EBU: Voting will change for Eurovision 2023

by Sanjay (Sergio) Jiandani 1,268 views

The EBU (European Broadcasting Corporation), has announced today that it will be implemeting major changes in the voting system at the forthcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.

 

The EBU will be bringing about a number of major changes to the competition’s voting system: the jury vote will be scrapped from the Semi-finals, the international audience and viewers from non participating countries will be able to cast their vote online.

The Eurovision voting is changing (Photo credit: EBU)
  • The Semifinal qualifiers will be determined via a 100 % viewer vote
  • Viewers from non competing countries will be eligible to cast their vote online
  • The Grand Final results will be determined via a combined jury/viewers voting deliberation

The EBU press release reads:

The countries that qualify from the two Semi-Finals, 10 from each, will now be decided solely based on the votes cast by viewers of the competition, rather than a combination of a jury and public vote as has been the case since 2009.  

And, for the first time ever, those watching in countries not taking part in the competition will also be able to vote for their favourite songs online.  

Their votes will be added together and converted to points that will have the same weight as one participating country in both of the Semi-Finals and the Grand Final. 

Professional juries, made up of those working in the music industry, will continue to contribute to the result of the Grand Final along with viewers in each country taking part and those voting internationally.

Audiences in all participating countries will still be able to vote by SMS, phone or via the Eurovision Song Contest app. 

Those watching in the rest of the world will be able to vote via a secure online platform using a credit card from their country. 

Following the unprecedented nature of the voting irregularities seen at the 2022 Contest a working group of EBU Members was established to look at ways to protect the integrity of the event. Its recommendations were then approved by the Reference Group, the Contest’s governing board and the Executive Board of the EBU.

Martin Osterdahl (EBU/ Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor) says:

Throughout its 67-year history the Eurovision Song Contest has constantly evolved to remain relevant and exciting. These changes acknowledge the immense popularity of the show by giving more power to the audience of the world’s largest live music event.  

In 2023 only Eurovision Song Contest viewers will decide which countries make it to the Grand Final and, reflecting the global impact of the event,  everyone watching the show, wherever they live in the world, can cast their votes for their favourite songs.  

By also involving juries of music professionals in deciding the final result, all the songs in the Grand Final can be assessed on the broadest possible criteria.  We can also maintain the tradition of travelling around Europe and Australia to collect points and ensure a thrilling voting sequence with the winner only revealed at the very end of the show.

The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held at the Liverpool Arena in Liverpool on 9, 11 and 13 May. The event will be hosted by the BBC and the United Kingdom on behalf of Ukraine.

Source: EBU
Photo credit: EBU