

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How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US:

It doesn't look like there'll be any dedicated stateside broadcaster showing 2019 Eurovision. Sorry.

Luckily, there's always that YouTube coverage. Or, if you want a more thorough watching experience, grab a VPN and watch via another country's home broadcaster.

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How to live stream Eurovision 2019 in Canada:

This year OMNI Television will broadcast the Eurovision 2019 event in Canada. Not heard of it? It's a specialist multicultural station, so Eurovision is an obvious fit.

But if you're out of Canada at the time but are still interested, scroll up to see how you can enjoy the contest using a VPN. It means you can watch everything for free from elsewhere on a tablet or phone.

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