Will we see the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in China and the USA next year? Both nations have broadcast the competition in recent years and introduced our beloved favourite television show to audiences far and beyond the old continent.

The Eurovision Song Contest has crossed continents and oceans, reaching lands far and away attracting millions of viewers worldwide. Our favourite Eurovision tunes can be heard from Brazil to Japan, from Malaysia to the USA, from China to New Zealand, from India to Barbados… etc.

Over the years the coveted competition has grown immensely and gained much fame throughout the globe. Following the euphoric response and exposure the contest has received overseas, ESCToday decided to contact the European Broadcasting Union to find out if our dear friends in China and the USA will be able to watch the forthcoming 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, specially as both countries have broadcast the music-fest in recent years.

The EBU told ESCToday:

We were thrilled to air the ESC live in the US in 2017 and 2016, and our aim is always to bring the ESC to even more audiences across the world. We’ll have more news on where the ESC will air in 2018 in due course.

Eurovision in the USA

The Eurovision Song Contest entered American households via Logo TV in 2016. The channel has aired the Eurovision Song Contest for 2 consecutive years (2016 and 2017) and is expected to air the competition next year too.

In 2017, Americans were able to watch the Eurovision Song Contest live from Kyiv on Logo TV’s website, app and official Youtube Channel with the extraordinary commentaries by Drag Race judges Michelle Visage and Ross Matthews.

Michelle Visage indicated that she will be back as a commentator at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest along with Ross Mathews in a recent interview to Wiwibloggs:

Hell yes! Im back, confirmed!

Mr. Jon Ola Sand (Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor for EBU) commented regarding Eurovision in the USA last April:

We’re excited that, thanks to Logo, even more viewers this year can discover the excitement of the world’s longest running annual TV music competition and ’celebrate diversity’ with audiences around the world.

Eurovision in China

The Eurovision Song Contest arrived in China in 2013 when Chinese broadcaster CCTV aired all 3 Eurovision 2013 shows in October 2013 delighting the local audience. The 2013 Eurovision Song Contest was broadcast on CCTV’s music channel CCTV 15. We must not forget that CCTV is an Associate Member of the EBU.

Back then Mr. Jon Ola Sand (Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor for EBU) commented:

We hope that this is the beginning of an annual tradition, and that the Eurovision Song Contest will eventually also become China’s favourite TV-show. It creates an amazing opportunity for artists participating in the contest, expanding the enormous potential audience outside of Europe.

2015 saw Chinese broadcaster Hunan TV travel to Vienna in order to broadcast the competition for the Chinese audience. The following year a massive Chinese delegation attended the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm (including commentators) and aired the show live in China for the very first time (television and internet).

Hunan Television has broadcast the contest three years in a row (2015, 2016 and 2017), thus there is no reason to believe it will not broadcast the upcoming contest from Lisbon next year.

Recent Eurovision winners have gained much popularity in China, namely Loreen (Sweden 2012) and Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden 2015). Interest in the Eurovision Song Contest has been growing in China in recent years.

You can watch below a video from eurovision.tv showcasing the Chinese Delegation in Stockholm during Eurovision 2016.

The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest will be held  on 8, 10 and 12 May at the MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal.

Would you like to see China or the USA compete at the Eurovision Song Contest one day?