ERT Vs RIK: The Eurovision controversy continues | RIK’s response to EBU!

The “civil war” that has broken out between ERT and RIK on the occasion of the Fame Story, which will be broadcast on STAR Channel in Greece and through which Cyprus intends to choose its representative for Eurovision 2024 continues, without defusing the crisis at least so far.

What has happened.

RIK’s decision to collaborate with Nikos Koklonis’ Barking Well Media, STAR Channel and PANIK Records for the production of Fame Story, which will be broadcast simultaneously in Greece (by STAR) and Cyprus (by RIK), has brought the two public broadcasters into conflict.

The trailer of the talent show, which although the word Eurovision is not mentioned as a trophy, but Europe’s biggest music competition, was the straw that broke the camel’s back for ERT, which believes that the exclusive rights to exploit the contest, which it has in Greece, are being violated.

Thus, according to what is reported today in the newspaper PARON, the EBU, at the request of ERT’s administration and Mr. Constantinos Zoulas, the EBU has proceeded to update the Eurovision 2024 regulations, sending them to all its members.

Fame Story controversy?

These new regulations, which seem to have been introduced by the EBU, after ERT’s intervention, bring obstacles to the talent show, at least having as its trophy the representation of Cyprus in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, as it is implied in the relevant trailer, which continues to play on STAR’s frequency.

The new Eurovision 2024 rules

The new regulations state the following:

The organisation of the national selection of each EBU member must not violate the exclusivity of the rights of the participants of the other participating broadcasters of the other countries. Each national selection of a representative for Eurovision should be undertaken and organised under the exclusive control of each participating broadcaster. The organisation and production may not be subcontracted, except with the prior approval of the EBU. The national selections must be organised and televised nationally in the participating broadcaster’s country and on the participating broadcaster’s own EBU member channel.

EBU intervention

Following the publication of the trailer, the EBU wrote to RIK asking it to clarify the details of Fame Story and whether the production of this show in Greece by a private TV station violates the above mentioned regulations of the upcoming music competition.

This intervention was of course not at all accidental, as was the revision of the contest’s regulations, but came after ERT complained that it was violating its exclusive TV and commercial exploitation of Eurovision in Greece, an exclusivity for which it spends around 360,000 euros per year.

The letter from RIK to the EBU

According to information available to Eurovisionfun, RIK has sent a letter of reply to the EBU in which it claims that Fame Story is not a national final, but a talent show which will be included in its entertainment programme.

It is also stated that for Eurovision 2024, RIK will select its representative for Eurovision 2024 by direct award, as it has done in recent years. The artist will be selected from new talent that will emerge from both Fame Story and other young and talented artists.

Finally, it is emphasized in this letter that the final selection will take place in January 2024 through a TV show, which will be held in Nicosia. All of this of course as you can understand is contrary to what Nikos Koklonis (producer of Fame Story) revealed on air, in various interviews, and also included in the promo trailer of Fame Story.

Pending the EBU’s final decision

We now await with interest the final settlement of the issue by the EBU and whether or not it will finally allow, after the explanations of RIK, to be used as a method of selecting the artist that will represent Cyprus in Eurovision 2024. However, according to what has seen the light of publicity in the previous days, in any case, the people of RIK have prepared an alternative plan, since in no case they do not wish to disturb their relations with the EBU, but also to endanger the Cypriot participation in the contest.

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Sources: Eurovisionfun, Paron, Real News