Sri Lanka will likely be the host of the ABU Song Festival 2026 as part of the 63rd ABU General Assembly.
MTV Channel (Pvt) Limited (MTV) will likely be the host broadcaster for the ABU Song Festival 2026. This comes as a result of an announcement made at the 62nd ABU General Assembly, which was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where Sri Lanka was confirmed as the hosts of the next ABU General Assembly. The next General Assembly will be held in Colombo, which previously hosted the ABU Radio Song Festival 2014.
The ABU TV Song Festival was held for the first time in 2012 and is a non-competitive showcase from across the Asia-Pacific region. Each participating broadcaster chooses acts to showcase their nation, with a mix of genres and languages. The ABU TV Song Festival was rebranded for the 2025 edition as the ABU Song Festival. This follows a discussion in 2024 to open the ABU TV Song Festival up to radio members, after the ABU Radio Song Festival was last held in 2019.
The following nations have taken part in the ABU Song Festival since 2012:
- Afghanistan (2012 to 2013, 2015 to 2018)
- Australia (2012 to 2014, 2019)
- Benin (2018)
- Bhutan (2025)
- Brunei (2013 to 2014, 2020 to 2021)
- China (2012 to 2014, 2016 to 2017, 2019 to 2020, 2023 to 2024)
- Hong Kong (2012 to 2019, 2023 to date)
- India (2015, 2017 to date)
- Indonesia (2012 to 2022, 2024)
- Iran (2013)
- Japan (2012 to date)
- Kazakhstan (2015 to 2019, 2021 to 2022)
- Kyrgyzstan (2013, 2018)
- Macau (2014 to 2021, 2023 to date)
- Malaysia (2012 to 2013, 2015, 2017 to 2018, 2020 to 2021, 2023 to date)
- Maldives (2014 to 2018, 2022)
- Mongolia (2025)
- Nepal (2020)
- Russia (2018)
- Singapore (2012 to 2013)
- South Korea (2012 to date)
- Sri Lanka (2012 to 2013, 2016, 2023, 2026)
- Thailand (2013 to 2014)
- Tunisia (2016)
- Turkey (2014 to 2015, 2018 to date)
- Turkmenistan (2017 & 2018, 2020, 2022 to 2024)
- Uzbekistan (2018, 2020, 2024)
- Vanuatu (2020)
- Vietnam (2012 to 2023)
- Zambia (2017)
Image Source: MNB
