Prior to the 2006 contest , Austria announced that they would not enter a performer in protest at their poor results in previous years , arguing that the musical talent of the performers was no longer the determining factor in Contest success . They returned for the 2007 contest in Helsinki , but came second to last in the semi-final . National broadcaster ORF cited the 2007 result , as well as declining interest in the Contest among Austrian viewers , as the reason Austria would not return to the contest in 2008 . ORF programme director Wolfgang Lorenz also hinted that Austria may withdraw from the contest indefinitely , stating " ORF has no desire to send more talent out of Austria to a competition where they have no chances ... Should the situation change , we 'll be happy to take part again " . Despite withdrawing , the final of the 2008 contest was screened on ORF
2007 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest