Will we see a shorter Grand Final next year when Sweden hosts the competition? It seems that the 2024 Eurovision host broadcaster, SVT, is planning to reduce the Grand Final by circa an hour.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has published an article reporting that SVT is aiming to shorten the Grand Final to 3 hours 15 minutes, hence an hour shorter than this year’s Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final which ran for 4 hours 15 minutes. Aftonbladet has got hold of confidential documents where SVT’s plan of action for Eurovision 2024 is detailed.

The Eurovision Song Contest has grown immensely since it was born and a record number of countries compete in the contest today. The event has gone from one to two shows, from two to three shows. Today the Eurovision Song Contest consists of three televised shows (2 semi-finals and 1 Grand Final) with circa 40 odd countries partaking in the event.

A total of 26 countries compete in the Grand Final and circa 40 countries vote during the show. The numerous interval acts, the flag parade the jury voting sequence and the televoting results sequence has all in all lengthened the show.

It is yet unclear how SVT plans to shorten the Grand Final and if it plans to introduce any changes to the voting format or reduce the interval acts.

We must note that the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final has surpassed 4 hours in the last few editions (2023, 2022, 2019) or has been aproximately 4 hours long (2021, 2018).

Neither the EBU or SVT have made any further official announcements regarding the format for the forthcoming 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

Source: Aftonbladet
Photo credit: EBU/