From real time broadcast graphics and immersive audio production to archiving of previous performances, open source is empowering one of the most sophisticated and complex live television events on the planet: the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).

A collaboration across nations, uniting people through shared passions and connecting a diverse community. Open Source and the Eurovision Song Contest may not seem like an obvious match, but once you listen closely, the harmony between them is unmistakable. 

With the ESC having concluded its grand finale on 17 May 2025 , in this article a spotlight is put on how open source is powering this European staple event, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organisation pulling the levers behind the scenes, its involvement  with  open soft software and open source in the public media space.

Whether it’s pop, rock, ballads, or folk, the Eurovision stage presents a mix of musical genres, each reflecting the unique culture of its country. Behind the scenes, a diverse array of open source tools silently power the production, playing an important role in bringing the show to life. Let's have a look at the European Broadcasting Union and the open source, the tools they are using during the show or to support the Eurovision machine.  

The EBU is an alliance of public service media organisations, representing over 100 member broadcasters across Europe and beyond. It is the creator and organiser of the Eurovision Song Contest, overseeing its production and broadcasting in collaboration with the host country's public broadcaster each year. At least since 2007 the EBU has shown a sustained commitment to promoting open source software in the broadcasting industry.

Developed by the Swedish public TV, CasperG is a professional graphics and video playout software used in broadcast productions, such as the ESC  broadcasts, including the 2025 edition. In broadcasting, playout refers to the systems and processes that deliver media content to audiences via network channels. The program offers real-time graphics rendering such as voting sequences and lower thirds, graphic elements at the bottom of a video screen, often used to show names and titles. What makes CasperCG suitable for live event broadcasting is its open source nature, which has cultivated a large and active community. This community continues to develop plugins, wrappers, and tools that enhance the software's flexibility for custom use.

EarProductionSuite Audio Production, was developed under the EBU umbrella as a collaboration between the British BBC Research and Development (the technical research department of the BBC) and Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT), a former research centre of German broadcasters (ARD / ZDF / DLR), Austria's broadcaster (ORF) and the Swiss public broadcaster (SRG / SSR). It was responsible for research on broadcasting technology. EarProductionSuite is a set of open source Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins. The software allows for audio engineers to create more accessible and versatile audio experiences, with immersive and personalised audio content, for various playback systems. 

As a result of a collaboration between the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and the EBU, the initiative CHAOS was created. This project came to life  when Denmark hosted the ESC. It is an open source platform aiming to safeguard the contest's legacy by creating an archive of every performance and broadcast in the history of Eurovision. It was designed for internal usage by the EBU, and its members, and offers a useful resource for media professionals. 

The EBU hosts annual Open Source Meetups at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), providing a forum for developers to showcase open source projects relevant to broadcasting.

Moreover, it used to manage its open source projects through its dedicated platform, EBU.io. EBU.io was the central platform where the EBU and its members publish, demonstrate, and manage open source projects. It facilitated collaboration and access to tools that support modern broadcasting needs. Because of this, it was a valuable source of information for its members and wider broadcasting media community. The project was discontinued in 2022. However, the repositories are still available on two new standalone platforms, the EBU QC Tool and the EBU GitLab. 

Additionally, the EBU consistently contributes code to the open source community, with 138 active projects publicly available on GitHub. To gain more insight into open source resources related to broadcasting technologies, click here

There is a growing trend among European public media organisations to adopt and contribute to open source technologies, fostering innovation, collaboration, and public value.

The German public broadcasting organisations ARD and ZDF launched a massive open source initiative by developing a joint live-streaming platform. Key elements such as the media player, recommendation engine, and design system will be accessible to the public as open source. This decision allows cultural institutions, and international platforms, to benefit from their technology. 

To read more about this collaboration, click here 

50 media partners use Display Europe, a pan-European open source media platform. Display Europe is co-funded by the European Union and managed by a consortium of European media organisations. It is a multilingual news hub, with content from independent media organisations, and user-generated contributions. Display Europe utilises multiple open source tools. The workflow engine is Transposer, the video platform is PeerTube and for transcription the platform makes use of Whisper.

As the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 drew to a close, this article now lowers the curtain on how open source technology plays an essential role in one of the world’s most technologically demanding live broadcasts. Eurovision is a great example of the multifaceted ways open source projects can be used and of the amazing things that can happen when different cultures and communities come together.