France to broadcast and vote in the first semifinal

by Victor Hondal 99 views

French public broadcaster France 3 has been granted permission by EBU to broadcast semifinal 1 of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest instead of the second, as it was previously decided. Therefore, the voting rights of France move now to semifinal 1 as well. Also, France 3 has announced that all three Eurovision 2010 shows will be aired.

France 3, as a consequence of scheduling problems, requested EBU to air the first semifinal live and therefore vote in it instead of the second one, as it was decided the day of the semifinal and final allocation draw.

This is the way the big-4 and the host country Norway will vote in the two semifinals:

  • Broadcasting of and voting in the first semifinal: France, Germany and Spain.
  • Broadcasting of and voting in the second semifinal: Norway and the United Kingdom.

Nonetheless, France 3 will still air the second semifinal, on a taped format, which means that the French viewers will have the chance to watch all three Eurovision 2010 shows on tv.

Svante Stockselius, executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the European Broadcasting Union, told Eurovision.tv: "We appreciate the commitment of France 3 to, for the first time, broadcast all three shows. This decision is in line with French success and good ratings of the 2009 contest in Moscow, and supports growing interest in the Eurovision Song Contest in France."

Last year, another big-4 country, Spain, requested EBU to broadcast semifinal 2 (Spain was drawn to semifinal 1) and move its voting rights accordingly, receiving EBU's approval.