Eurovision 2023: Voting changes announced for the upcoming contest!

Today started with a bit of surprise news, with the EBU suddenly announcing a change to the voting system for the upcoming 67th Eurovision Song Contest which will take place in May in Liverpool. This is the first change in the voting method since 13 years and in 2009, when 50/50 voting by the public and the judging panels was introduced.

According to the EBU announcement, the three big changes to the Eurovision 2023 voting system are as follows:

  • Viewer votes will decide countries qualifying from Semi-Finals 
  • Viewers in non-participating countries will be able to vote online
  • Jury votes will be combined with votes from the global audience to decide final result

This means that next year, the countries that qualify from the Semi-Finals will be decided solely based on the votes cast by the viewers, rather than a combination of a jury and public vote as has been the case since 2009.

The professional music industry juries will remain for the Grand Final, but complete control of who gets there from the Semi-Finals has been handed over to the viewing public.

And, for the first time ever, viewers from non-participating countries will be able to vote for their favourite songs too. Those watching in the rest of the world will be able to vote via a secure online platform using a credit card from their country, and their votes, once added together, will be converted into points that will have the same weight as one participating country in both of the Semi-Finals and the Grand Final.

Regarding the changes to the voting method, the Contest’s Executive Producer, Martin Österdahl, said:

Throughout its 67-year history the Eurovision Song Contest has constantly evolved to remain relevant and exciting. These changes acknowledge the immense popularity of the show by giving more power to the audience of the world’s largest live music event.

In 2023 only Eurovision Song Contest viewers will decide which countries make it to the Grand Final and, reflecting the global impact of the event, everyone watching the show, wherever they live in the world, can cast their votes for their favourite songs.

By also involving juries of music professionals in deciding the final result, all the songs in the Grand Final can be assessed on the broadest possible criteria. We can also maintain the tradition of travelling around Europe and Australia to collect points and ensure a thrilling voting sequence with the winner only revealed at the very end of the show.

It is worth mentioning that the introduction of the Rest of World vote means that the correlation of the 50/50 voting for the final changes, which leans more towards the public. The general public will have slightly more impact on the final result – approximately 50.6%. In the coming months, the EBU is expected to publish in detail the countries that will have the right to vote in the Rest of the World category.

These changes are happening in order to keep the event relevant and exciting. Additionally, following the unprecedented nature of the voting irregularities seen at the 2022 Contest a working group of EBU Members was established to look at ways to protect the integrity of the event. Their recommendations are being implemented after approval by the Reference Group, the Contest’s governing board and the Executive Board of the EBU.

Source: Eurovision.tv

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all developments regarding the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

Croatia: Damir Kedžo submits an entry for Dora 2023!

Damir Kedžo, took to social media to show that he had submitted a song to Dora 2023 in order to represent Croatia in Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool!

Damir Kedžo was due to represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 before the contest was canceled due to COVID-19. Despite rumors that he would return to Dora the following year, he ultimately did not as he did not have the right song.

Dora 2023 is expected to be held in February, in Opatija, with many changes. In particular, the songs will be released earlier than in previous years, specifically in January, while the public will have time to listen to them several times, while there will also be a lot of playback from the media, digital platforms and social networks.

Another change is that the selection will be made through a competition of two semi-finals and one final.

However, the biggest innovation at this year’s edition will be the addition of Eurovision fans to the song selection jury for Dora 2023. Thus, the jury will be made up of both music professionals and HRT public broadcaster employees, with fans to give another note to the final selection.

Check out Damir Kedžo’s entry, “Divlji Vjetre” for Eurovision 2020 below:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Croatian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Croatia: Fans will have a say on the selection of songs for Dora 2023!

In a recent interview, the Head of Croatian Delegation at Eurovision Tomislav Štengl, spoke about the upcoming changes for Dora 2023, the national final of Croatia which will decide the representative of the country in Eurovision 2023.

Mr Štengl spoke about the primary goal, which is Croatia qualifying to the final for the first time since 2017, as well as increase the local interest for the contest. There have been so far 50 songs of different genres submitted, while he invites everyone interested to take part in the program, with the deadline set for November 20th.

When it comes to changes, competing songs will be published earlier this year and specifically in January, Furthermore, there will be two semi-finals and a final for Dora 2023. The biggest change is the addition of fans on the judging panel for the selection of songs. This means that the jury will be comprised of music professionals, HRT employees, as well as fans of the contest.

He emphasized that despite participation fees being raised, Croatia will be participating at Eurovision while he believes that Ukraine won Eurovision 2022 for political and emotional reasons, stating that the song will have no chance if there were different circumstances.

We remind you that Dora 2023, the national final of Croatia, will take place in February at the city of Opatija.

Croatia was represented by Mia Dimšić and the song “Guilty Pleasure, without making to the Grand Final, finishing 11th for the second time in a row.

What do you think about the changes for Dora 2023? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Vecernji.hr

Croatia: Dora 2023 will have two semi-finals!

Croatia’s public broadcaster, HRT, revealed that Dora 2023 will have some changes in its whole concept. In detail, Tomislav Štengl, the head of the Croatian delegation, explained the plans on Dora’s changes, in an interview in HR2.

The first big change is that the songs will be available relatively earlier in contrast with previous years, and all artists will be demanded to have a music or lyric video for their songs.

The other major change is that the song selection will once again take place through a national final, but this year Dora is going to have two semi-finals. By adding more competitive shows in the national final, HRT wants to attract as many artists as possible.

What is more, HRT plans on creating a special show that will showcase each artist and their songs for Dora 2023,

The Croatian national final will take place in February in Opatija. The submission window is already open and will remain this way until November 20.

The previous winner of Dora and Croatia’s representative in Eurovision 2022 was Mia Dimšić with the song “Guilty Pleasure“, but she didn’t manage to qualify for the grand final, ending up in 11th place of the first semi-final for the second year in a row.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Croatian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Eurovision 2023: 37 countries will join the 67th contest in Liverpool!

Just moments ago, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the countries that will take part in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool37 countries will be present in the contest, with three countries withdrawing, in contrast with the 40 countries last year in Turin.

These countries  withdrawing are Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia, which after their participation in Eurovision 2022, all three of them withdraw for financial reasons.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, shared his thoughts on the line-up:

“We’re looking forward to welcoming artists from all 37 countries to Liverpool, the city of pop, next May. Next year’s competition promises to be an extra special one and we’re working hard with the BBC right now to ensure that hundreds of millions of viewers will enjoy the best Eurovision Song Contest yet, with Ukraine at the heart of the event.”

In detail, the countries that are going to take part are:

  • Albania – RTSH
  • Australia– SBS
  • Armenia– AMPTV
  • Austria – ORF
  • Azerbaijan – Ictimai TV
  • Belgium – RTBF
  • Croatia – HRT
  • Cyprus – CyBC
  • Czech Republic – CT
  • Denmark – DR
  • Estonia – ERR
  • Finland  – YLE
  • France – FT
  • Georgia – GPB
  • Germany – ARD/NDR
  • Greece – ΕΡΤ
  • Iceland – RUV
  • Ireland– RTE
  • Israel – IPBC/Kan
  • Italy– RAI
  • Latvia – LTV
  • Lithuania – LRT
  • Malta – PBS
  • Moldova – TRM
  • Netherlands – AVROTROS
  • Norway – NRK
  • Poland – TVP
  • Portugal – RTP
  • Romania – TVR
  • San Marino – RTV
  • Serbia – RTS
  • Slovenia ​​- RTVSLO
  • Spain  – TVE
  • Sweden – SVT
  • Switzerland – SRG / SSR
  • Ukraine – UA: PBC
  • United Kingdom – BBC

Martin Green, BBC’s Managing Director of the Eurovision Song Contest added:

“We are incredibly proud to be hosting the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine and welcoming delegations from 37 countries to Liverpool next year. The BBC is committed to making the event a true reflection of Ukrainian culture and showcasing British creativity to a global audience.”

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Croatia: Song submission window opened – changes in the national final!

Croatian national broadcaster HRT confirmed Croatia’s participation in Eurovision 2023 and simultaneously it is in search of Croatia’s next representative that is going to travel to the United Kingdom.

It will choose its representative again through Dora 2023, while the song submission window opened for those interested, until November 20th.

Compared to past editions, the national final is going to face several changes. Firstly, 14 to 28 songs will be selected, along with four backups, while it’s very possible for a Semi-final to happen. The decision for the number of the semi-finals and the night of the final will be taken by HRT until January 10th.

Six people at max are going to be allowed on stage during the act (recorded backing vocals are allowed) and the staging plans should be submitted until December 10th.

Also, until December 20th, the performer should submit the official music video or a lyric video of their song. The Dora performance will be used as the official video at the Eurovision channel. However, if the performer submits the official music video on time, HRT will report this at EBU as the official video.

Dora 2023 is expected to happen in February, as usual.

This year Croatia was represented by Mia Dimšić and the song “Guilty Pleasure” and couldn’t progress to the Eurovision 2022 final, finishing at the 11th place of its Semi-Final for the second year in a row.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vBQdtW3mJE

Will Croatia be able to break the 11th place curse this time? Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun to be updated for all the news!

Source: eurosong.hr

Eurovision 2023: National broadcaster participation window closing today!

The national broadcasters from the countries having an active EBU membership, have a deadline until today (15/9), in order to confirm their participation in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

We might not know the city at United Kingdom that we are going to travel to for Eurovision 2023 yet, but today is the deadline for the national broadcasters-EBU members to confirm their participation in the contest.

Until October 11th, according to the rules, the possibility of withdrawal is provided without the imposition of a fine. From this date on, the broadcasters that applied for participating and are willing to withdraw, are going to face the imposition of a fine, which is varying, depending on the time of withdrawal (before or after the semi-finals draw etc.).

31 countries, with one way or another, have announced their will to participate in Eurovision 2023. Among them there’s Greece, and Cyprus too. Those countries are:

  • Albania
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Malta
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • The Netherlands
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

The number from the countries above is expected to grow, because nine countries that participated in this year’s contest, haven’t clarified their intentions yet. Those are:

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Moldova
  • Montenegro
  • North Macedonia
  • Slovenia

There’s always a chance, although slight, for a country to return or for another one to debut. The participating countries and their exact number will be confirmed through EBU’s official announcement. The respective announcement for Eurovision 2022 was made on October 20th.

 

Eurovision 2023: The new season has just started!

For many, including us on Eurovisionfun, Eurovision never ends! However, September 1st is a special date. Any song that is released after that date is eligible to be chosen to take part in the next years contest. Therefore, any song from now on can be a potential Eurovision 2o23 entry!

What we know so far

After the landslide victory of Ukraine and Kalush Orchestra in Turin, EBU has already announced that due to the ongoing war since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the contest will be held in the United Kingdom instead, to ensure safety of everyone involved in the production.

During August, BBC announced a shortlist of seven cities that will compete to host the contest next year, while the deadline to submit the finalized bids is set for September 8th. BBC and EBU representatives will visit these cities to inspect the facilities and discuss with local authorities on the proposed bids.

Around late September/early October and after there is potentially a dialogue with the British government, BBC and EBU will announce the Eurovision 2023 hosting city.

The shortlisted cities are:

  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle
  • Sheffield

Betting odds are every year a topic of discussion within and outside the Eurovision fandom. As of the time of writing, the odds about which city will host Eurovision 2023 predict Glasgow as the hosting city, with 65% chances, indicating a one-horse race for the hosting of the contest next year.

Participating countries

As of now, 27 countries have officially or unofficially confirmed that they will take part in Eurovision 2023. These are:

  • Albania
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Within the next months more countries are expected to confirm their participation, with the goal to have 40 countries as in 2022. Russia and Belarus are not eligible to take part in the contest, since their broadcasters are not EBU members anymore.

Certain countries have already announced that they will not take part in Eurovision 2023, with some of them extending their long-lasting absence from the contest. Andorra, Monaco, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Maroco and Hungary will not be present in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, while Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina are yet to announce their plans but the chances to see them returning are low for various reasons.

Until March 14th the announcement of all the entries

It won’t be before March 14th until we know all competing artists and entries for 2023, since on that day is the meeting of the Head of Delegations where all entries will be officially submitted. However, Israel has already selected its artist and its Noa Kirel, a local superstar with many of her songs conquering the charts.

Albania and Ukraine will be the next to select their entries before the end of 2022, unless there is a surprise as with Czech Republic last year.

Join us on the road to Eurovision 2023!

Eurovisionfun will bring you Eurofun-tastic news throughout the season, while you should be ready for exclusives and surprises! Our 24/7 coverage in Greek and English includes articles, reactions, discussions and many more!

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Let the Eurovision 2023 season begin! Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun!

 

 

 

The most successful Eurovision countries in the 20s!

Eurovision is heading to the third decade of the 21st century and it has clearly changed not only in comparison with the past, but also with the recent years. In this article we investigate how countries scored during the first 2 years of the 20s, as well as their average score.

As you can see below, we cannot identify a group of 5-6 performing performing always well, as it used to happen the last years. Only a few countries are consistently doing well, despite the fact that the scores studied are only of the last 2 years. Tougher competition, the success of the contest on social media (TikTok had a business partnership with the contest this year featuring exclusive clips of the first rehearsals on the platform), as well as the high interest by record labels are only some of the reasons why it is harder to perform consistently well, since entries are of higher lever than the past.

Lets see in detail the average score of the countries during this decade:

Country        2022   2021    Average

  1. Ukraine           1          5             3
  2. Italy                 6          1            3,5
  3. Greece             8         10            9
  4. Sweden           4         14             9
  5. Russia             –           9             9
  6. Switzerland    17        3             10
  7. Moldova          7        13            10
  8. Serbia              5         15            10
  9. Portugal          9         12           10.5
  10. Lithuania       14         8             11
  11. France            24         2             13
  12. Spain               3         24           13.5
  13. Iceland          23          4            13.5
  14. Finland          21          6            13.5
  15. United Kingdom 2     26           14
  16. Norway           10         18            14
  17. The Netherlands 11     23          17
  18. Azerbaijan     16          20            18
  19. Belgium          19         19             19
  20. Armenia         20          –              20
  21. Malta               35          7             21
  22. Estonia           13         31             22
  23. Poland            12         33            22.5
  24. Cyprus            29         16            22.5
  25. Romania        18          28            23
  26. Israel              30          17           23.5
  27. Albania          28          21           24.5
  28. Australia        15          34           24.5
  29. Bulgaria         38          11           24.5
  30. Germany        25          25            25
  31. Croatia           26          27           26.5
  32. St. Marino     33          22           27.5
  33. Czech Republic 22     36             29
  34. Denmark        31         29             30
  35. North Macedonia 27 35             31
  36. Austria           36         30             33
  37. Ireland           34         37            35.5
  38. Latvia             32         39            35.5
  39. Slovenia         40        32              36
  40. Montenegro   37         –                37
  41. Georgia           39       38             38.5

As you can see in the table above, there are very few countries where the average of their positions in these two years is below 10. This proves how difficult it has become to be in the top ten. It is even more difficult to have continuous results within top 10, since only three countries have achieved this, Ukraine, Italy and Greece!

It is evident that Italy and Ukraine are the two powerhouses of the competition for this decade (so far). Sweden remains high on the list, but far from the first place it was in the last decade. Greece is recovering dynamically since it is in third place, when in the previous decade it was out of the 20s. Cyprus gets lower scores year by year, unfortunately making us believe that 2018 was just a coincidence and is currently in 24th place!

Regardless of personal taste and opinions, the numbers speak themselves and is clear that Ukraine, Italy and Greece are doing great during this decade. The new strategy of the management of ERT to chose the artist and the song internally, is proven to be successful, after years of bad results and 2 NQ (2016,2018).

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun because the journey to Eurovision 2023 has already begun!

Eurovision 2022: Watch the Live-on-Tape performances of Portugal and Croatia!

The live-on-tape of the countries that participated in the 66th Eurovision Song Contest in May in Turin will be shown this year through the official Eurovision channel on YouTube.

From June 14 to 23, Eurofans will have the opportunity to watch the live-on-tape appearances of about thirty of the forty countries that took part in this year’s contest.

Today, it is the turn of two other countries of the first semi-final. Since the EBU decided to show the live-on-tapes based on the running order of the first semifinal, this means that today it is the turn of Portugal and Croatia.

As the live-on-tapes of Portugal and Croatia were published, we learned that apart from the Netherlands, which only yesterday announced that it would not publish its own performance, Moldova also decided not to publish its live-on-tape.

  •  Watch the Live-on-Tape performance of  Saudade, saudade by Maro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcUaP_T0UxM

  •  Watch the Live-on-Tape performance of  “Guilty Pleasure” by Mia Dimšić:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiOyTKQZF8k

What do you think about the first Live-on-Tape videos of Eurovision 2022? Do you like them or do you prefer the live performances?

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest!