Ukrainian broadcaster NTU has won the bid to host the 2009 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The seventh running of the competition, which was introduced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 2003, will take place in Kyiv. The election took place in Lemesos, Cyprus, where the 2008 running will take place. "All bids the Steering Group received were of high standard," says Svante Stockselius, Executive Supervisor of the event on behalf of the EBU. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is the largest children entertainment event of the year in Europe and is viewed by an audience of some 30 million.

"We are confident that NTU will host a superb show, and we hope that those broadcasters who were unsuccessful this time will consider bidding for the 2010 running," said Steve De Coninck-De Boeck, Chairman of the Steering Group.