Eurovision 2018 🇵🇹 EBU reports 186 million viewers for the three shows
LISBON 🇵🇹 The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), the world’s biggest live music event, was seen by over 185 million viewers in 2018. The 3 live shows from Lisbon, Portugal on 8, 10 and 12 May reached around 186 million people across 42 markets*
The 2018 Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest achieved, on average, around the same TV audience share as 2017 of 35.8% – more than double the average prime-time viewing share for the same group of channels (15.3%).
Winning country Israel delivered its largest audience since 2005 on KAN. An average 1 million viewers watched the Grand Final, accounting for 50.9% of Israeli TV viewing.
2nd placed Cyprus had its best ever result and its highest audience on record (since 2003), with 250 thousand viewers accounting for 77.4% of Cypriot TV viewing.
Germany (ARD) saw the highest average viewing figures for the 8th consecutive year (7.7m). The UK’s audience on BBC One was up 5% on 2017 with 7 million viewers on average tuning in. While France (France 2) had the highest viewing figures since 2009, up 10% on last year to 5.2 million.
Spain’s LA1 delivered the largest increase in viewers year on year, almost doubling its 2017 audience to deliver 6.4m viewers (42.2% share). This made the country the third biggest market overall and RTVE’s biggest ESC audience since 2008.
Host country Portugal’s Grand Final audience was up 10% on 2017. 1.5 million Portuguese tuned in making it their biggest ESC audience since 2008 and giving host broadcaster RTP a 36.4% audience share.
Iceland once again delivered the largest viewing share of all the markets (95.3%), despite its entry not making it to the final for a fourth consecutive year.
The Eurovision Song Contest once again highlighted the ability of public service media to connect with young audiences. On average, 43.1% of 15-24 year olds watching TV in 42 markets enjoyed the Grand Final which is four times higher than the broadcast channels average of 10.6%.
Viewing share is also around four times higher than the broadcast channels average among Children (4-15 years olds; 35.1% / 8.3%) and Young Adults (25-34 year olds; 35.4% / 9.5%).
In addition, there were 6.6 million live streaming sessions in 198 territories across the 3 shows on the official ESC YouTube channel, an increase of 10% compared to last year. 2.2 million unique viewers tuned in for the Grand Final on YouTube.
The Grand Final of the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest was also broadcast by 13 EBU Radio organizations.
*source: Results produced by EBU and based on Eurodata TV’s and relevant partners’ data
🇷🇸 RTS also responds to Mladen Lukić allegations for jury voting fraud
SERBIA 🇷🇸 Serbian national broadcaster followed the answer of Australian one and replied to the story of Mladen Lukić, although they gave no light to the weird statement of the Balkanika singer.
RTS Anja Rogljic says to oikotimes.com: “The statement given by the member of the Balkanika band Mladen Lukic is personal in nature. On May 14th 2018, he stopped being the member of the RTS delegation which represented Serbia at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.Therefore, the RTS is distancing itself from his statement.”
Ms Morgan says
I can confirm to you that these allegations are completely baseless and untrue. I can also echo everything the EBU has confirmed and clarify that the Australian jury is independently audited here in Australia by a legal notary. Your suggestion in the article that SBS is hiding from anything is mis-leading and false. The reason for no further information is because the story is quite simply complete rubbish and there is no more information to give.
YESTERDAY THE EBU RESPONDED
The EBU, as well as an external auditor, rigorously reviews all submissions for Jurors in close consultation with the broadcasters. All jurors sign an agreement with the EBU before taking part, confirming that they will remain impartial and cast their votes strictly on the performances in the shows that they adjudicate. There is also a procedure whereby random inspections take place at certain jury locations during the voting process each year. External partners also help us to confirm the security of the televoting section of the vote.
Now there is a big issue with the Serbian delegation and Serbian singer. Mladen Lukić remains silent without giving any further clarification or explanation of his serious allegations and of course the person who’s responsible for his team, the Serbian HOD who must seriously give an an answer after all this mess which easily shadowed various countries including Australia, which is clearly feeling insulted by the story.
Ms Morgan says
I can confirm to you that these allegations are completely baseless and untrue. I can also echo everything the EBU has confirmed and clarify that the Australian jury is independently audited here in Australia by a legal notary. Your suggestion in the article that SBS is hiding from anything is mis-leading and false. The reason for no further information is because the story is quite simply complete rubbish and there is no more information to give.
YESTERDAY THE EBU RESPONDED
The EBU, as well as an external auditor, rigorously reviews all submissions for Jurors in close consultation with the broadcasters. All jurors sign an agreement with the EBU before taking part, confirming that they will remain impartial and cast their votes strictly on the performances in the shows that they adjudicate. There is also a procedure whereby random inspections take place at certain jury locations during the voting process each year. External partners also help us to confirm the security of the televoting section of the vote.
Now there is a big issue with the Serbian delegation and Serbian singer. Mladen Lukić remains silent without giving any further clarification or explanation of his serious allegations and of course the person who’s responsible for his team, the Serbian HOD who must seriously give an an answer after all this mess which easily shadowed various countries including Australia, which is clearly feeling insulted by the story.
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🇦🇺 SBS responds to Serbian allegations and its response is absolutely storming: “allegations are completely baseless and untrue”
AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺 Following the disturbing story which Balkanika singer, Mladen Lukić spread few days ago on a TV interview, Katie Morgan, Head of Communications for SBS, replied to oikotimes.com request for an answer.
Ms Morgan says
I can confirm to you that these allegations are completely baseless and untrue. I can also echo everything the EBU has confirmed and clarify that the Australian jury is independently audited here in Australia by a legal notary. Your suggestion in the article that SBS is hiding from anything is mis-leading and false. The reason for no further information is because the story is quite simply complete rubbish and there is no more information to give.
YESTERDAY THE EBU RESPONDED
The EBU, as well as an external auditor, rigorously reviews all submissions for Jurors in close consultation with the broadcasters. All jurors sign an agreement with the EBU before taking part, confirming that they will remain impartial and cast their votes strictly on the performances in the shows that they adjudicate. There is also a procedure whereby random inspections take place at certain jury locations during the voting process each year. External partners also help us to confirm the security of the televoting section of the vote.
Now there is a big issue with the Serbian delegation and Serbian singer. Mladen Lukić remains silent without giving any further clarification or explanation of his serious allegations and of course the person who’s responsible for his team, the Serbian HOD who must seriously give an an answer after all this mess which easily shadowed various countries including Australia, which is clearly feeling insulted by the story.
MAD VMA 2018 🇬🇷 vote now for your favourite Eurostars
GREECE 🇬🇷 Eurostars, a word first used by oikotimes.com regarding the Eurovision stars back in 2001 and today, 2018 is all over the web. Eurostars are now besides a word, a community which surrounds any major event taking place anywhere in Europe.
The annual MAD Video Music Awards are gearing up and of course Eurostars are induced in the line up for the live acts and for the nominations this year. On Wednesday June 27th at the Athens Tae Kwon Do arena, the 2018 edition of the event will take place. It’s the top music event of the year in this country as also the entire showbiz is gathered in one place either to attend, perform or receive / give an award.
The annual online voting has started as well. Via the website www.videomusicawards.gr you can support your favourite singer/s but of course as genuine Eurofans we recommend you support our beloved Greek Eurostars. Remember if you are in Athens on June 27th get your ticket and join the ultimate music party of the year.
NOMINATIONS THIS YEAR INCLUDE
Melisses (Greek NF 2010)
Helena Paparizou (Greece 2001, 2005)
Eleni Foureira (Greek NF 2010, Cyprus 2018)
Sakis Rouvas (Greece 2004, 2009)
Dionisis Schoinas (Greek NF 1998)
Demy (Greece 2017)
Tamta (Greek NF 2007)
Katy Garbi (Greece 1993)
Peggy Zina (Greek NF 2002)
Evridiki (Cyprus 1992, 1994, 2007)
Romania 2018 🇷🇴 Cristina Caramarcu (The Humans) speaks over Eurovision results
ROMANIA 🇷🇴 More than a week after the Grand Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, The Humans lead singer, Cristina Caramarcu spoke to PRO TV. The missed qualification in the Eurovision final was a shock to the Romanian fans of this show-contest. The Humans failed to get enough votes from the public in the second semifinals of the show, becoming Romania’s first team not to be at this stage of the 2004 competition. Cristina Caramarcu (33 years old), the band’s soloist, spoke about everything. Highlights of the interview:
- We were disappointed but it was beyond us
- We were expecting more votes from the public as it was the jury who supported us
- We hoped till the last minute but no camera was around us when we realised we are out
- No one understood why our song was eliminated
- We were happy with our performance it was artistically presented fine
- Danish representative was sad about our elimination, he really loved our song
- Regarding alleged voting problems TVR claimed, there is nothing to change the result so Cristina didn’t comment
- I am proud of our performance, it was a great result on stage
- I voted for Albania in the final, Eugent was perfect vocalist
- Netta had a good package to go to Eurovision and good marketing behind her
- Moldova was funny and followed their last year’s recipe, they went on the show on a jolly piece
- Romania needs a good song and good marketing. Neighbour voting prevails
Eurovision 2018 🇵🇹 EBU replies with a generic statement over voting fraud allegations – SBS / RTS still hiding
SWITZERLAND 🇨🇭 The European Broadcasting Union was the only one answering our emails regarding Mladen Lukić statement that he witnessed jury voting exchange in the hotel lobby in Lisbon during the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest week, mentioning Australian delegation as one of them.
Immediately when the story properly reported on oikotimes.com we send an e-mail to the EBU and all the people of the Serbian and Australian delegation to comment the story and give a reply. Out of 7 e-mails sent only the EBU replied.
The EBU, as well as an external auditor, rigorously reviews all submissions for Jurors in close consultation with the broadcasters. All jurors sign an agreement with the EBU before taking part, confirming that they will remain impartial and cast their votes strictly on the performances in the shows that they adjudicate. There is also a procedure whereby random inspections take place at certain jury locations during the voting process each year. External partners also help us to confirm the security of the televoting section of the vote.
Still, the shadows created by Balkanika singer, Mladen Lukić, remain strong as the EBU answer was generic, giving no clarification if there was a jury voting problem or if they are investigating the case. This is what actually makes things worst. No matter what Mladen Lukić saw or understood, EBU, RTS and SBS should have denied it immediately to stop any concerns regarding the voting procedure which suffers every year.
Every year speculations about the jury voting which always has a big gap with the public voting, raises concerns and suspicions on how the juries vote. This is the outcome of the 2013 scandal with Azerbaijan. Back then EBU tracked voting fraud and without making it public, penalised Baku for it.
But we all wonder why RTS and SBS remain silent and hide from responding to a very simply question…
🇮🇱 Israel complains over Dutch TV Eurovision parody
BBC.CO.UK REPORTS / ISRAEL 🇮🇱 The Israeli embassy in the Netherlands has lodged a complaint over a parody of Israel’s Eurovision winner that criticised Israeli policies and prompted accusations of anti-Semitism. The skit on Netta Barzilai’s Toy was broadcast on Saturday during a primetime satirical show. The parody drew on violence on the Gaza border, where 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. The show’s producers insist the song did not target the Jewish community.
The song, performed on Sanne Wallis de Vries’s show by Martine Sandifort, began with an imitation of Netta’s trademark chicken noises but then used a backdrop of footage involving Palestinian protests against Israeli forces. Sandifort sang of Israel building walls that even President Donald Trump could only dream of, but then suggested it was cashing in on the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. The chicken-clucking of the original song is replaced with further references to money: “With your ching-a-ling and your ping-a-ping, with your dollars and cents and your pecunia (finance), your ching, kerching-kerching.”
Israeli ambassador Aviv Shir-On told Dutch newspaper NRC that the content of the song was crude and offensive and that the programme “packages anti-Semitic stereotypes as jokes”.
DUTCH TV TOY PARODY LYRICS
Look at me, I am such a sweet country.
World leaders eat obediently out of my hand. And I put out all fires with a kiss.
We are having a party, wanna come? Soon in the al-Aqsa mosque, which will soon be empty anyway.
From Haifa to the Dead Sea, there are fireworks and kosher satay. So just come and dance with me.
Is your country surrounded by rock throwers? Build walls like Trump himself has wet dreams about.
Throw a buk-a-buk, throw a buk rocket.
Look how nicely I throw bombs.
Yes, again, Israel is winning, Already for 70 years this party has been going on. Look how nice.
Critics say the parody evokes traditional anti-Jewish prejudices by associating Jews with money. Some 800,000 people are reported to have watched the satire show on public broadcaster NPO1 on Saturday and Hanna Luden from the Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel condemned the song as “really poisonous”. While programme host Sanne Wallis de Vries declined to comment, the broadcast group behind her show, BNN Vara, insisted the song was not referring to “anti-Semitic prejudices”. “In Sanne Wallis the Show, events of the past week are discussed in a satirical manner. Last week Israel winning the Eurovision song contest coincided with a flare-up in the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
“The parody brings Israel’s policy up for discussion and is emphatically not an indictment against the Jewish community.”
🇮🇱 Israel’s communications minister invites several Arab states in Eurovision 2019
ISRAEL 🇮🇱 Israel’s communications minister has invited several Arab states to take part in next year’s Eurovision song contest in Jerusalem. Israeli singer Netta Barzilai won this year’s contest with the song “Toy.” Traditionally, the winner’s country hosts the next year’s event. Barzilai concluded her victory speech by saying, “Next year in Jerusalem.”
According to Israel’s Channel Two, Communications Minister Ayoub Kara told Israeli television, “We will invite Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and also Tunisia to participate in the Eurovision contest. Why not? If they just request it.” The statement is an indication of the warming relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as the other Gulf states. However, Channel Two notes that these countries would likely not be eligible for the contest.
According to the contest’s rules, countries must be members of the EBU, which sponsors the event, which Saudi Arabia and the others are not. In addition, they are ineligible because countries that wish to join must broadcast the contest the year before they wish to participate.
Several Arab countries are members of the EBU — Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco — but have refused to participate alongside Israel in the past.
Eurovision 2019 🇮🇱 dates and host city to be announced?
ISRAEL 🇮🇱 With a post on Instagram, the EBU seems to be ready to announce the dates and the host city of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU makes clear to the fans that no matter what we have heard (about the dates and the host city) might not be true so don’t book anything for next year. So far it seems that what we knew about Jerusalem and May 21, 23, 25 might not be confirmed. Let’s see if the announcement will be imminent and clear on host city and dates.
The main issue for the EBU is always a key factor that no one ever pays attention to: the international airport which must cover at least 70-80% of direct flights to the host city. Weirdly and until the moment we write this post, Tel Aviv has withdrawn from hosting the event.
Regarding who’s interested to host the event: Be’er Sheva – Turner Stadium (Capacity: 16,126), Haifa – Sammy Ofer Stadium (Capacity: 30,870), Jerusalem – Pais Jerusalem Arena (Capacity: 15,654) and Teddy Stadium (Capacity: 31,733), Petah Tikva – no venue currently are the current bidding cities (officially or at least by official statement to the press).
Besides Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion Airport, there is also Eliat-Ramon Airport & Haifa-U. Michaeli Airport, which are also international airports.
Another key factor is the accommodation for which only Tel Aviv can host up to 20,000 guests at the same time for an event like this. Have in mind that besides the security issues in Jerusalem, the traffic due to religious tourism for 40 delegations will be a nightmare on daily basis. So it seems that no matter what PM Netanyahu says about Jerusalem, it’s EBU’s approval which will decide the host city.