The ABU TV Song Festival 2015 was the fourth annual edition of the ABU TV Song Festivals. The event, which is non-competitive, took place in Istanbul, Turkey and coinciding with the 52nd General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) which was scheduled for 28 October 2015. Twelve countries have confirmed their participation.
It was announced that the 2015 ABU TV Song Festival will take place in the Turkish city of Istanbul, and coincide with the 52nd General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).[1] Istanbul previously played hosts to the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, when the contest took place in the Abdi İpekçi Arena.[2] For the 4th edition of ABU TV Song Festival, Istanbul Congress Center was selected to be the venue of the event.[3]
Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) was the host broadcaster for the festival on 28 October 2015.[4][5]
The ABU TV Song Festival celebrates the popular music culture by showcasing high-profile musical acts from each of the participating ABU broadcasting members, in a non-competitive manner.[6]
Twelve countries have been announced as participating at the 2015 edition, with India and Kazakhstan making their début; Afghanistan and Malaysia returning after a one-year absence; whilst Australia, Brunei and China have decided to withdraw from the festival.[7]Iran, Tunisia and Thailand were initially announced as participating at the 2015 edition, however they were withdrawn of the participating list for unknown reasons.[8]
The following three countries withdrew their entries to the contest for a variety of reasons.[13][14]