| Eurovision Song Contest 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) | |||
| Country |  Netherlands | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Nationaal Songfestival 1996 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals: 26 February 1996 27 February 1996 28 February 1996 29 February 1996 1 March 1996 Final: 3 March 1996 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | Maxine and Franklin Brown | |||
| Selected song | "De eerste keer" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 7th, 78 points | |||
| Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "De eerste keer", written by Piet Souer and Peter van Asten, and performed by Maxine and Franklin Brown. The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), selected its entry for the contest through Nationaal Songfestival 1996. NOS returned to the contest after a one-year absence following their relegation in 1995 as one of the bottom six entrants in 1994.
Five acts competed in the national final which consisted of six shows: five semi-finals and a final. Five entries qualified from to compete in the final on 3 March 1996 where "De eerste keer" performed by Maxine and Franklin Brown was selected as the winner following the votes from 13 regional juries.
The Netherlands was announced among the top 22 entries of the qualifying round on 20 and 21 March 1996 and therefore qualified to compete in the final which took place on 18 May 1996. It was later revealed that the Netherlands placed ninth out of the 29 participating countries in the qualifying round with 63 points. Performing during the competition in position 15, the Netherlands placed seventh out of the 23 participating countries, scoring 78 points.