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I know … it’s technically ‘off season’ today, but let’s whet our (dog) whistles and start speculating about Eurovision 2025.
So far seven broadcasters have ticked the ‘yes’ box on the form asking if they fancy having a pop at winning a piece of fragile crystal glassware when the contest lands in Switzerland next May.
The 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be organised by the EBU and Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR). This will be the third time Switzerland hosts the contest, having previously done the honours in 1956 (first ever Eurovision) and again in 1989 after Celine Dion brought home the (Canadian) bacon.
Bidding is underway from potential host cities and venues with Geneva (Palexpo), Basel and St Gallen (Olma Hall), first to throw their Tyrolese hats into the ring. There’s every indication we’ll know who’ll be potentially paying for enhanced security by late September.
So who’s in so far?
The EBU issues an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members. Countries that are a part of the “Big Five” and the host country Switzerland will be automatically allocated a place in the final of the contest, while all other countries will be placed in one of the two semi-finals.
So far, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Malta, Spain and Switzerland are on the RSVP’d list. Expect that to increase in leaps and bounds.
While the exact dates are not confirmed yet, the most likely dates are May 13-15-17, 2025 for the two semi-finals and grand final respectively. This avoids clashing with major events like the UEFA Champions League final on May 31.
And …
There’s no news yet about how or if the EBU will find a way to exclude any active members or if the Dutch AVROTROS will want ‘a word’. But …
Andri Xhahu, Eurovision commentator and spokesperson for Albanaian broadcaster RTSH, noted that preparations had already started for the next edition of Festivali i Këngës, the national song competition traditionally used to select the Albanian entry for the contest.
Bosnian broadcaster BHRT outlined its plans for the year, including a statement that “it is high time to consider the possibility of returning […] to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025”. BUT, they the broadcaster remains under EBU sanctions due to debts.
German broadcaster NDR has been considering handing over responsibility to a different member of the ARD network in 2025, with MDR having signed contracts to take this on in January.
Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, director of Iceland’s traditional selection Söngvakeppnin revealed plans to review the format of the selection show in 2025.
Michael Kealy, the head of the Irish delegation in the contest, expressed his hopes back in January that in 2025 RTÉ will be able to produce a national final format independent from The Late Late Show.
Back in January, Montenegro’s national broadcaster RTCG published a report from a public debate stating that it “plans on organising a music festival to promote Montenegrin artists and authors, and which would (depending on the budget) be used as a way to select the representative for Eurovision 2025”.
Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV has renewed the contract for the organisation of Una voce per San Marino through to 2025. But a third successive failure to qualify has resulted in calls from the secretary of state for tourism to withdraw.
Slovak broadcaster RTVS has already said they’ll not be there, due to budget cuts.
Mario Galunič at Slovenian RTVSLO is pushing for a return to the national final EMA
Kosovo is not yet eligible after a vote by The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to decide on Kosovo’s membership was postponed following Kosovo’s rejection of French and German prerequisites for membership.