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Kosovo: RTK is starting their selection process for Eurovision with “Festivalit të Këngës”!

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The management of the Kosovar Public Broadcaster RTK, signed today to the creation of a new project called “Festivalit të Këngës”. This project is intended to be used in the future as the country’s selection method for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Festivalit të Këngës will be held in Kosovo and the purpose of the broadcaster is to offer to the TV audience a cultural and artistic event. The previous years, the citizens of Kosovo could watch in TV the Albanian selection for Eurovision Song Contest, Festivali i Këngës. Therefore, the tender process of the selection was widely known. 

RTK specifically stated in the press confrence that they aim for Festivalit të Këngës to be used as the selection method for Kosovo’s participaion in Eurovision, whenever the country makes its debut.

In 2022, RTK’s Director-General Ahmet Xhekaj stated that he aimed to apply for an EBU membership by the end of the year. However, this has not happened so far. Mr. Xhekaj believes that Kosovo may now have a greater chance of joining in EBU following the removal and suspension of Russia and Belarus by the organization.

Do you think that Kosovo will be able to make their debut in the Song Contest in the near future? Let us know in the comments down bellow!

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun for all the news regarding Kosovo’s participation in Eurovision!

Source: RTK

Eurovision 2023: Hosts revealed for Liverpool!

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Graham Norton, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

Presenting the Grand Final will be Eurovision legend Graham Norton, award-winning Ukrainian singer, Julia Sanina (of The HARDKISS), internationally acclaimed musical theatre performer, three-time Olivier Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress, Hannah Waddingham, and singer-songwriter, pop star and TV presenter, Alesha Dixon.

Presenting the two live Semi-Finals from Liverpool will be the trio of musical superstars Julia, Hannah, and Alesha.

The Ηosts

  • Julia Sanina

Julia Sanina is the lead singer of The Hardkiss. In 2016, The Hardkiss finished second in the first edition of Vidbir, the Ukrainian national selection for Eurovision. Julia also appeared as a judge on Vidbir 2023.

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη Julia Sanina (@the_hardkiss)

  • Hannah Waddingham

Hannah Waddingham is a stage and screen actress. She is best known for playing Rebecca Welton in the comedy series Ted Lasso, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 and the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 and 2022. She has also starred in several West End shows such as Spamalot, Into the Woods and The Wizard of Oz.

  • Alesha Dixon

 

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Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη ALESHA DIXON (@aleshaofficial)

Alesha Dixon first found fame as a member of the girl group Mis-Teeq. After the group split up, Alesha began a successful solo career. She has also appeared as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, which she previously won, and Britain’s Got Talent.

  • Graham Norton

 

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Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη graham norton (@grahnort)

Graham Norton is best known for his chat show The Graham Norton Show, which has won five BAFTA TV Awards since first airing in 2007. Since 2009, he has been the main commentator for the BBC coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest. He also hosted both editions of the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007 and 2008.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijk0m0QZcWE&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.iframe.ly%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool!

Israel: Is Noa Kirel’s participation in Eurovision 2023 in danger? | The message of EBU’s General Director to the country’s prim minister!

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In a previous article we informed you about Israel’s possible abscence in Eurovision 2023, as the country’s government thinks about shutting down the public broadcaster and specifically its news department.

If this ends up happening, then the channel will not no longer meet its commitment to a full range of programming as public service media, putting in doubt its eligibility for EBU membership and ability to take part in major events such as the Eurovision Song Contest.

The EBU’s Director General, Noel Curran, has expressed his concern about threats to the integrity and independence of Israeli national public broadcaster, KAN, in a letter to the country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Independent news and information form an integral component of public service media organizations and make a key contribution to media pluralism in well-functioning democracies…. With the primary interest of the public in mind, that directly funds KAN, we trust the new government will also safeguard the independence of KAN and enable it to continue to fulfil its mission in democratic society.”

General Director Curran, finished his letter by saying:

“The EBU’s responsibility is to ensure that it supports all our Members in their mission to serve the interests of the general public in the best possible manner. These developments risk undermining KAN’s capability to meet its commitments as a member of our international alliance of public service media organizations.”

Causing particular concern were recent remarks by the country’s Communications Minister, Shlomo Karhi, that challenged the freedom of the press and threatened to shut down KAN’s news operation. In a radio interview, he stated that:

“The public shouldn’t fund one particular channel, there should not be public broadcasting.”

Since its creation in 2017, KAN’s television, radio and online offer has included a diverse range of news and information, entertainment, cultural and educational content. Its membership of the EBU also enables the broadcaster to benefit from world-class sports rights, including the 2022 World Cup, and live entertainment, notably the Eurovision Song Contest that was organized by KAN in 2019, following Israel’s win the previous year.

Back in 2017, the then Israeli government had issued statements showing intent to dismantle KAN’s news operation. These were finally abandoned when the EBU insisted on this being a condition of the Israeli broadcaster’s hosting of the 2019 Song Contest.

In the end, we would like to remind you that Israel had already confirmed its taking part in Eurovision 2023 back in March 2022 and has selcted Noa Kirel internally as their representative. Will the young singer be able to perform on Liverpool’s stage?

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

Source: ebu.ch

Martin Österdahl: “The decision to exclude Russia from Eurovision was hard”!

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The executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest said the decision to exclude Russia in 2022 was “hard”.

In a recent interview, Martin Österdahl, the executive supervisor of Eurovision, said although the contest was not political it must always reflect the basic values of democracy.

Martin Österdahl made the comments whilst speaking to Abba’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, who was guest editing the flagship UK radio show, BBC’s Today program.

Asked if the decision to exclude Russia from the contest earlier this year was hard, Osterdahl replied:

“It was, and it still is. How Europe feels very much affects the contest. It is also that when you look back in time you see that the Eurovision Song Contest is like a log book of what has happened in Europe, what the trends have been in Europe,” he added. “But, also, what is the kind of mood and sentiment of Europe, and what is the social context of Europe at the time.”

Why was Russia excluded from Eurovision in 2022?

There was international outcry Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, with the cultural arena becoming an expression for anti-Putin sentiment.

Performances of Russian art and by Russian artists were cancelled in Poland and the UK, with businesses withdrawing from the country and Russian products withdrawn from supermarket shelves in the west.

Amidst all this, a row brewed about Russia’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest with neighbouring Finland the first to say they wouldn’t compete with Russia, while Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway all called for Russia to be excluded.

Eventually the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) did exclude Russia from the contest, with Russian national broadcasters suspending their memberships and the EBU preventing them from participating in future contests.

EBU bans Russia from Eurovision 2022!

 

Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra went on to win in Turin, Italy. However, next year’s contest will be hosted in the city of Liverpool after it was judged too dangerous to hold the event in Ukraine.

“When we say that we are not political, what we always should stand up for are the basic and ultimate values of democracy. Everyone is right to be who they are,” Osterdahl continued. This will be a Eurovision Song Contest that really shows the values that we talk about – solidarity, reaching out, uniting through music.”

What do you think about Russia’s exclusion now, many months after the decision? Write us in the comments below!

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

Source: euronews.com

Junior Eurovision 2022: Watched by 33 million viewers!

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EBU has revealed that the Junior Eurovision 2022 broadcast received 33 million views in 13 measured markets. The average TV audience reached 7.9 million viewers, the third largest number for the competition since 2011.

Some interesting facts:

  • 4 in 10 Armenians tuned in to watch the competition sometime in the afternoon.
  • 10 of the 13 markets received a larger-than-usual number of viewers in that time slot.
  • Poland, Italy, France and Spain exceeded their average number of views by 1 million.
  • An audience share of 18.5% was recorded among children aged 4 to 14 years.

Online, the show received over 500,000 views on the official livestream on YouTube.

Junior Eurovision 2022

The 20th Edition of Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place on December 11th at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan, Armenia. The winner of Junior Eurovision 2022 was France with Lissandro and the song “Oh Maman!”.

Here are the results:

  1. France: Lissandro – “Oh Maman!” – 203 points
  2. Armenia (host country): Nare – “Dance!” – 180 points
  3. Georgia: Mariam Bigvava – “I Believe” – 161 points
  4. Ireland: Sophie Lennon – “Solas” – 150 points
  5. United Kingdom: Freya Skye – “Lose My Head” – 146 points
  6. Spain: Carlos Higes – “Señorita” – 137 points
  7. Netherlands: Luna – “La festa” – 128 points
  8. Portugal: Nicolas Alves – “Anos 70” – 121 points
  9. Ukraine: Zlata Dziunka – “Nezlamna” – 111 points
  10. Poland: Laura Bączkiewicz – “To the Moon” – 95 points
  11. Italy: Chanel Dilecta – “Bla Bla Bla Bla” – 95 points
  12. Albania: Kejtlin Gjata – “Pakëz diell” – 94 points
  13. Serbia: Katarina Savić – “Svet bez granica” – 92 points
  14. North Macedonia: Lara feat. Jovan & Irina – “Životot e pred mene” – 54 points
  15. Kazakhstan: David Charlin – “Jer-Ana” – 47 points
  16. Malta: Gaia Gambuzza – “Diamonds in the Skies” – 43 points

Source: EBU

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

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Just moments ago, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the countries that will take part in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool! 37 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!

Kazakhstan: Possibilities for a Kazakh participation in Eurovision 2023 still exist!

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Kazakh “Khabar Agency” reports that there are still hopes for a possible participation of Kazakhstan in the European Eurovision Song Contest in the near future.

Speaking at a press conference organized by the Khabar Agency and ORTCOM regarding the participation of Kazakhstan in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, producer Zhan Mukanov spoke about the hopes of “Khabar Agency” and Eurovision 2023. In particular, he stated that:

Since Khabar Agency is an official accredited member of the European Union of Radio and Television Stations, there is every possibility of officializing the participation in Eurovision. I really hope, we hope everything goes well.

Khabar Agency has been an associate member of the Broadcasting Union since 2016, which means that in order to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest they will have to be invited to compete by the EBU.

The only broadcaster that has never been invited to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest without being a full member is Australian broadcaster SBS. SBS was invited as part of the 60th edition of the competition, with the EBU highlighting more than 30 years of broadcasting the competition and Australia’s links to the competition.

Kazakhstan has been participating in Junior Eurovision since the 2018 contest where it has been invited by the contest’s Reference Group to participate. Khabar Agency broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest live in Kazakhstan annually between 2010 and 2021, but did not broadcast the 2022 contest due to low viewership and the high cost of broadcasting.

 

In 2021, Kazakhstan was represented at Junior Eurovision by Alinur Khamzin & Beknur Zhanibekuly, with “Ertegі әlemі” (Fairy World)

The Kazakh broadcaster is currently seeking full EBU membership, which would allow the country to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest.

 

Source: eurovoix.com

Eurovision 2023: First details of Liverpool’s organisation!

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And while we are mere days away from the announcement of the Eurovision 2023 host city, the first details about the proposed scheduled events came to light. In particular, Liverpoolecho reveals exclusive details of how Liverpool intends to organise the Competition, should it be selected.

Eurovision 2023: Glasgow or Liverpool will host the upcoming contest!

 

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Eurovision 2023: The bookmakers declare Glasgow as the favourite!

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We are at the final homestretch of the selection process for the city that is going to host Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Despite announcing yesterday that only Glasgow and Liverpool remain at the course of claiming, it seems that for the bookmakers there is an absolute favourite!

According to the bookmakers, Glasgow has 64% chance to host the contest, while Liverpool concentrates the remaining 36%.

It should also be pointed out that the variability of the odds was recorded mostly the last days, before BBC’s announcement regarding the predominant cities.

Specifically, as shown at the panel above (screenshot that was taken yesterday), while Glasgow remained for long as the absolute favourite for the bookmakers, Liverpool managed to make an outstading leap in odds. However, this dynamic was not preserved after the BBC announcement, with Glasgow retaking it’s edge overnight.

Will the bookmakers be proven right or Liverpool is going to make a surprise? Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the details!

United Kingdom: Selection Committee will pay a visit to Glasgow on September 30!

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STV News reports that the committee incumbent on selecting the host city of Eurovision 2023 is visiting Glasgow on September 30.

A BBC delegation is due to visit Glasgow this Friday, to carry out a thorough inspection/assessment of the city’s infrastructure. This assessment will be then taken into account for the final stage of the host city selection procedure.

The OVO Hydro has a capacity of up to 14,500 standing spectators and opened 2013. The OVO Hydro was also used in the filming of the Eurovision movie, Eurovision The Story of Fire Saga, where a fictional ESC took place in Edinburgh. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the fourth largest in the United Kingdom with a population of over 635,000 people.

The EBU and the BBC announced today that Glasgow and Liverpool are the final two cities in the running to host Eurovision 2023.

Eurovision 2023 will be the first Competition since 1979, where the previous year’s winner will not host the event, even though such thing happened six times in the past.

Which city do you prefer as the host city of Eurovision 2023? 

Source: SVT, Eurovoix