Eurovision Song Contest | Gentle Sleep Reading
Relax with calm bedtime reading about the Eurovision Song Contest, designed for sleep and gentle relief from insomnia. Relax with calm bedtime reading that supports sleep and eases insomnia while offering a peaceful way to unwind. In this episode, Benjamin softly explores the history, traditions, and cultural impact of Eurovision, sharing facts in a soothing, steady cadence that helps your mind slow down while you rest. You can learn something new while relaxing, with no whispering, just calm educational reading meant to comfort restless nights and support sleep. This gentle approach can help reduce stress, quiet anxious thoughts, and make sleep feel more natural and welcoming for anyone dealing with insomnia. Settle in, press play, and let this calm bedtime reading carry you toward rest. Happy sleeping!
Transcript
Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,
Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.
I'm your host,
Benjamin Boster,
And today's episode is about the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest,
Often known simply as Eurovision,
Is an international song competition organized annually by the European Broadcasting Union,
EBU,
Among its members since 1956.
Each participating broadcaster submits an original song,
Representing its country,
To be performed and broadcast live to all of them via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks,
And then casts votes for the other country's songs to determine a winner.
The contest was inspired by and based on the Italian Sanremo Music Festival,
Held in the Italian Riviera since 1951.
Eurovision has been held annually since 1956,
Making it the longest-running international music competition on television,
And one of the world's largest running television programs.
Active members of the EBU and invited associate members are illegible to compete.
Broadcasters from 52 countries have participated at least once.
Each participating broadcaster sends an original song of three minutes duration or less to be performed live by a singer or group of up to six people,
Age 16 or older,
Of its choice.
Each country awards 1 through 8,
10,
And 12 points to their 10 favorite songs,
Based on the views of an assembled group of music professionals and their viewing public,
With the song receiving the most points declared the winner.
Other performances feature alongside the competition,
Including specially commissioned opening and interval acts,
And guest performances by musicians and other personalities,
With past acts including Cirque du Soleil,
Madonna,
Justin Timberlake,
Mika,
Rita Ora,
And the first performance of Riverdance.
Originally consisting of a single evening event,
The contest has expanded as broadcasters from new countries joined,
Including countries outside of Europe,
Such as Israel,
Morocco,
And Australia,
Leading to the introduction of relegation procedures in the 1990s,
Before the creation of semifinals in the 2000s.
Germany has competed more times than any other country,
Having participated in all but one edition,
While Ireland and Sweden both hold the record for the most victories,
With seven wins each in total.
Traditionally held in the country that won the preceding year's event,
The contest provides an opportunity to promote the host country and city as a tourist destination.
Thousands of spectators attend each year,
Along with journalists,
Who cover all aspects of the contest,
Including rehearsals in venue,
Press conferences with the competing acts,
In addition to other related events and performances in the host city.
Alongside the generic Eurovision logo,
A unique theme is typically developed for each event.
The contest has aired in countries across all continents.
It has been available online via the official Eurovision website since 2001.
Eurovision ranks among the world's most-watched non-sporting events every year,
With hundreds of millions of viewers globally.
Performing at the contest has often provided artists with a local career boost,
And in some cases,
Long-lasting international success.
Several of the best-selling music artists in the world have competed in past editions,
Including ABBA,
Celine Dion,
Julio Iglesias,
Cliff Richard,
And Olivia Newton-John.
Some of the world's best-selling singles have received their first international performance on the Eurovision stage.
While having gained popularity with the viewing public in both participating and non-participating countries,
The contest has also been the subject of criticism for its artistic quality,
As well as a perceived political aspect of the event.
Concerns have been raised regarding political friendships and rivalries between countries,
Potentially having an impact on the results.
Controversial moments have included participating broadcasters withdrawing at a late stage,
Censorship of broadcast segments by broadcasters,
Disqualification of contestants,
As well as political events impacting participation.
The contest has also been criticized for an overabundance of elaborate stage shows at the cost of artistic merit.
Eurovision has gained popularity for its camp appeal,
Its musical span of ethnic and international styles,
As well as emergence as part of LGBTQ culture,
Resulting in a large active fanbase and an influence on popular culture.
The popularity of the contest has led to the creation of several similar events,
Either organized by the EBU or created by external organizations.
Several special events have been organized by the EBU to celebrate select anniversaries or as a replacement due to cancellation.
The European Broadcasting Union,
EBU,
Was formed in 1950 among 23 broadcasting organizations.
The word Eurovision was first used by British journalist George Campy in the Evening Standard in 1951,
When he referred to a British broadcasting corporation program being relayed by Dutch television.
Following several events broadcast internationally via their Eurovision transmission network in the early 1950s,
Including the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953,
An EBU committee headed by Marcel Besasson was formed in January 1955 to investigate new initiatives for cooperation between broadcasters,
Which approved for further study a European song competition from an idea initially proposed by Radio Televisione Italiana RAI manager Sergio Pugliese.
The EBU's General Assembly agreed to the organizing of the song contest in October 1959 under the initial title of the European Grand Prix and accepted a proposal by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation to host the event in Lugano in the spring of 1956.
The Italian Sanremo music festival,
Held since 1951,
Was used as a basis for the initial planning of the contest,
With several amendments and additions given its international nature.
The Eurovision Song Contest was developed as a way of putting transnational live television to the test,
Promoting television,
As well as encouraging the production of original songs.
Broadcasters from seven countries participated in the first contest,
With each country represented by two songs,
The only time in which multiple entries per country were permitted.
The winning song was Refrain,
Representing the host country Switzerland,
And performed by Lise Sassia.
Voting during the first contest was held behind closed doors,
With only the winner being announced on stage.
The use of a scoreboard and public announcement of the voting,
Inspired by the BBC's Festival of British Popular Songs,
Began in 1957.
The tradition of the winning broadcaster hosting the following year's contest,
Which has since become a standard feature of the event,
Began in 1958.
Technological developments have transformed the contest.
Colour broadcasts began in 1968,
Satellite broadcasts in 1985,
And streaming in 2000.
Broadcasts in widescreen began in 2005,
And in high-definition in 2007,
With ultra-high-definition tested for the first time in 2022.
By the 1960s,
Between 16 and 18 countries were regularly competing each year.
Countries from outside the traditional boundaries of Europe began entering the contest,
And countries in Western Asia and North Africa started competing in the 1970s and 1980s.
Apart from Yugoslavia,
A member of the Non-Aligned Movement,
And not seen as part of the Eastern Bloc at the time,
No socialist or communist country ever participated.
Only after the end of the Cold War did other countries from Central and Eastern Europe participate for the first time.
Some of those countries have gained or regained their independence in the course of the breakup of Yugoslavia,
Czechoslovakia,
And the Soviet Union.
As a consequence,
More broadcasters were now applying than could feasibly participate in a one-night event of reasonable length.
Numerous solutions to this problem were tried out over the years.
The 1993 contest included a contest called Kvalifikacja za Mil Street,
Which was a pre-qualifying round for seven of these new countries.
And from 1994,
Relegation systems were introduced to manage the number of competing entries,
With the poorest performing countries barred from entering the following year's contest.
From 2004,
The contest expanded to become a multi-program event,
With a semi-final at the 49th contest,
Allowing all interested countries to compete each year.
A second semi-final was added to each edition from 2008.
There have been 69 contests as of 2025,
Making Eurovision the longest-running annual international televised music competition as determined by Guinness World Records.
The contest has been listed as one of the longest-running television programs in the world,
And among the world's most-watched non-sporting events.
Broadcasters from a total of 52 countries have taken part in at least one edition,
With a record 43 countries participating in a single contest,
First in 2008,
And subsequently in 2011 and 2018.
Eurovision had been held every year until 2020,
When that year's contest was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
No competitive event was able to take place due to uncertainty caused by the spread of the virus in Europe,
And the various restrictions imposed by the governments of the participating countries.
In its place,
A special broadcast,
Eurovision Europe Shine A Light,
Was produced by the organizers,
Which honoured the songs and artists that would have competed in 2020 in a non-competitive format.
The contest has been known by different names in various languages.
The first contest was officially named the Gran Premio Eurovision de la Canzone Europea in Italian,
The Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Europea in French,
And the Grand Prix of the Eurovision Song Competition in English.
Similar variations,
Such as Eurovision Schlagerfestival in Swedish,
Or Eurovisie Songfestival in Dutch,
Were unofficially used in some editions.
The names Eurovision Song Contest and Concoeur et Revision de la Chanson in French became a de facto standard in subsequent decades.
The contest was briefly rebranded as Eurosong in English for the 1996 edition,
But this was reverted the following year.
The names were not standardized until 2004,
When the contest was rebranded.
The official brand guidelines specify that translations of the name may be used depending on national tradition and brand recognition in the competing countries,
But the official name Eurovision Song Contest is always preferred.
On only four occasions has the name used for the official logo of the contest not been in English or French.
The Italian names Gran Premio Eurovision de la Canzone and Concorso Eurovision de la Canzone were used when Italy hosted the 1965 and 1991 contests respectively,
And the Dutch name Eurovisie Songfestival was used when the Netherlands hosted in 1976 and 1980.
Original songs representing participating countries are performed in a live television program broadcast via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks simultaneously to all countries.
A country as a participant is represented by one television broadcaster from that country,
A member of the EBU,
And is typically the country's national public broadcasting organization.
The program is staged by one of the participant broadcasters and is transmitted from an auditorium in the selected host city.
Since 2008,
Each contest is typically formed of three live television shows,
Held over one week.
Two semi-finals are held on the Tuesday and Thursday,
Followed by a final on the Saturday.
All participating countries compete in one of the two semi-finals,
Except for the host country of that year's contest and the Big Five,
The countries whose broadcasters are the contest's biggest financial contributors,
France,
Germany,
Italy,
Spain,
And the United Kingdom.
The remaining countries are split between the two semi-finals,
And the ten highest-scoring entries in each qualify to produce 26 entries competing in the final.
Since the introduction of the semi-final round in 2004,
Luxembourg and Ukraine are the only countries outside of the Big Five to have qualified for the final of every contest they have competed in.
Each participating broadcaster has sole discretion over the process it may employ to select its entry for the contest.
Typical methods in which participants are selected include a televised national final using a jury and or public vote,
An internal selection by a committee appointed by the broadcaster,
And a mixed format where some decisions are made internally and the public are engaged in others.
Among the most successful televised selection shows is Melodifestivalen in Sweden,
First established in 1959 and now one of the most watched television shows in the country each year.
Each show typically begins with an opening act consisting of music and or dance performances by invited artists,
Which contributes to a unique theme and identity created for that year's event.
Since 2013,
The opening of a contest's final has included a flag parade,
With competing artists entering the stage behind their country's flag in a similar manner to the procession of competing athletes at the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Viewers are welcomed by one or more presenters who provide key updates during the show,
Conduct interviews with competing acts from the green room,
And guide the voting procedure in English and French.
Competing acts perform sequentially,
And after all songs have been performed,
Viewers are invited to vote for their favorite performances,
Except for the performance of their own country via telephone,
SMS,
And the official Eurovision app.
The public vote comprises 50% of the final result,
Alongside the views of a jury of music industry professionals from each country.
An interval act is invariably featured during this voting period,
Which on several occasions has included a well-known personality from the host country,
Or an internationally recognized figure.
The results of the voting are subsequently announced.
In the semifinals,
The 10 highest-ranked countries are announced in a random order,
With the full results undisclosed until after the final.
In the final,
The presenters call upon a representative spokesperson for each country in turn,
Who announces their jury's points,
While the results of the public vote are subsequently announced by the presenters.
In recent years,
It has been tradition that the first country to announce its jury points is the previous host,
Whereas the last country is the current host.
The qualifying acts in the semifinals and the winning delegation in the final are invited back on stage.
In the final,
A trophy is awarded to the winning performers and songwriters by the previous year's winner,
Followed by a reprise of the winning song.
The full results of the competition,
Including detailed results of the jury and public vote,
Are released online shortly after the final,
And the participating broadcaster of the winning entry is traditionally given the honor of organizing the following year's event.
Active members,
As opposed to associate members of the European Broadcasting Union,
Are eligible to participate.
Active members are those who are located in states that fall within the European Broadcasting Area,
Or are member states of the Council of Europe.
Active members include media organizations whose broadcasts are often made available to at least 98% of households in their own country,
Which are equipped to receive such transmissions.
Associate member broadcasters may be eligible to compete,
Dependent on approval by the contest's reference group.
The EBA is defined by the International Telecommunication Union as encompassing the geographical area between the boundary of ITU Region 1 in the west,
The meridian 40 degrees east of Greenwich in the east,
And parallel 30 north in the south.
Armenia,
Azerbaijan,
Georgia,
And the parts of Iraq,
Jordan,
Syria,
Turkey,
And Ukraine lying outside these limits are also included in the EBA.
Eligibility to participate in the contest is therefore not limited to broadcasters from countries in Europe,
As several states geographically outside the boundaries of a continent,
Or which span more than one continent,
Are included in the EBA.
Broadcasters from countries in these groups have taken part in past editions,
Including countries in Western Asia,
Such as Israel and Cyprus,
Countries which span Europe and Asia,
Like Russia and Turkey,
And North African countries,
Such as Morocco.
Australia became the first country without an active EBU member broadcaster to compete,
Following an invitation by the contest's reference group to associate members' special broadcasting service ahead of the contest's 60th edition in 2015.
Initially announced as a one-off for the anniversary edition,
SBS was invited back the following year,
And has subsequently participated every year since.
Australia is also the only country from outside the EBA to ever participate.
EBU members wishing to participate must fulfill conditions as laid down in the rules of the contest,
A separate copy of which is drafted annually.
A maximum of 44 countries can take part in any one contest.
Broadcasters must have paid the EBU a participation fee in advance of the deadline specified in the rules for the year in which they wish to participate.
This fee is different for each country based on its size and viewership.
Broadcasters from 52 countries have participated at least once.
The winning broadcaster traditionally hosts the following year's event,
With some exceptions,
Since 1958.
Hosting the contest can be seen as a unique opportunity for promoting the host country as a tourist destination,
And can provide benefits to the local economy and tourism sectors of the host city.
However,
There is a perception reflected in popular culture that some broadcasters wish to avoid the costly burden of hosting,
Sometimes resulting in them sending deliberately subpar entries with no chance of winning.
Preparations for each year's contest typically begin at the conclusion of the previous year's contest,
With the head of delegation of the winning country receiving a welcome package of information related to hosting the contest at the winner's press conference.
Eurovision is a non-profit event,
And financing it typically achieved through a fee from each participating broadcaster,
Contributions from the host broadcaster and the host city,
And commercial revenues from sponsorships,
Ticket sales,
Televoting,
And merchandise.
The host broadcaster will subsequently select a host city,
Typically a national or regional capital city,
Which must meet certain criteria set out in the contest's rules.
The host venue must be able to accommodate at least 10,
000 spectators,
A press center for 1,
500 journalists should be within easy reach of an international airport,
And with hotel accommodation available for at least 2,
000 delegates,
Journalists,
And spectators.
A variety of different venues have been used,
From small theaters and television studios to large arenas and stadiums.
The largest host venue is Parken Stadium in Copenhagen,
Which was attended by almost 38,
000 spectators in 2001.
With a population of 1,
500 at the time of the 1993 contest,
Mill Street,
Ireland remains the smallest hosting settlement,
Although its Green Glens Arena is capable of hosting up to 8,
000 spectators.
Unlike the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup,
Whose host venues are announced several years in advance,
There is usually no purpose-built infrastructure whose construction is justified with the needs of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest.
However,
The 2012 edition,
Hosted in Baku,
Azerbaijan,
Was held at Baku Crystal Hall,
A venue that had not existed when Azerbaijan won the previous year.
Every other edition has been held in pre-existing venues,
But renovations or modifications have sometimes been undertaken in the year prior which are justified with the needs of the contest.
