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Last Tuesday made the EBU in the middle of the night – evening in Australia – known to the country next year to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Executive Supervisor Jon Ola Sand said he sees this decision as the first step towards a ‘ global event ‘. The beginning of the end or a sigh without resonance?

Eurovision purists sit on their rear legs, because the far Australia takes part in the Eurovision Song Contest. And their criticism has certainly rake points. The EBU disconnects namely freely its own rules: only active EBU broadcasters may normally take part in the Eurovision song contest. To, the land of the broadcasting or within the so-called European Broadcasting Area (EBA), or a member of the Council of Europe. For that reason countries such as Azerbaijan, Armenia and Israel for years. In addition, the participation of Australia announced as a one-time event, and only if they were to win, the Australians were allowed to return. But Guy Sebastian was only fifth in Vienna.

Also the rhetoric that the contest very exaggerated Australia upside down, is bright. Yes, the contest has been broadcast on local State broadcaster SBS since 1983 and increased in popularity in recent years – especially since there since 2009 also own commentators to the host city to travel – but it remains a broadcast that no pots breaks into the Australian audience lists. And this is mainly due to the small role of SBS in the Australian television landscape. The Australian Figures by OzTAM, CIM, show that the combined market share of the two SBS networks in the week from 1 to 7 november less than 3.5%. In comparison, our three VRT networks clocked in 2014 to almost 40% of the Flemish television.

The Chinese

The ‘ overwhelming good comments ‘ that the EBU and Jon Ola Sand so received on the participation of the country, will therefore mainly of Australians and the EBU itself have come. But there already is brewing something, and no one can say that he or she fell completely off the air when the news became known last Tuesday. In Vienna there was a full-fledged Chinese delegation to see how that Eurovision Song Contest exactly. Although we already reported that the next year will not come, it would be no great surprise if the Chinese are more as a participant be announced in 2017 and/or 2018.

It’s never clear what the rate is that the EBU wants to sail with the Eurovision song contest, which communicates them to sporadic and vague. But if the Executive supervisor the words ‘ global ‘ event, is telling. A possible participation of countries like South Africa and India sounds now as the ultimate horror scenario for many, but the contest has already endured substantial modifications. The participation of countries behind the Berlin wall, the introduction of televoting, doing away with the language rule and the Orchestra, the two semifinals, … They have gotten the match not small, on the contrary, she is now bigger than ever before. As far as the interest of countries from here shows just how much the Eurovision Song Contest alive and fame.

Unanimity

And who knows we groan within ten years or collectively as the United States and Canada for the umpteenth time to exchange their 12 points during the vote. Like it never has been otherwise. Because the average viewer is not wake up by a participation of far countries – which has already busy enough with during the final 26 songs to distinguish from each other, and on one or some of them to vote.

So Australia should be involved? Yes. Because the Reference Group of the Eurovision song contest has decided unanimously, even. And however much some would want it, change will there no more income. To the purist in you to save a heart attack: an Edition from down under will not come quickly – a European broadcaster would organize in any Australian win the competition from a city within the ERA or the Council of Europe. Such as the rules for writing. For the time being.