ORF and ARRI win EBU Excellence in Media Award for Eurovision coverage

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has presented the EBU Excellence in Media Award 2026 to the Austrian public broadcaster ORF and its technology partner ARRI. The award recognizes advancements in live production quality and workflows achieved during the coverage of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest held in Vienna.

In a first for the award, ARRI was honored alongside the host broadcaster for its role in integrating cinematic technology into a live broadcast environment. The production utilized 28 live cameras, including 24 ARRI ALEXA 35 cinema cameras, to bring a film-like aesthetic to the television broadcast. The teams developed new workflows for color management and camera integration, including the use of over 50 automated color looks (LUTs).

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 reached an audience of 131 million viewers across 35 television markets. ORF officials noted that the technical expertise and workflows developed for the event will serve as a long-term investment for future productions.