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Junior Eurovision: Viewing figures for the 2021 contest revealed!

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The 19th edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC) broadcast on Sunday 19 December from Paris, reached a total of 33 million viewers, with the show recording its highest average viewing since 2011.

The contest was broadcast on YouTube as well, with many viewers watching it there:

The EBU published through the official Junior Eurovision website these statistics:

  • 4.5 million unique viewers also watched content around the event, including the Live Show, in Junior Eurovision’s official YouTube Channel.
  • An average TV audience of 7.5 million saw the 2021 competition which showed 19 countries singing live on the stage of La Seine Musicale in Paris in a spectacular Christmas-themed show hosted by France Télévisions.
  • The hosts delivered the second largest audience with 1.6 million tuning in to France 2. A year-on-year increase of 400,000 viewers.
  • Poland saw the biggest average TV audience for a third year in a row as 2.8 million watched their act Sara James finish 2nd in the competition. JESC 2021 attracted 4 times as many viewers than usual in the same slot to the 3 TVP channels it aired on.
  • Overall, 11 out 14 markets recorded saw larger audiences than are normally received by their broadcaster in that slot.
  • In the winning country, Armenia, on average 43% of all TV viewers watched JESC 2021 on AMPTV who will host the 20th Junior Eurovision Song Contest later this year.
  • Iceland, who didn’t take part but aired the competition for the first time, recorded a share of 96%!

You can read the whole breakdown of the statistics published by EBU here!

Young Audiences

Junior Eurovision’s appeal to young audiences was clear this year.

The Contest delivered a 12.6% viewing share among children aged 4 to 14, up 59% on the average normally achieved by this specific group of broadcast channels of 7.9%; and the 2.5-hour event also delivered an 11.2% viewing share among 15 – 24-year-olds, more than twice than the average number normally achieved by the same group of 5%.

Those numbers were also confirmed by online viewers. On social media the contest saw its best year ever. There were 8.3 million video views on TikTok and 5.7 million videos viewed, as well as 23 million impressions on Instagram, the Contest’s most popular digital platforms.

The 20th anniversary edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held by 2021’s winning broadcaster AMPTV in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan later this year.

Watch Armenia’s winning song “Qami Qami” performed by Malena:

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

Source: junioreurovision.tv

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding Junior Eurovision Song Contest!

EBU uploaded again the “How To Eurovision – Greece” video, after ERT’s protest!

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The video “How To Eurovision – Greece” is back on YouTube, having removed the points for which ERT sent an official protest to the EBU.

First through Eurovisionfun you read about the strange video, which both we and many other fans characterized, the EBU posted on YouTube and the rest of the social media and supposedly honored the Greek presence in the contest.

Specifically, in the original video, apart from a brief review of Greece in Eurovision Song Contest, there was an extensive tribute to the 12 points of Cyprus to Greece, while it was mentioned that in 1998 the Greek entry saved from the last place and the 0 points, thanks to the 12 points of Cyprus. As if that were not enough, the video even included the mocking of the Greek participation that year by the audience.

Of course, in similar videos from other countries, we did not see anything like that, because of course it is not only Greece and Cyprus that, for well-known reasons, exchange high scores every year. Denmark does the same with Iceland, but so do the other Nordic countries, as do Poland and Ukraine, Estonia and Latvia, Belarus and Russia, as well as the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

After the dynamic intervention of ERT, which made it understandable to those involved that the issue would go to extremes as it was a matter of dignity, the problematic points were removed from social media, and then the video was completely downloaded from YouTube.

As of yesterday afternoon, the video is again on YouTube, without the audience’s mocking, with a clearly shorter and more diplomatic reference to the 12 points of Cyprus, while the saxophonist’s “out of tune” solo in Anixi of Sofia Vossou no longer exists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2E0tEpVPuE

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

Belarus EBU suspension to expire in three years

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BTRC, the public Belarusian broadcaster will be suspended from the EBU until 2024.  According to BTRC Director General Ivan Eismont, Belarus received a three year suspension from its EBU membership.  This is the highest suspension a country can get from the organization.

The EBU can of course, review its sanction and reduce its term.  However, the chances of this happening at this point are slim.  The European Broadcaster Union suspended BTRC because of the use of the Lukashenko government to the public channel as a propaganda tool.  Belarus has received international condemnation from different countries and organizations including the European Union for its response to civil protests and the deterioration of press freedom and civil liberties.

In this sense, BTRC will not return as a full member of the European Broadcasting Union until July 1, 2024.  However, if the human rights and rule of law situation in the country does not improve it cannot be excluded that the current sanctions will get extended.  As of now, Belarus will miss the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, 2023 and 2024.  Belarus would have the chance to return to the 2024 Junior Eurovision and to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0wfxz5zq04&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

Will you miss Belarus participation in Eurovision?  Stay tuned for more updates about Belarus in Eurovision!

Source: SB.by

Italy: 11 cities remain in the Eurovision 2022 claim!

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August 4th was the first important date for the 66th Eurovision Song Contest. This was the deadline for submitting the application files of the cities wishing to host the contest next May. Of the 17 cities that initially expressed interest, only 11 finally submitted completed proposals. By the end of this month, RAI and EBU will announce the city that will have the honor, but also the responsibility to host Eurovision 2022! Read more

Sergey Lavrov: “The EBU decision on Belarus was disgusting and pure censorship”!

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the Eurovision Song Contest and EBU’s decision for banning the Belarusian entry from the upcoming contest in Rotterdam.

Organizers of the contest disqualified Belarus from the contest last week after deeming their songs too political.

Speaking in Thursday’s televised comments, Lavrov called the decision “disgusting” and “pure censorship”.

The decision to ban Belarus from the Eurovision Song Contest was really disgusting. An act of clear censorship!

Sergey Lavrov

The first song submitted to the contest called “I’ll teach you” allegedly mocked protesters who disputed the results of the Presidential elections last summer.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said the country would submit another song, but the organizers said the replacement was also breaching the rules and that Belarus would be disqualified.

Armenia’s withdrawal due to the Nagorno-Karabakh war and the blockade of Belarus reduced the number of countries participating in this year’s competition from 41 to 39, while proving beyond doubt that those who believe that politics has nothing to do with the contest, are watching something different.

Listen to the song that would represent Belarus at Eurovision 2021 below:

Do you agree with Sergey Lavrov or do you consider the exclusion of Belarus fair?

Source: Associated Press

Eurovision 2021: Tomorrow the announcement of the scenario according to which the contest will take place!

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In the news program of the Dutch public television, Niewsuur, it was recently announced that tomorrow, Wednesday, February 3, the scenario will be announced, according to which the 65th Eurovision Song Contest will take place, on May 18, 20 and 22! Read more

Kazakstan: An unfair decision by EBU – Editorial

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EBU has made it clear for another year that it does not intend to make a special invitation to Kazakstan or Kosovo in order to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Although the case of Kosovo is quite complex and any participation would have bad consequences, as there are political and diplomatic implications, this is not the case with Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan is indeed a predominantly Asian country, with a small part belonging to Europe. It is not geographically located in the EBU area countries and is therefore not a member, although the Caucasus countries also do not belong to its broadcasting area, EBU exceptionally accepted the public broadcasters of these countries.

The argument, of course, that Kazakhstan cannot participate because it is not in Europe does not apply, since every year Israel or formerly Morocco, countries that do not belong to Europe, take part. Of course in recent years we have also Australia, a country located on the other side of the earth.

Many argue that Kazakhstan’s political regime is inconsistent with a contest that promotes freedom and respect for diversity like Eurovision. Indeed, Kazakhstan does not have one of the best democracies in the world, but is it worse off than Azerbaijan or, as we now see, Belarus?

It could not be a new case of Australia, that is, to participate with a special invitation, as it is a unique case, which has shown great interest in the competition, before it is finally given the right to participate, say some others. But when 365 songs have been submitted to Kazakhstan for Junior Eurovision this year, think about the interest for the senior Eurovision!

Now if the problem is where the contest will take place if Kazakhstan wins, the same can be said here as in the case of Australia, although Astana is not that far away. That is, to organize it in cooperation with another EBU member country, in the territory of the latter.

While according to the above there is no serious excuse for not participating in a country that has been participating in Junior Eurovision for three years with a special invitation, the EBU continues to close the door unnecessarily in Kazakhstan, despite its great desire to participate.

Kazakhstan, however, continues to hope every year that it will receive the special invitation to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, just as it does with Australia. The issue is that now the majority of fans are with him, considering the relevant decision of the EBU unfair and selective.

What is your opinion? Should Kazakhstan be invited to the Eurovision Song Contest or not?

EBU: The Announcement on Eurovision 2020 Songs

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In a statement on social media, EBU clarified some of those suspended after the contest was canceled. EBU’s intention is to honor the songs and artists of Eurovision 2020!

The announcement

In particular, the statement mentions:

Thus, it is clear that the choice of its representative for 2021 is left to each country’s delegation . It was also clarified whether  they would compete for the same songs this year.

We look forward to the latest from EBU regarding this initiative in the coming weeks!

 

 

EBU: Reference Group meeting for Coronavirus and Eurovision 2020 tomorrow | Shots canceled for all postcards

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Tomorrow, we probably will have some interesting news regarding the  Eurovision 2020 and the impact that the spread of coronavirus has. As the Czech Public Broadcaster’s official website for the contest announced tomorrow (17\3), the Reference Group is meeting to assess the situation and the new data.

While the pandemic is spreading elsewhere in Europe faster and elsewhere and with daily cancellations or postponements of major sporting and cultural events, the fate of the Eurovision song contest remains still unknown.

According to the latest EBU official announcement, any decisions will be made in April. Based on our own information, the EBU examines various scenarios, of course considering their legal dimension as well. Postponing the competition, however easy it may be in words, is a complicated process.

We do not think that tomorrow there will be a final decision on what is to come with this year’s competition. Both the Dutch organizers and the EBU are in close contact with the relevant health services, while considering alternative scenarios that may need to be implemented.

What is certain is that the postcard shootings that would take place in different parts of the Netherlands at this time will be postponed for the time being. If all goes well, what will become of the Ukrainian model of 2017, when the postcard shooting, was the first week of rehearsals.