One of the biggest questions remaining for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest is whether the two semi finals will both be broadcast live or whether the Tuesday semi final will be recorded and broadcast on the Thursday during a live transmittion of the second semi final.

It certainly appears from the news coming out of this weekend's reference group meeting that the two semi finals look set to be broadcast live, one on Tuesday 20th May, the second on Thursday 22nd May. Something the vast majority of Eurovision Song Contest fans had hoped for.

By holding a draw in January to determine which countries participate in each, it should make ticket purchasing easier for fans of countries participating in the semi finals. Fans will know which semi final their country will participate in before ticket sales commence.

This will also mark the first time in recent years that a draw for the Eurovision Song Contest running order will be made prior to the majority of entries being selected. Usually, all entries must be selected prior to the running order draw.