Eurovision 2024: EBU in crisis meeting! | Joost Klein stopped from rehearsing this afternoon!

As you read in one of our previous articles, one of the big favorites, Dutch Joost Klein, didn’t show up at the rehearsal for the Eurovision final earlier today.

Svergies Radio’s Carolina Norén, reported from within the press centre that the EBU is currently in a crisis meeting investigating an incident they say occurred yesterday.

She mentioned that she could actually see towards the Dutch box where Joost Klein is supposed to be and the Dutch delegation is waiting for a decision.

She also asked the Israeli delegation briefly, if they had reported anything but they denied anything like that. It was at yesterday’s press conference that it was noticed that Joost Klein had the Dutch flag on him.

Last night, when the Israeli participant Eden Golan received a critical question regarding security concerns on this year’s contest, and the moderators interrupted and said she wouldn’t need to respond, Joost then asked, why not? But this is unclear that the Dutch favourite was stopped from performing earlier for that reason.

According to information to SVT, a physical confrontation has occurred between the artist and a photographer.

So we have to wait for an official statement from the EBU and hope that things clear up a bit. Joost Klein is still in the arena, the Netherlands delegation is sitting and waiting for a decision.

Source: Sveriges Radio/SVT

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Eurovision 2024: The running order of the Grand Final of Eurovision 2024!

A few hours ago, the second semi-final of Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was completed, and we have ten new songs that qualified for the Grand Final.

Read more

Belgium: VRT interrupts Semi Final broadcast with call for ceasefire in Israel!

Trade union VRT briefly interrupts broadcast semifinal Eurovision with call for ceasefire in Israel. The VRT union also supports journalists in the war zone:

“Moreover, the state of Israel is destroying the freedom of the press. That’s why we’re interrupting the image for a while.” Finally, the union calls for a ceasefire and “stop genocide”.

The socialist trade union ACOD-VRT defends the action.

“We have been watching the events in the Middle East with horror for months now. We are convinced that the State of Israel is committing a genocide and that is why it is outrageous that there is an Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Doing nothing, just watching, is no longer an option.”

ACOD-VRT points the finger at the umbrella of public broadcasters that organizes the Eurovision Song Contest.

“Unfortunately, the EBU has made the Israeli entry possible and therefore we have decided to interrupt the broadcast. We hope to send a signal to the Israeli government to stop the fighting and killings, allow international observers and the press to enter and sit down for a negotiated solution.”

VRT management informed

 VRT spokesperson Yasmine Van der Borght told the editors of hln.be:

“It is indeed a trade union action. We were informed it was going to happen. Trade unions have the right to take action and do not need permission to do so. I can only say that we have taken note of the action.”

Before the start of the broadcast, there was a small-scale protest at the premises of the VRT and the French-language broadcaster RTBF. About 70 activists denounced the broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest, because Israel is allowed to participate.

In the center of the Swedish city of Malmö, where the Eurovision Song Contest takes place, protests are still taking place against Israel‘s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, Swedish media report. So far, nine people have been arrested. Starting at 4 p.m., more than 10,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through Malmö. According to the police, this was largely uneventful.

N-VA MP Michael Freilich responds:

“We live in a free country and so everyone is free to protest. The fact that the unions disrupt a TV broadcast for millions of viewers is their choice. Anyone who claims to want to tackle injustice, but does not say a word about the terrorist acts of Hamas and the more than 100 hostages, undermines their own credibility. That’s a missed opportunity.”

Source: hln.be

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Eurovision 2024: SVT will reportedly not censor sound from the audience in the arena tonight!

Eden Golan faced boos from the audience during a rehearsal, as you have read in one of our previous articles, the Israeli broadcaster Kan filed a formal complaint with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ahead of tonight’s broadcast.

During rehearsals, where the arena audience was limited, there was both imposed applause and a sound carpet added to the broadcast in the press center. This sound carpet created the illusion of a large audience in the arena, even though it wasn’t the case.

Eden Golan, Photo: Andreas Papagiannakis

Eden Golan, Photo: Andreas Papagiannakis

In previous years, Russian artists in the Eurovision contest experienced loud protests and boos during their performances. In 2015, the Austrian TV channel that produced Eurovision in Vienna chose to censor the boos by adding fake shouts during the broadcast.

Aftonbladet‘s Tobbe Ek reached out to SVT’s executive producer, Ebba Adielsson, with a detailed question and she clarified the situation:

As with any major TV production with an audience, we work with broadcast audio to level the playing field for the TV audience. It is only to get as balanced a soundscape as possible for the viewers, we do not censor sound from the audience in the arena. It’s the same principle for all competing entries, including opening and intermediate acts.

Let’s see what will happen at tonight’s Second Semi Final which is already on-air!

Source: Schlagerbloggen/Tobbe Ek/Aftonbladet

Stay tuned for more regarding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest that is held in Malmö Arena, in Malmö, Sweden.

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Eurovision 2024: EBU Strives to Maintain Apolitical Stance

Amid the ongoing Gaza conflict, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is determined to uphold the apolitical stance of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Bambie Thug from Ireland faced instructions to alter their appearance for Semi-Final One after attempting to convey a message advocating for a ceasefire on the Eurovision stage. During rehearsals, the singer sported body paint inscribed with Ogham script translating to “ceasefire” and “freedom.” In a press conference, the singer expressed:

“It was very important for me because I’m pro-justice and pro-peace … Unfortunately, I had to change those messages today to ‘Crown the Witch’ only (which was an) order from the EBU.”

The EBU clarified in a statement:

“The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event. After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show.”

Despite efforts to curtail political statements, a member of the Australian performance managed to convey a message on the contest stage. Fred Leone disclosed on Instagram that he incorporated a ‘Watermelon’ into his body paint to protest against genocide in Gaza.

 

Furthermore, Eric Saade, who participated in the Opening Act for Eurovision 2024, faced criticism from show producers and the EBU for performing with a Palestinian shawl wrapped around his wrist.

The EBU stated to SVT:

“The Eurovision Song Contest is a live program. All artists are informed of the rules of the competition. We regret that Eric Saade chose to disregard the non-political nature of the event.”

Since the commencement of the war in Gaza on October 7, Israel’s participation in Eurovision has been a contentious issue. Numerous artists, musicians, and fans across Europe have called for Israel’s exclusion from the competition due to its involvement in military action.

Several of this year’s Eurovision artists, including Windows95Man from Finland and SABA from Denmark, have also expressed contemplation on whether competing in Eurovision was appropriate if Israel remained involved.

Source: RTE / SVT

EBU: “We regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event!”

During the first semi final of Eurovision 2024, we enjoyed Eleni Foureira, Eric Saade and Chanel as the opening act of the show. Eric Saade appeared with a Palestinian headscarf tied to his arm during his performance of “Popular”.

Some moments before, EBU officially responded to Euromix about Eric Saade.

“The Eurovision Song Contest is a live TV show. All performers are made aware of the rules of the Contest, and “we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.”

We are happy to discuss this with you after the live broadcast if needed. 

 

Eric Saade is very active on social media, even advocating in previous years for Israel to be banned from the competition, which of course didn’t happen.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest developments about the 68th Eurovision Song Contest!

Source: Euromix

 

 

Eurovision 2024: Martin Österdahl discusses the major changes to the contest!

The Executive Supervisor of the EBU, Martin Österdahl, spoke about all the recent changes introduced to the contest over the past two years.

In an interview with Billboard, Martin Österdahl, revealed the idea behind the changes introduced in this year’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, especially regarding the voting process.

Österdahl began by explaining the decision to have the Big 5 and the host country perform normally during the semi-finals.”

We have felt from time to time that the Big Five perhaps had a disadvantage. We’ve looked at ways to correct that. The Big Five have been doing much better recently, but still we feel the time is right to make this change now.

According to Österdahl, the voting system is quite outdated, involving SMS, telephone voting, and a two-hour wait for viewers to cast their votes for their favorites.

If you see something that you like, you can cast your vote, which is something that is more in line with the behavior of young people today, who are used to interacting straightaway with the shows.

This leads us to another major change introduced last year – the Rest of the World voting. This type of voting was introduced for the first time during the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Warsaw, during the Covid-19 pandemic when delegations couldn’t attend the event in person.When we saw the online voting come in, it was a real eye-opener for me, because there were 12 participating countries as opposed to 40 in Eurovision and it’s a kid show.

We saw the votes coming in from 180 countries around the world on this European kids’ show. It was amazing, so I thought, “We need to tap into this.” My expectations are high when it comes to the engagement here.

When we saw the online voting come in, it was a real eye-opener for me, because there were 12 participating countries as opposed to 40 in Eurovision and it’s a kid show.

We saw the votes coming in from 180 countries around the world on this European kids’ show. It was amazing, so I thought, “We need to tap into this.” My expectations are high when it comes to the engagement here.

The Rest of the World voting will be adjusted this year as well, with a dedicated voting window open 24 hours before the live shows. This will give fans around the world the opportunity to vote for their favorites independently.

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Source: Billboard

Eurovision 2024: Turquoise Carpet Takes Place Today!

Malmö is preparing to host the esteemed participants of Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on the dazzling Turquoise Carpet.

Even if you’re not in Sweden, you can still be part of the excitement of this year’s Eurovision Turquoise Carpet. Tune in live on the official Eurovision YouTube channel from 15:30 CEST on Sunday, May 5, and catch all the glitz, glamour, and behind-the-scenes buzz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9O_Ba8PfqU

The Turquoise Carpet, a staple event in the Host City, doubles as the official Opening Ceremony, marking the commencement of the Eurovision Song Contest Live Shows week.

Malmö 2024’s Turquoise Carpet will roll out on Sunday, May 5, and will be broadcasted live on both the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel and via a TikTok live stream on the Eurovision account. The extravaganza kicks off at around 15:30 CEST and will be held at the newly constructed Malmö Live.

The EBU has unveiled the lineup for the artists of Eurovision 2024 who will grace the Turquoise Carpet tomorrow. Belgium will lead the pack, with the host country, Sweden, closing the Carpet.

Hosting the Turquoise Carpet will be Elecktra and Tia Kofi! Here’s the complete lineup for the Turquoise Carpet:

  • Belgium
  • Slovenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Austria
  • Portugal
  • Norway
  • San Marino
  • Cyprus
  • Georgia
  • Czechia
  • Greece
  • Albania
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Latvia
  • Serbia
  • Croatia
  • Spain
  • Germany
  • Finland
  • Ukraine
  • Switzerland
  • Italy
  • Estonia
  • Armenia
  • Netherlands
  • Australia
  • Poland
  • United Kingdom
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • France
  • Denmark
  • Sweden

The Israeli delegation will not attend the Carpet due to Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Turquoise Carpet ceremony will take place at the Malmo Live Congress and Concert Hall, just steps away from Malmö‘s central railway station, on Sunday, May 5.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest developments regarding the 68th Eurovision Song Contest!

Eurovision 2024: This is the running order of the Turquoise Carpet!

The running order for the Opening Ceremony of Eurovision 2024 has been revealed. The EBU has revealed the order in which the Eurovision 2024 artists will appear on the Turquoise Carpet tomorrow Read more

Martin Österdahl: Eurovision Song Contest under financial pressure!

Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl discussed the financial challenges facing the Eurovision Song Contest.

In an interview with Dagens Industri, Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl spoke about the challenges facing the Eurovision Song Contest. In recent years the costs surrounding the competition have increased significantly due to inflation, the exit of Russia and Belarus from the competition and other factors.

Mr Österdahl explains:

“Without commercial revenue, I think it’ll be tough for the Eurovision Song Contest to survive in the future.”

There are currently six well-known companies that have multi-year sponsorship deals with the Eurovision Song Contest, helping to fund the event. Traditionally, the competition has been funded mainly by the participating broadcasters:

“The contest was financed every year by the participation fee, but the production has grown so much and become so much more expensive that today, the fee’s a very small part of the required budget”

With the challenges of balancing public media and commercial interests, there is a delicate balancing act to ensure that the Eurovision Song Contest maintains its independence.

Mr Österdahl explains:

“We’re incredibly strict regarding that the commercial interests never get to control the content of the broadcasts – that’s one of the things I’m in charge of. But when you’re working with public service, it’s equally important to use your money in the best way. If you have the crown jewels like the Eurovision or Melodifestivalen, it’s very easy to critique it if you are wasting public service money and not using the commercial potential that it comes with.”

The Executive Supervisors’ interview comes months after the Irish head of delegation revealed to Éirevision that the competition is under financial pressure.

Michael Kealy said the increase in entry fees was a result of the EBU declaring that the competition was not currently “financially viable”. RTÉ currently spends a third of its competition budget on the fee required to be paid to the European Broadcasting Union. In 2023 this cost was €105,099, up from €92,588 for the 2022 tender.

Ahead of the 2023 competition in Liverpool, Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia pulled out of the competition citing the cost of participating at a time of economic hardship across the continent.

Romania also chose to withdraw from the 2024 competition due to financial difficulties affecting the broadcaster.

At another point in the interview, Martin Österdahl also spoke about the phenomena of hatred in the competition.

“We will fight back very hard” (on the phenomena of hate)”

The head of the competition has detailed the security situation ahead of next week’s competition, why Israel was allowed to enter the competition and his thoughts on the social media hate directed at this year’s artists.

First, Österdahl comments on the difficult conditions under which Eurovision is being held in 2024:

“You shouldn’t swear but… we’ve been a little unlucky this year.”

With tensions rising across Europe, there are concerns that Eurovision could become a target for protesters or even criminals. Österdahl, who has been the Contest’s Executive Supervisor since 2020, believes that while the contest may be “awkward” this year, its security can handle it:

“Regarding the security circumstances, we’ve been at the absolute peak of security for many years, so the audience and crew that work on this for eight-nine weeks can be safe. Will there be demonstrations? Very probable. Will it feel a little uncomfortable and could it get violent? Possible. Will the police be able to handle it? Yes, I think so.”

Österdahl also touches on the social media hate surrounding the contest this year. Many have protested Israel’s inclusion in this year’s contest, with some directing hate at both the contest organizers and the artists themselves. Österdahl feels that he and his team have gone beyond what they can tolerate now:

“There’s a lot of hate in the media and on social media, against the participants and those that work with this. Hate doesn’t belong in the Eurovision Song Contest and we will fight back pretty hard against that. We’re past what we can tolerate now – artists shouldn’t feel afraid of expressing their artform because there’s a conflict somewhere else in the world that they have nothing to do with. It’s absolutely absurd.”

When asked about Israel’s participation, Österdahl reiterated that Eurovision was a contest for broadcasters, not governments. And, when asked why Russia had been banned from the competition in 2022 and not Israel, Österdahl defended Israel’s broadcaster KAN, calling them the “direct opposite” of the Israeli state:

“The disinformation that was spread about the invasion of Ukraine was what was too much for us in the end. But while the Russian broadcasters are Putin’s and the Kremlin’s extended arm, the Israeli broadcaster KAN is the direct opposite. Netanyahu has been trying to shut it down. And it’s the independent public service broadcasters that we have to support.”

In addition, he said another broadcaster, Azerbaijan’s AZTV, is one whose independence is more questionable. While AZTV is not Azerbaijan’s Eurovision broadcaster – that’s İctimai Television – the Executive Overseer says they had “reasons to highlight things about Azerbaijan” in general:

“We’ve had reasons to point things out regarding Azerbaijan. It’s not exactly a democracy and sometimes you can question AZTV’s independence. But they’ve not yet crossed the line like Russia did.”

In the end, Österdahl admits to being “frustrated” with the political discussions surrounding Eurovision, saying that the contest is the only thing they can control:

“I spend a lot of time explaining to the delegations that once you step on the stage you have to take that coat off and focus on what brings us together. The only thing we can control are those three minutes on stage, and that’s why I sometimes get frustrated when lots of people want to make politics out of the Eurovision Song Contest.”

Source: Dagens Industri

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