Ceske Televize, the Czech national broadcaster, has announced that it will be opting for an internal selection in order to determine the 2025 Czech Eurovision entry and act.

Czechia will be scrapping its traditional national selection ESCZ after 6 successful editions. The Czech national broadcaster has gone internal for Eurovision 2025 due to budget constraints and in order to save resources for the Eurovision staging and promotion.

CT has opened the song submission window for Eurovision 2025 with the deadline set for the 30th of September 2024. Artists wishing to apply must have a career in Czechia regardless of their nationality, whilst composers can submit songs with an artist or solo (the composers can be Czech or from any country in the world).

CT’s official press release reads:

After six successful editions of ESCZ, Czech Television’s management board and Eurovision delegation have made the difficult decision to take a break from this national selection process. ESCZ has been an essential platform for the Czech music scene intrnationally and in selecting our entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, but we believe it is necessary to make this change in light of the current budget constraints and our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of quality.

The press releases goes on to mention about the new selection process for Eurovsiion 2025:

New Selection Process for Eurovision 2025- Instead of ESCZ, our upcoming entry for the Eurovision Song Contest will be selected through an internal competition, ensuring that we can allocate resources more effectively towards staging and promotion. We are pleased to announce that the submission period for potential entries is open, with the finaldate for submissions set for September 30th, 2024 at 23:59.

The press release concludes:

Selection Criteria and Competition Process- All the selected songs will be evaluated by a demoscopic jury, which will be
managed by a Czech firm and will account for 40% of the decision. An international jury will also weigh in with another 40%, while a ČT selection committee will contribute the final 20% and resolve any ties. We are making an open call to all artists with careers based in the CzechRepublic, regardless of nationality, to submit their entries. There is no limit to the number of songs an artist can submit. Additionally, composers from any country are welcome to submit demos that are not tied to specific artists.

Kristof Samal (Czech Head of Delegation) says:

It has been a wonderful journey to showcase Czech music on an international stage through ESCZ. Moving to a closed competition process encourages established artists to participate discreetly, without the added pressure of public competition. This approach also allows us to focus our resources on staging and both internal and external promotion. Our new direction is aimed at achieving the best possible result for Czechia, recognizing the potential for Eurovision to become the phenomenon here as it is in other European countries.

Ahmad Halloun ( PR and Engagement Manager for Czechia at ESC) says:

Eurovision is a show with tremendous potential, especially among younger audiences, who are often difficult to engage (TV wise). This year, we will focus on a variety of activities both nationally and internationally, not only to promote our act but also to elevate the profile of the contest itself. We are collaborating with the EBU, various broadcasters, platforms and organizations to increase itsvisibility on screens and make Eurovision a more prominent part of Czech pop culture.

 

Source: CT
Photo credit:  Alma Bengtsson