Germany and UK confirm 2013 participation

by Juha Repo 307 views

Even if there has been almost no doubt that the two big EBU members would take part in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, it is now clear that both ARD of Germany and BBC of the United Kingdom are definitely planning ahead for their participation.

According to a German media business website DWDL.de the co-operation between public broadcaster ARD and private channel ProSieben has come to an end after three successful years, as had been rumoured after the last season of the Unser Star.. show did not get very good ratings. According to the website Thomas Schreiber, the ARD entertainment coordinator, thanked his colleagues at ProSieben and said it was part of the tradition of selecting the German song, how the method has evolved over the years. He is also reported saying that ARD’s plans will be revealed soon. As Stefan Raab continues to be contracted to ProSieben it is unlikely he will be involved in the German Eurovision effort in 2013.  The official German eurovision.de website is also very clear about a German participation in 2013.

Meanwhile at the BBC, the message for esctoday.com is clear: “The BBC is committed to the Eurovision Song Contest” and will, as expected also be in Malmö. No more details are available at this early stage.