2024 could potentially see the beginning of changes to the contest we all know and love.
The two biggest changes that are being talked about at the moment are in relation to the voting system used in Eurovision, and the length of the grand final.
Should I stay or should I go?
NRK’s Project Manager for Melodi Grand Prix, Thea Flinder, has said that the Norwegian broadcaster are currently in talks with the EBU regarding the jury voting system in Eurovision, and what the future holds for it.
“We are in dialogue with the EBU and have been told that it will be assessed and finally decided in January.” Thea explains that, in a meeting with the EBU, there have been increased involvement in discussions regarding the jury system in Eurovision, especially after the results of the 2023 contest.
Any final decisions regarding the voting system in Eurovision will ultimatley be down to the EBU and the Reference Group. The EBU say they do not have any further comments on the matter at the present time, but do explain why the jury system is in Eurovision, as the Eurovision communications team writes to Norwegian broadcaster TV2.
“Using national juries of musical experts in the grand final, who rank all the songs in order of priority, each song can be assessed individually. It ensures the best qualitative ranking of all participants in the Grand Final and that a winner is decided on the broadest criteria.
By using a jury vote for the Grand Final, we can also continue a long-standing tradition of uniting all participating countries on air with spokespeople providing votes from their nation.
With all participating countries voting in the grand final, including the points awarded by professional juries, it also helps to mitigate diaspora and cultural voting which is reduced by 50% in the semi-finals by assigning countries with similar voting records to perform and vote in separate shows .
Finally, to maintain the suspense of the voting sequence in the grand finale, with the final winner only known at the very end of the show, two sets of separate votes are still required.”
Time, time, don't let me down
Another potential change that could be headed Eurovision’s way is a shorter grand final, something that has been a topic of discussion for a number of years now. Aftonbladet report that SVT are looking to cut as much as one hour from the Eurovision grand final.
Over the last few years, the running time of the Eurovision grand final has seen a steady increase, with the show now regularly going on for close to four hours or more, with this years contest lasting for a whopping 4 hours 15 minutes.
There are many aspects of the show that could be seen as a contributing factor to the long length of the Eurovision final, from the flag parade at the beginning of the show, to the three recaps shown, to the voting sequence at the end of the show.
It is possible that any one of these things could be in the danger zone, but at the moment, all we can do is speculate as SVT have yet to make any announcements on how exactly they plan to cut down the run time of the final.
Should the juries stay, go, or just be reformed? Is cutting down the running time of the Eurovision final achievable? Let us know your thoughts on these potential changes in the comments below!
One Response
Personally I love having 2 sets of votes, it adds to the contest and means anyone can truly win. As for the length of the contest, leave it as it is.