Eurovision 2024: More “flexibility” for the producers to determine the Grand Final running order!

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The 68th Eurovision Song Contest introduces a significant change in how the Grand Final running order is determined. Artists now have more options, with a new category introduced to give producers greater flexibility in shaping the lineup.

In March, it was announced that Malmö would see some major changes to enhance the Eurovision Song Contest‘s excitement. Following the revelation that the “Big 5” would perform their songs in full during the Semi-Finals and that fans could start voting as soon as the first artist hits the stage in the Grand Final, another significant change has emerged!

In recent years, qualifying countries from the Semi-Finals and the Big 5 have randomly selected which half of the Grand Final they will perform in. Subsequently, the show’s producers decided where within the First Half (songs 1 to 13) or Second Half (songs 14 to 26) of the Grand Final those acts would perform.

This year, a new category called “Producer’s Choice” will be introduced.

Host broadcaster SVT revealed that 25 of the 26 artists in the Grand Final (Sweden already has position 1) will have the option to choose First Half, Second Half, or Producer’s Choice through a random draw.

If an artist selects Producer’s Choice, the show producers will have the discretion to place that song anywhere in either the First or Second Half of the running order.

This change means there will be 6 slots available to pick in the First Half of the running order, 6 slots in the Second Half, and 13 Producer’s Choice slots.

The purpose of this change is to provide producers with more opportunities to ensure all songs in the Grand Final stand out and to create the most dynamic running order possible.

Christer Björkman, this year’s Contest Producer, elaborated on the rationale behind the change:

“It’s all about creating the best TV show possible and giving all artists a chance to shine. Adding the flexibility of Producer’s Choice allows me to create an even better flow of different tempos and an even more thrilling Grand Final.”

The Big 5 will select either First Half, Second Half, or Producer’s Choice after their second Rehearsal on Saturday, May 4, live during a Reddit AMA. Then, each of the 10 qualifiers from the First Semi-Final on Tuesday, May 7, will draw one of those three options live on the Official Eurovision Song Contest TikTok channel immediately after the show.

The 10 qualifying artists from the Second Semi-Final will draw from the remaining options live on TikTok after the show ends on Thursday, May 9.

Once all 25 options are chosen, producers will compile the running order for the Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Friday, May 10. It will then be revealed on the Contest’s website and social media channels.

The last time such a change to the running order was made was also in Malmö, in 2013.

Before 2013, the running order of the Grand Final was determined via a random draw. However, in 2013, host broadcaster SVT initiated a change to create a more entertaining evening of television for viewers. This format has remained in place every year since, with the introduction of the Producer’s Choice element in 2024 being the first major change in over a decade.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest developments!

Source: Eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2024: The EBU opposes any form of abuse, hate speech or harassment towards artists!

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The European Broadcasting Union acknowledges the depth of feeling and the strong opinions that this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – set against the backdrop of a terrible war in the Middle East – has provoked. We understand that people will want to engage in debate and express their deeply held views on this matter. We have all been affected by the images, stories and the unquestionable pain suffered by those in Israel and in Gaza.

However, we wish to address the concerns and discussions surrounding this situation, especially the targeted social media campaigns against some of our participating artists.

The decision to include any broadcaster, including the Israeli’ broadcaster Kan, in the Eurovision Song Contest is the sole responsibility of the EBU’s governing bodies and not that of the individual artists. These artists come to Eurovision to share their music, culture, and the universal message of unity through the language of music.

The EBU has previously explained the reasoning for the inclusion of KAN and the differences between them as an independent broadcaster and previous participants who were excluded. Constructive debate is a positive consequence of such decisions.

However, while we strongly support freedom of speech and the right to express opinions in a democratic society, we firmly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals associated with the contest. This is unacceptable and totally unfair, given the artists have no role in this decision.

The EBU is dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment for all participants, staff, and fans of the Eurovision Song Contest. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to promote the values of respect, inclusivity, and understanding, both online and offline.

We urge everyone to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue and support the artists who are working tirelessly – on what is a music and entertainment show – to share their music with the world.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Source: eurovision.tv

The BBC will re-broadcast Eurovision 1974 on April 7!

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The BBC, the public broadcaster of the United Kingdom, hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, on behalf of Ukraine, as the winner, was not able to host on home soil. However this was not the first time that the United Kingdom has done so.

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Eurovision 2024: The running order of the semifinals has been revealed!

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With a month and a half to go until the first Eurovision 2024 semi-final on 7 May, the EBU today announced the order of the semi-final line-up.

The order of appearance was determined by the EBU in cooperation with the Swedish organisers, taking into account which place each country was drawn to perform (first or second), but also in a way that the show would be more interesting.

The official Eurovision YouTube channel announced a few minutes ago the official order of appearance of the songs in the semi-finals of this year’s contest.

It is worth noting that this year is the first year in which the Big 5 and the host country, Sweden, are going to perform their songs live in the two semi-finals. So, among the competing countries in the two semi-finals, we will see Germany, Sweden and the UK as guest stars in the first semi-final, while in the second semi-final we’ll see France, Italy and Spain.

Running Order

Semi-final 1 – Tuesday 7 May

  1. Cyprus
  2. Serbia
  3. Lithuania
  4. Ireland
    United Kingdom
  5. Ukraine
  6. Poland
  7. Croatia
  8. Iceland
    Germany
  9. Slovenia
  10. Finland
  11. Moldova
    Sweden
  12. Azerbaijan
  13. Australia
  14. Portugal
  15. Luxembourg

Semi-final 2 – Thursday 11 May

  1. Malta
  2. Albania
  3. Greece
  4. Switzerland
  5. Czechia
    France
  6. Austria
  7. Denmark
  8. Armenia
  9. Latvia
    Spain
  10. San Marino
  11. Georgia
  12. Belgium
  13. Estonia
    Italy
  14. Israel
  15. Norway
  16. Netherlands

The analysis from fans and beyond has been on fire for a few minutes now. After the theories based on the countries’ history in the competition, it’s a first insight into how deep the qualification to the final is or isn’t. In other words, it’s time to make our predictions about who will make it to the final and who are favourites to say goodbye to Malmö early…

Malmö will host the 68th Eurovision Song Contest from 7 to 11 May at the Malmö Arena. The motto of this year’s event, as chosen by the organisers, is ‘United by Music’.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the developments regarding Eurovision 2024!

Eurovision 2024: The Grand Final will be shortened by a maximum of five minutes!

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During Melodifestivalen, and specifically the Melfest WKND, the scriptwritter of this year’s Eurovision, Edward af Sillén, stated that the Grand Final of the Contest is about to be shortened, by about five minutes.

Edward af Sillén, said that there is no intention for a major shortening of the Grand Final of Eurovision. Earlier this season, it was annnounced that SVT, the public broadcaster of Sweden and the host broadcaster, wants to reduce the Grand Final by about an hour!

These statements of Sillén, confirm, but in a much smaller degree, what the production team of SVT stated back in June 2023, regarding the reduction of the broadcast of the contest, as in recent years, the broadcast was more than four hours long.

What remains now, is to see how these changes will be implemented in the Contest.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024, will take place in Malmö from May 7 to 11, after Loreen’s win with the song “Tattoo”. The country’s representatives will be Marcus & Martinus with their song “Unforgettable”:

https://youtu.be/yekc8t0rJqA

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Swedish participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Israel: EBU approves “Hurricane” | Eden Golan will normally compete in Eurovision 2024!

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In an official announcement, the Israeli public television (KAN) informs us that Eden Golan’s new song entitled Hurricane has been approved by the EBU and therefore it is now official that it will compete normally in Eurovision 2024!

The song will be announced in a special show on Sunday, March 10 at 21.30 Greek time. Hurricane is signed by Keren Pels, Avi Ohion and Stav Begar and has the same melody as October Rain, which was rejected by the EBU, considering it to have political lyrics, since it referred to the events of the terrorist attack by Hamas last October in southern Israel.

While KAN initially stated that it did not intend to change the lyrics of the song and would therefore withdraw from the competition, the intervention of the country’s president seemed to be the catalyst. Isaac Hertzog urged KAN to make the necessary changes to the lyrics of the song, so that Israel would not miss out on this important international event, thus giving joy to the country’s opponents, who wish for its international isolation.

We await with interest the announcement of the Israeli participation.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: KAN

Israel: EBU takes into account new threats against KAN!

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The European Broadcasting Union, EBU, expresses its concerns regarding the new threats against the indepedance and the sustainability of the Israeli public broadcaster KAN!

One month ago, the Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi seems to have stated that “there is no place for public broadcasting in the State of Israel”.

Moreover, the Government threatened to withdraw the fundings towards the piblic broadcaster something that would lead to the shut down of the KAN and the news operation and to an important loss of jobs.

In addition, there are also plans of depriving KAN’s ability for commercial revenue, which would lead to 13% income reduction, and of transfering three of the most popular radio stations to commercial owners.

The current crisis has been escalated as the Minister of Communications through a letter towards the Director General of KAN questions their reporting of the government’s judicial reforms and the protests against them.

The Director General of EBU Noel Curran stated that:

“Impartial news and information are critical to the functioning of a healthy democracy. 

“We call on the Israeli government to safeguard the independence of our Member KAN and ensure it is allowed to operate in a sustainable way, with funding that is both stable, adequate, fair, and transparent.”

Source: EBU

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the updates around the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!

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Israeli Entry in Eurovision 2024 Under Threat as EBU Considers Disqualification!

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After being examined by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), ynet has learned from European sources that there is concern that the song sent to represent Israel in Eurovision 2024 may be disqualified due to what they claim are political statements. Following these messages, the board of KAN hastily convened and decided:

“We will not change the lyrics or the song, even if it means Israel will not participate in Eurovision this year.”

Concerns Over Israel’s Participation in Eurovision: EBU Contemplates Disqualifying “October’s Rain”

Israeli singer Eden Golan, who was supposed to perform the song “October’s Rain” at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo in May, was scheduled to unveil the song last week. However, the decision was postponed by the board for a few more days. ynet learned then that the reason for the delay stemmed from a request by the European Broadcasting Union to receive the song before its release, and to approve its lyrics to ensure there are no political messages. Sources familiar with the details told ynet that this was not an exceptional request for Israel and that it has been a clause in the Eurovision regulations for several years.

However, European sources have now told ynet that the EBU intends to disqualify the song. In response, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation has stood firm and clarified that it will not change the lyrics – whatever the cost. Following the messages from the EBU about the intention to disqualify the song, the board of the corporation hastily convened and decided,

“We will not change the lyrics or the song, even if it means Israel will not participate in Eurovision this year.”

In an official response to ynet’s revelation, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation stated:

“The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation is in dialogue with the EBU regarding the song that will represent Israel in Eurovision.”

No response has been provided by the EBU at the time of reporting.

Against the backdrop of these developments, just a week ago, Eurovision organizers officially announced that they had once again postponed the requests to disqualify Israel from the competition, in contrast to the steps taken against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “Comparisons between war and conflict are complex, and as a non-political communication organization, this is not the place for us to make them,” said EBU CEO Noel Curran in an interview. He added that the association is aware of the voices calling for Israel’s disqualification but emphasized, “Eurovision is a musical event, not a political one; it’s not a competition between governments.”

As a reminder, the European Broadcasting Union has consistently shown that it does not take a political stance regarding the conflict with Hamas. Additionally, the EBU responded to Israel’s request to participate in the second semi-final of the competition, to be held in Malmo, due to the proximity to Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day.

The controversy surrounding Israel’s entry in Eurovision 2024 underscores the delicate balance between music and politics in the iconic competition. While the European Broadcasting Union maintains that Eurovision is a musical event devoid of political undertones, tensions arise when lyrics are perceived to contain political messages. Israel’s steadfast refusal to alter the song’s lyrics, despite the risk of disqualification, highlights the importance placed on artistic integrity and freedom of expression.

As the dialogue between the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation and the EBU continues, the outcome remains uncertain, leaving Eurovision fans on edge as they await further developments.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: Ynet

 

Faroe Islands: Five year support to KVF is needed for its integration in the EBU!

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As we’ve previously informed you, the public broadcaster of the Faroe Islands, which is called KVF, hopes to become a member of the EBU, in the near future.

For yet another year, an artist from the Faroe Islands, took part in the DMGP 2024 ending up in third place. That is Janus Wiberg with the song “I Need Your Love”.

The public broadcaster of the Faroe Islands, has expressed its interest in competing in the Eurovision Song Contest, but taking into account that the Islands are part of the Danish Realm, the complete EBU member status, is not yet been approved.

Sirið Stenberg, the Minister of Social Affairs and Culture, was iin Liverpool last year alongside Ivan Niclasen. In this way, the public broadcaster, decided that the Faroe Islands must be a part of the EBU, and represent the Faroeses in Eurovision.

A five year support to KVF is essential, for its integration into the EBU. The EBU is responsible for Eurovision and it’s a partnership between public broadcasters. Becoming a member of the EBU will cost 1.5 million ISK, adding to the half million ISK for its annual membership.

However, all these plans are still in the making…

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

Slovenia: RTV SLO to Seek EBU and Council Members’ Opinion on Israel’s Participation in the Contest!

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Following a plea from the Palestinian Rights Movement to the management of Slovenia’s public broadcaster, RTV SLO, there’s now a call to exclude Israel from the Eurovision. Specifically, 25 members of the European Parliament requested the cancellation of the decision allowing Israel’s participation in the upcoming contest in May in Malmö.

Several non-governmental and trade union organizations, Slovenian cultural figures, and artists, including some former Slovenian Eurovision representatives, signed the call by the Palestinian Rights Movement.

RTV SLO responded to their request, stating:

“The majority of the global audience is closely following events in Gaza. The EBU has already explained twice that the participants in the Eurovision Song Contest are public broadcasters, not countries.”

However, they added that they would still urge the EBU and its members to conduct a substantive discussion on the matter.

Raiven will represent Slovenia in Malmö this coming May with the song “Veronika,” entirely in Slovenian. She will compete in the second half of the First Semi-Final on May 7th.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments regarding Slovenia’s participation in the Eurovision 2024 in Malmö!

Source: RTV SLO