ESC 2022: Why Australia?

Why picks an artist from Australia ESC Part 2022? This is the question many ask themselves when the Eurovision Song Contest airs from May 10, 14, 2022 in Turin, Italy.

Brief Answer: It has become almost natural. In 2015, Australia received exceptional permission to participate in the ESC for the first time. The country on the other side of the world did not have to qualify for one of the two semi-finals, but qualified directly for the final. The ESC organizers justified this with the great enthusiasm of the Australians at the Eurovision Song Contest. In principle, the move could be seen as a PR gimmick for the 60th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest.

ESC 2022: Why Australia is

The Eurovision Song Contest has been airing in Australia since 1974 and is very popular. Numbers show how popular ESC is: In 2014, 2.7 million Australians won the Conchita Wurst competition. The peak was that there were only 24 million people in the country. The following year, when Australia sent its first artist for the first time, 4.1 million Australians watched the Eurovision song contest. Australian participant Guy Sebastian finished fifth with his song “Tonight Again”.

Following the exceptional approval of the ESC anniversary, John Ola Chund, ESC’s Managing Supervisor, announced at the end of 2015 that Australia would be allowed to compete again in 2016. But direct tickets to the final were not available. Like all other participating nations, Australia had to qualify for the semi-finals. Since then, Australia has been participating in major international song competitions every year. Australia will be back at ESC 2022.

Australia on ESC 2022 – not the only exception

Coincidentally, it is not uncommon for non-European countries to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1980, Morocco, located in North Africa, sent a participant. Israel has been there since 2017 and this year. Why is that? The Eurovision Song Contest is not a “European Song Contest”, it is not a European Song Contest.

Here is the explanation, which may be a bit complicated at first: all countries where EBU is active are owned by Eurovision, the European programming body of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). To be a member, countries must operate a national broadcasting service within the so-called European Broadcasting Region or in a country that is a member of the Council of Europe. This includes countries such as Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

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Now Australia is one of them. Australian broadcaster SBS is now a partner of the European Broadcasting Union, as it has been said that it has not yet been decided whether it will be allowed to compete permanently in Australia in 2016. Since 2015, Australia has been a permanent participant in the ESC – if they are invited by the host country. Yet they have to prove themselves in the semifinals – very often.

What will happen if Australia wins ESC 2022?

By: If Australia wins the tournament, next year’s final will not be played on the other side of the world yet. Organizers have announced that if Australia wins, next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will still take place in a European city. Other participating countries do not have to fly around the world with bags and luggage. sli