Earlier this year, the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel marked a big change—not just in music, but in how audiences take part. It was the last major BBC show to offer premium-rate phone voting.
Why is premium-rate phone voting ending?
For years, shows like Strictly Come Dancing, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Eurovision let viewers vote by calling premium-rate numbers. However, this is now an outdated system and also expensive to run.
Online voting has become the go-to choice for most viewers. In fact, the overwhelming majority of votes for the last Strictly series were cast online.
And earlier this year, BT, the company that provided these phone services for the BBC, announced it would stop offering them in early 2025.
What’s changing?
From now on, voting for BBC shows will be done online only. It’s quick and easy -and if you have a BBC account, you’re already set. Plus, having an account gives you extra benefits like:
A more personalised iPlayer experience
The ability to pick up shows across devices
Local weather updates tailored to you
How do I vote online?
If you already have a BBC account, you don’t need to do anything. During voting, you’ll be directed to the show’s website where the voting link will be clearly shown.
If you don’t have an account yet, signing up is simple and free at www.bbc.com/register.
We know this is a change for some viewers, so we’ll be sharing clear instructions during shows like Strictly to explain how to get set up and vote.
Thanks for reading—and keeeeeep voting!