Trailblazing out Olympian Johnny Weir to host US coverage of Eurovision 2023
Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir will front coverage of Eurovision 2023 in the US. (Dominik Bindl/Getty)
Eurovision Song Contest fans in the US will be happy to know that they’ll once again be able to watch the world’s biggest music competition live on TV this year, with 2023 coverage hosted by former Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir.
The out and proud sports personality and TV commentator, 38, will return to the Eurovision fold when he hosts US coverage of the Grand Final on Saturday, 13 May on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.
Weir, who came out publicly in 2011 and retired from professional figure skating in 2013, previously fronted Peacock’s Eurovision coverage in 2021 and 2022.
The former Dancing with the Stars contestant explained earlier this year that he loves Eurovision for providing something “for everyone” as well as a “feeling of unity and … community”.
With every competing country’s entry now confirmed, the line-ups and running orders for Semi-Final One on Tuesday, 9 May and Semi-Final Two on Thursday, 11 May in Liverpool have also now been confirmed.
Rising pop starlet Mae Muller is set to represent the UK with her infectious entry “I Wrote A Song” as Eurovision returns to Britain for the first time since 1998.
Eurovision 2023 is being held in Liverpool after last year’s winner’s Ukraine were deemed unable to host the contest due to because of the ongoing invasion of the country by Russia.
How can I watch the Eurovision 2023 Semi-Finals and Grand Final in the US?
Despite having legions of fans outside of Europe, Eurovision has historically been hard to watch in the US until recent years.
Eurovision was first broadcast live in the US in 2016 on cable network Logo, and after bouncing around different networks since, the broadcast rights have sat with NBC since 2021.
NBC will air 2023’s Semi-Finals and Grand Final on its streaming platform Peacock, with coverage available to Premium and Premium Plus subscribers.
The Eurovision Song Contest Finals Hosted by Johnny Weir and ‘Watch With Live’ will stream live on Peacock during the Grand Final, with a ‘clean’ world feed also available to watch.
Eurovision 2023 will also be available to watch live for international viewers on YouTube via the Eurovision Song Contest’s official channel.
What time will Eurovision start in the US?
Both Eurovision Semi-Finals and the 2023 Grand Final kick off from 8pm British Summer Time in the UK, which is 9pm Central European Summer Time for most of Europe.
With time difference, that means the three shows will air on Peacock from 3pm Eastern Standard Time, 2pm Central Daylight Time, and from 12pm Pacific Daylight Time.
