Australians still love the Eurovision Song Contest, but would they love it more live? Recently released figures from SBS Australia show that viewer ship for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was nearly identical to the 2003 contest. The preliminary data are based on data from five major cities in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth).

This year’s estimated audience reach for the final was 1,341.000 viewers, down slightly from last year’s 1,369,000. Both this year’s and last year’s numbers translate to roughly 10 percent of the entire population of Australia, quite good considering there are two public and three private TV networks all competing for audience share (plus cable and satellite networks).

Would the ratings improve if it were shown live? Some Down Under Eurovision-fans wonder if SBS could show the contest live (and perhaps on tape delay), as is routinely done for sporting events from overseas. This year’s contest would’ve aired at 5am on Sunday morning in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and 3am in Perth, prime sleep time for many Australians. But arguably not an unusual time (early Sunday morning) for a rippin’ good party . . .