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

The Model: Predicted Results for Eurovision 2024!

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The Model is a project by Eurovoix aimed at predicting the results of the Eurovision contest, based on betting odds, fan voting online, app usage, song views and streamings on electronic platforms, historical voting patterns, and even the position in the running order. It also takes into account other external factors such as political developments that could influence the outcome, or the nationality of an artist.

As the computational prediction model is constructed based on contemporary data, which dynamically change during the pre-party period, its recently updated version predicts Switzerland as the winner instead of Italy.

Ukraine and The Netherlands continue to be the winners of the two semi-finals, while in this edition, Greece and Cyprus also advance to the final, both with an upward trajectory.

First Semi-Final Scoreboard

Second Semi-Final Scoreboard

The change observed here is the qualification of Georgia for the Grand Final and the displacement of Denmark among the non-qualifiers. Clearly, Nutsa Buzaladze’s outstanding performance at the London Eurovision Party last weekend won over the fans and gave a boost to the Georgian entry.

Final Scoreboard

Perhaps the most challenging in terms of prediction, the voting outcome crowns Switzerland as the big winner of Eurovision 2024. According to this computational model, Greece will finish 13th (10th in both televoting and juries), while Cyprus will place 19th (21st with the juries and 16th in the televote).

What do you think of The Model’s results? Will they be confirmed in May? Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the updates!

Source: eurovoix.com

Norway: Spain Wins First Episode of Adresse Malmø Show!

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The Norwegian state broadcaster NRK airs a special program dedicated to the Eurovision Song Contest every year. Each week, approximately eight songs are reviewed by judges who rate the songs from one to twelve points.

Nebulossa from Spain won the first episode of the Norwegian preview show for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

In the celebrity jury for the first Adresse Liverpool show were Ingeborg Heldal, Stian “Staysman” Thorbjørnsen, Jim Ødegård Pedersen, and Marte Stokstad.

Comedian Pernille Sørensen and presenter Peter Bubresko participated in the show for the first episode in the main jury. In the fan jury, Ida Hovland (from Haugesund, Norway), Catharina Amundsen (from Halden, Norway), and Erling Levang (from Nittedal/Haugesund, Norway) gave their ratings.

The results were as follows:

  • Spain – Nebulossa – Zorra – 79 Points (12, 4, 12, 10, 7, 10, 12, 12)
  • Azerbaijan – Fahree ft. Ilkin Dovlatov – Özünlə apar – 69 Points (5, 12, 10, 12, 4, 7, 12, 7)
  • Georgia – Nutsa Buzaladze – Firefighter – 67 Points (12, 12, 12, 12, 3, 8, 2, 6)
  • Netherlands – Joost Klein – Europapa – 65 Points (12, 10, 8, 5, 10, 4, 8, 8)
  • Cyprus – Silia Kapsis – Liar – 63 Points (7, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 8, 10)
  • United Kingdom – Olly Alexander – Dizzy – 55 Points (7, 6, 8, 6, 5, 8, 7, 8)
  • Slovenia – Raiven – Veronika – 41 Points (7, 4, 5, 5, 6, 5, 7, 2)

The next program of Adresse Malmø is as follows:

  • Show Two – Friday, April 12th

Einar Tørnquist and Isah participate in the main jury for the second episode. In the fan jury, Hansi Tryggvasson (from Bærum, Iceland), Simen Formo Hay (from Oslo), and Synne Eikenes Sørensen (from Larvik, Norway) will give their ratings. Among the countries to be rated by the juries are Austria, Iceland, and Belgium.

  • Show Three – Friday, April 19th

Thomas Numme and Tara Lina Shahin are part of the main jury for the third episode. The fan jury includes Drian Vad Flaaten (from Tønsberg, Norway), Victoria Haugan Saur (from Sunndal, Norway), and Alex Snyder from Vikersund/USA. Among the countries to be rated are France, Denmark, and Ireland.

  • Show Four – Friday, April 5th

Sandeep Singh and Erik Solbakken, host of Eurovision 2010 and Eurovision Young Dancers 2011, are part of the jury. Eva Nodeland (from Elverum, Norway), Øystein Antonsen (from Arendal, Norway), and Omid Rashidi (from Visby, Norway) are part of the fan jury. Among the countries to be rated are Switzerland, Finland, and Italy.

  • Show Five – Friday, May 3rd

In the final episode of Adresse Malmø, Are Kalvø and Ingebjørg Bratland will participate in the main jury. Marko Stojiljkovic (from Serbia), Jon Arne Ravndal (from Oslo), and Anna Lycke (from Nannestad, Sweden) are part of the fan jury. Among the countries to be rated are Croatia, Greece, and Sweden.

You can watch the show on NRK Player here.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates on Eurovision 2024!

Source: NRK

Norway: NRK Likely to Drop Eurovision Reviews Due to Reviewer Boycott

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NRK’s music critics are unwilling to cover the Eurovision Song Contest as long as Israel participates, leading the channel to likely drop such reviews this year.

“Several of the contractors that NRK normally uses have informed us that they do not wish to take on the assignment of writing reviews for Eurovision,” says editor-in-chief Elisabet Davidsen of NRK to Aftenposten.

The background is the war in Gaza. Israel‘s actions have led to significant opposition to the country’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), and many criticize the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for allowing the country’s participation.

“It would never have been an option to acknowledge Israel‘s participation. That would have been completely unthinkable,” says reviewer Espen Borge.

NRK usually reviews all entries in the competition, with reviews often having a somewhat humorous tone.

Norway is represented this year by Gåte and the song “Ulveham”, and has been drawn to compete in the second half of the Second Semi-Final.

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

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

Source: Aftenposten

London Eurovision Party 2024: Watch the performances of the artists!

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One more pre-party took place last night. After two parties on Spain, one taking place last week in Madrid and Saturday’s party in Barcelona, it was time for the British party to take place in London.

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Sweden: Marcus & Martinus do not rule out a future Norwegian representation!

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Last month, Marcus & Martinus were crowned winners of Melodifestivalen’s 2024 edition with their song “Unforgettable” and will therefore defend the Swedish title on home ground.

Marcus & Martinus are Norwegian-originated artists and speaking to “The Euro Trip Podcast“, the decision to take part in Melodifestivalen and claim the Swedish representation in Eurovision derived from the fact that they have been working the most in Sweden:

We have been thinking a little bit about it, but for us right now it felt very natural and right to do it in Sweden. 

We’ve been working for most of our time after COVID in Sweden.

Marcus & Martinus would try out MGP

Considering that the duo is from Norway, they were asked whether they would give a chance to Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian national selection for Eurovision:

Maybe one time. We’re still young. We have a lot of time to do it. Never say never. It’s hard to answer it right now, but if it’s the right timing or if we’re working a lot in Norway and it suits us, maybe we’ll do it. But right now it’s hard.

Marcus & Martinus were approached by NRK for Eurovision

It appears that NRK has also expressed its interest for Marcus & Martinus but apparently not at the right time. In fact and as revealed by the duo, NRK approached them for Eurovision 2023 but they had already entered Melodifestivalen.

Sweden were far ahead before the Norwegians asked us.

They did [ask us to participate] last year when we entered Melodifestivalen for the first time. But that was many, many months after we already made the song [Air] and did everything around it. They asked very, very late. We couldn’t have had a song ready if they asked so late. 

Sweden felt very right for us.

Marcus & Martinus will represent Sweden in Eurovision 2024 with their entry “Unforgettable“. As the host country, Sweden is automatically qualified to the Grand Final of May 11 and is allocated to perform first.

You can also watch EurovisionFun’s reaction video on “Unforgettable“, below:

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: TheEuroTripPodcast

Bets: The first odds for advancing to the final!

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Just over three weeks separate us from the start of rehearsals in Malmö ahead of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. As we head into the final stretch just before Eurovision 2024 takes place in the Swedish city, one of Eurovisionfun ‘s most loved and talked about columns is back, with our Eurovision 2024 betting analysis back again.

With bookmakers having started to offer more betting sections for the upcoming contest in recent hours, we take a look at the qualification odds for this year’s Eurovision grand final from the two semi-finals on May 7 and 9.

First semi-final

The first semi-final on May 7 is expected to be particularly competitive, according to the bookers. With just three companies offering the possibility of qualifying for Saturday’s grand final so far, the sample may be small, but it is still largely representative of what we will see on Tuesday’s show.

Four countries are considered by the betting companies to be guaranteed to qualify for the grand final of this year’s competition. Croatia, Ukraine, Finland and Lithuania are offered at odds of under 1.05, a big gap compared to the other eleven participating countries in this semi-final.

Particularly increased chances of qualifying for the grand final are given by bookers to Luxembourg, Cyprus, Serbia and Poland. The group of these countries is being played at odds between 1.25 and 1.33, which translates betting-wise into a qualification probability of over 70% for three of them(Cyprus, Serbia, Poland) and over 80% for Luxembourg in its return to Eurovision after more than three decades.

A battle is expected to be waged for the last two tickets to the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, where four countries are expected to fight for their place in the contest. Slovenia, Portugal, Australia and Ireland are being played at odds of between 1.44 and 1.75, with the former two currently looking like the frontrunners to get past the first semi-final hurdle, with all of them having more than a 53% chance of qualifying.

Finally, regarding the remaining three countries in the first semi-final, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Iceland, betting companies see them as the big underdogs for qualification. With regard to Azerbaijan, their chances of qualification are far from negligible, as they are offered odds of more than doubling, approaching 2.25. In contrast, Moldova and Iceland seem to have little chance of making it to the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, with Moldova being offered odds of between 3 and 3.75, while Iceland is offered odds of between 3 and 5.2.

Second semi-final

Things seem to be clearer in the second semi-final regarding the chances of the sixteen participating countries qualifying for the grand final on 11 May. The countries taking part in the second semi-final appear to be divided by the bookers into five sub-groups.

The first sub-group is made up of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. The three Central and Western European countries, which occupy three of the top six places in the odds of winning this year’s competition, are considered by bookmakers to be certain to qualify, which is why their odds of qualification are no more than 1.02.

All five countries in the second sub-group seem largely certain to qualify. Greece, Norway, Israel, Armenia and Austria are offered odds of between 1.04 and 1.2, which translates into qualification odds of 85% for Greece, 83% for Norway, 82% for Israel and Armenia and 81% for Estonia.

A “category” on its own is Estonia, whose qualification to the grand final is considered the most likely scenario, with bookers giving them around 70% odds and playing at odds between 1.28 and 1.33.

Georgia and Denmark are set to battle it out for the final ticket, with Georgia and Denmark both distancing themselves from the leading nine countries and the remaining five in the running. At odds of around 1.75, Georgia ‘s qualification is being played at odds of between 1.67 and 2.22, with bookies giving 52% odds to the Caucasians and 49% to the Scandinavians.

Finally, the last sub-group is the remaining five countries that will take part in the second semi-final on May 9. Latvia, Albania, San Marino, Malta and the Czech Republic are considered by bookers as the underdogs to qualify for the Eurovision 2024 final, as all of them have odds between 27% and 35% and are offered at odds that return around three times the initial stake.

In any case, with the pre-parties continuing in the coming weeks and with the start of rehearsals for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest less than a month away, the only thing that is certain is that the shake-up will continue and will culminate as the days for the big celebration in Malmö approach. Competition is fierce and all possibilities are open.

Which countries do you think will qualify for the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest? Tell us in the comments!

Norway: Guests and Songs to be reviewed for Adresse Malmø!

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Just like every year,NRK’s Eurovision Pre-Show Adresse Malmø (with the title changing depending on each year’s host country) is going to be broadcast in April.The show,consisting of 5 parts,sees music experts and artists from all over Europe examining and reviewing this year’s Eurovision entries.

Just like the previous editions, Ingeborg Heldal and Stian “Staysman” Thorbjørnsen will be forming part of the jury, while Jim Ødegård Pedersen returns to the People’s Jury. The Norwegian commentator Marte Stokstad is going to present the show.

Show One – April 13

Comedian Pernille Sørensen and presenter Peter Bubresko join the show for the first episode on the main jury. On the People’s Jury, Ida Hovland ( from Haugesund, Catharina Amundsen  from Halden and Erling Levang ( from Nittedal/Haugesund are going to unveil their ranking.The Netherlands,the UK and Spain are the countries to be reviewed.

Show Two – April 20

Einar Tørnquist and  Isah join the main jury for episode two. The People’s Jury features Hansi Tryggvasson  from Bærum/Iceland, Simen Formo Hay (from Oslo and Synne Eikenes Sørensen from Larvik. Austria, Iceland and Belgium are to be ranked in the second show.

Show Three – April 27

Presenter Thomas Numme and comedian and radio personality Tara Lina Shahin are part of the main jury for episode three. The People’s Jury features drian Vad Flaaten  from Tønsberg, Victoria Haugan Saur  from Sunndal and Alex Snyder  from Vikersund/USA revealing their scores. The entries from France, Denmark and Ireland are among the songs to be reviewed.

Show 4 – May 3

Music journalist Sandeep Singh and host of Eurovision 2010 and Eurovision Young Dancers 2011 Erik Solbakken form part of this show’s jury, with  Switzerland, Finland and Italy being reviewed. Eva Nodeland from Elverum, Øystein Antonsen from Arendal and Omid Rashidi  from Visby are part of the People’s Jury.

Show 5 – May 4

The final episode of Adresse Malmø sees Are Kalvø and Ingebjørg Bratland join the main jury. On the People’s Jury are Marko Stojiljkovic from Serbia, Jon Arne Ravndal  from Oslo and Anna Lycke  from Nannestad/Sweden. Among the songs being ranked Croatia,Greece and Sweden can be found.

Norway in this year’s Eurovision

This year Norway is represented by Gåte and their song “Ulveham”,which will be featured in the second-semi final on May 9th.

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

Source:NRK

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for more things about Eurovision!

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!

Norway: Gåte Reveals Changes Ahead of Eurovision!

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The road to Eurovision for Norwegian folk rock band Gåte has been one of unexpected twists and turns, but the band has embraced every challenge with open arms.

Since their debut on the MGP stage, both Norwegian and international fans have been clamoring for more of Gåte‘s unique sound. Guitarist Magnus Børmark admits that being part of Eurovision has been more demanding than anticipated, but it’s also been an incredibly rewarding experience.

Their Eurovision journey hasn’t been without controversy, particularly surrounding their winning song “Ulveham.” Initially approved by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the song faced a challenge due to its use of old folk elements. Gåte responded by crafting a new version, ultimately chosen for the MGP final in Trondheim and slated for performance in Malmö.

“Yes, everything was approved by the EBU, but what happened was that we improved the song after the changes. The lyrics were initially a mishmash of 40 verses, which we had reduced to five verses. They didn’t quite fit together, but then we had to rewrite. Then we wrote it so that we better convey the meaning. It was a great gift,” says Børmark.

Despite the challenges, Gåte remains grateful for the attention brought by the controversy. Vocalist Gunnhild Eide Sundli sees it as an opportunity for wider recognition of their work in reviving folk traditions.

Their victory in Melodi Grand Prix has brought them a newfound audience, both in Norway and across Europe. As they prepare for their Eurovision journey, including performances at pre-parties and rigorous rehearsals, the band is eager to seize every opportunity.

Fans have expressed a desire for more focus on the band’s guitarists and their impressive stage tricks. Gåte has taken note and promises to deliver a performance that showcases their unique talents.

As they navigate the whirlwind of Eurovision preparations, Gåte remains focused on telling their story through music. While the journey may be challenging, they are determined to make the most of every moment and show the world what they’re capable of.

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

Source: TV2 Norway