Audience gains more influence: ESC changes its rules

For the first time since 1980, the ESC is not taking place in the winning country. But that’s not the only novelty. The organizers are changing the voting rules. Viewers should have more power.

At the Eurovision Song Contest, from 2023, only viewers will decide which countries will survive the semi-finals. This was announced by the European Broadcasting Union. Accordingly, the jury voting for these two shows is omitted.

In addition, in the future, fans whose countries do not send candidates to the ESC will also be able to vote online for a fee. The votes are added up and converted into points. These have the same weight as a participating country in both the semis and the final. In the final, however, the juries are asked again, whose votes then account for 50 percent of the points.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor at ESC, said of the changes: “Throughout its 67-year history, the Eurovision Song Contest has constantly evolved to remain relevant and exciting. These changes recognize the immense popularity of the show by bringing the audience of the give more power to the biggest live music events in the world.” After the discrepancies in the jury votes from six countries during this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the bodies are becoming less important.

In 2023 the music competition will take place in Liverpool, even though Kalush Orchestra won the ESC in Turin for the Ukraine with “Stefania”. Due to the Ukraine war, the Reference Group, the board of the ESC, stated “that given the current circumstances, the security and operational guarantees required for a broadcaster to host, organize and produce the Eurovision Song Contest in accordance with the ESC rules , cannot be given”.

The final will take place on May 13th in the English metropolis, the semi-finals on May 9th and 11th. The BBC is working with representatives of the Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne to include Ukrainian elements in the shows and thus make the country’s culture visible, it said. This is the first time since 1980 that the winning country is not hosting the ESC.