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The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
RTE's Eurovision final night hits bum note with big switch off by viewers as regular show staples outperform competition
RTE suffered a massive switch off on Eurovision night compared to last year, new figures show. A number of programmes this week - including Super Garden and Nationwide - out performed the finals of the 2 Ireland's act Emmy didn't make it to the grand final Credit: Splash News An RTE spokeswoman told The Irish Sun: 'The Eurovision Grand Final on Saturday night had an average audience of 268,000 on RTE One and RTE One +1, with a 30 per cent share of the available audience.' This represents a staggering drop from last year when the average audience for the Eurovision final was 666,000 viewers on RTE One, with a 54 per cent share of the available audience, and 19,000 on RTE One +1. RTE stressed how the 2024 audience was higher 'as Meanwhile, former Irish Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan has branded Irish TV voting for Israel in the final as 'totally mystifying" and 'very, very odd'. READ MORE IN TV Ireland's Charlie told The Irish Sun: 'I am very surprised so many Irish viewers would vote for 'It's all very strange. All of Europe knows what's going on in Gaza.' The songwriter's comments come after national broadcasters for Most read in News TV RTVE, Spain's public broadcaster, and VRT, the Flemish public broadcasting company, have called for organisers to investigate the televoting system. The juries for both countries gave Israel zero points, while their televoters awarded it the maximum 12 points. Remember Monday star Lauren Byrne is last Eurovision contestant standing as she parties until 6am after defeat Spain's broadcaster also showed a title card in support of RTE also confirmed to the Irish Sun that they have made an inqury into the telly voting aspect on the contest. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: "RTE has requested a breakdown in voting numbers from the EBU and its voting partner Once.' Eurovision Song Contest Director Martin Green said a "broad discussion with participating broadcasters" is due to take place. INDEPENDENT REVIEW He said: 'We remain in constant contact with all participating broadcasters of the Eurovision Song Contest and take their concerns seriously. We can confirm that we have been in touch with several broadcasters since Saturday's Grand Final regarding voting in the competition. "Now the event has concluded we will have a broad discussion with participating broadcasters, to reflect and obtain feedback on all aspects of this year's event as part of our planning process for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest next year. "It is important to emphasize that the voting operation for the Eurovision Song Contest is the most advanced in the world and each country's result is checked and verified by a huge team of people to exclude any suspicious or irregular voting patterns. "An independent compliance monitor reviews both jury and public vote data to ensure we have a valid result. "Our voting partner Once has confirmed that a valid vote was recorded in all countries participating in this year's Grand Final and in the Rest of the World.' PARTICIPATION PLANNED An RTE spokesperson added that the broadcaster "looks forward to participating in the discussions and review outlined" by Mr Green. The Irish jury, comprising five industry professionals, gave Israel seven points in the Eurovision grand final. The calls for an enquiry came after Israeli's entry Yuval Raphael - a survivor of the 7 October attacks by Hamas - nearly won the contest with a total of 357 points from combined votes of the professional jury and the public. Israel was beaten by 2 Austrian opera singer JJ won the contest Credit: Splash
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eurovision under fire after 'bosses cover Israel booing with fake applause'
The Eurovision Song Contest has been plagued by controversy over Israel's participation in the annual event, with many calling for them to exclude them The Eurovision Song Contest has been criticised after it reportedly covered the sounds of the audience booing controversial entrant Yuval Raphael's performance for Israel by adding fake applause. It has been said that the competition's bosses drowned out the sounds of booing when she performed New Day Will Rise for a rehearsal on Friday night. The singing competition has been plagued by controversy over Israel's participation in the annual event. Just last week, over 70 past Eurovision stars penned a letter demanding that the contest chiefs exclude Israel amid the country's ongoing bombardment of Palestine, which is seeing Palestinians starving to death due to a blockade of aid. Earlier this month, Israel announced plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip and drive hundreds of thousands into the South. Meanwhile, Palestinians are starving to death amid a two-month aid block. All food, water, medical aid and shelter supplies into the Strip have been blocked since early March amid growing fears that 65,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition. Amnesty International. Reports suggest that over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, with more than a third being under 18. Fans shared their annoyance at Israel's performances being drowned out or dubbed with cheers in posts shared on Twitter /X. One fan posted: 'I have a huge issue with the EBU silencing the booing during Israel's performance and adding fake cheers to make it sound like there's a positive reception from the audience. 'EBU is a public service broadcaster whose purpose is to serve the public, not to silence them.' Another fan argued: 'Why do you mute the audience's boos and replace them with fake applause effects? Where are your ethical values?' Former Eurovision acts have demanded that Israel not be allowed to compete over the country's 'genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.' The letter, published on Artists For Palestine, was signed by former winners Ireland's Charlie McGettigan and Portugal's Fernando Tordo, as well as British singer Mae Muller and French singer La Zarra. It was also signed by two of last year's competitors Ásdís María and GÅTE. On Thursday's semi-final, footage picked up boos from the audience when Israel's entry appeared on screen. The boos were more audible on social media footage of the performance. Despite the protests and calls for Israel to not be allowed in the final, Yuval secured her spot following the public vote.
Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Israel Eurovision singer jeered at on stage but they sail through to grand final
Israel's Eurovision Song Contest entry Yuval Raphael was met with boos as she performed at the semi-finals amid calls for the country to be banned from the competition like Russia Eurovision 2025 is well underway with the grand final taking place this weekend. Nations from across Europe have descended on the host city of Basel in Switzerland in the hopes of impressing with their musical talents. However, the singing competition has been plagued by controversy over Israel's participation in the event. Just last week, over 70 past Eurovision stars penned a letter demanding the contest chiefs to exclude Israel amid the ongoing Gaza conflict. Protests have also taken place in the host city following Israel's war in Gaza has been named a genocide by Amnesty International. According to Reuters, over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, with more than a third being under 18. Meanwhile, Israel's military say 407 of its soldiers have been killed, as reported by Reuters. Former Eurovision acts have urged Israel to not be allowed to compete over the country's 'genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.' The letter, published on Artists For Palestine, was signed by former winners Ireland's Charlie McGettigan and Portugal's Fernando Tordo, as well as British singer Mae Muller and French singer La Zarra. It was also signed by two of last year's competitors Ásdís María and GÅTE. Israel's act Yuval Raphael performed on Thursday's semi-final and qualified for the grand final on Saturday. During her performance, six protestors carried Palestinian flags. The arena allows flags yet there are limits on size, meaning those showing support for Palestine were ejected due to the size of their flags. TV footage picked up boos from the crowd when the Israel entry appeared on screen. The noise was more audible on social media footage of the performance. Despite the protests and calls for Israel to not be allowed in the final, Yuval secured her spot following the public vote. Eurovision bans have happened before as Belarus was suspended in 2021 for a politically charged song, followed by Russia's exclusion in 2022 amidst the Ukraine conflict. Russia has not been allowed to return to the competition since. Show bosses acknowledged the outcry over the Middle East crisis but remained adamant about keeping the competition as a "universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music". The Eurovision Song Contest claims that it is a 'non-political event' however the letter from past contestants highlighted discrepancy. It read: 'The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don't accept this double standard regarding Israel.' In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the EBU said it 'understands the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East.' They added: "The EBU is not immune to global events but, together, with our Members, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains — at its heart — a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music. "We all aspire to keep the Eurovision Song Contest positive and celebratory and aspire to show the world as it could be, rather than how it necessarily is.'
Sydney Morning Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia's milkshake man Go-Jo out of Eurovision
Rachael is a survivor of the Hamas-led attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Israel invaded Gaza in retaliation for the attack on southern Israeli communities, in which about 1200 people were killed and 251 were taken as hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Loading Israel's campaign has killed more than 52,900 Palestinians, according to local health officials. It has left Gaza on the brink of famine, aid groups and international agencies say. Ahead of this year's competition, more than 70 former Eurovision contestants – including former winners Irish singer Charlie McGettigan, and Portuguese singers Salvador Sobral and Fernando Tordo - signed an open letter to the contest's organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), calling for Israel to be removed. Compared to higher profile political tensions, the minor imbroglio over Maltese singer Miriana Conte's homophonic song title - Kant - seems mild. After initially approving the song title, the EBU changed its mind, forcing Malta to introduce changes to both the lyrics and title. (It was changed to Serving.) Malta's national broadcaster PBS described the ruling as an 'abuse of power and an unjust application of the rules.' This is Australia's 10th year in competition. Our best result was in 2016 when Dami Im performed Sound of Silence, and dazzled the professional juries and television viewers voting from home into a score that put her in second place, behind Ukraine's Jamala, who performed 1944. Australia's defeat shocked the Eurovision fans on the ground; Go-Jo had mounted an aggressive media campaign across Europe, and many felt he was an easy contender for a slot in the final. It is the third time we have failed to qualify since joining the competition a decade ago; the two previous times were Montaigne in 2021 and Electric Fields in 2024. The 2025 Eurovision competition features artists and songs from 37 countries performing in 20 languages. It is being staged at the St Jakobshalle stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
The Age
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Australia's milkshake man Go-Jo out of Eurovision
Rachael is a survivor of the Hamas-led attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Israel invaded Gaza in retaliation for the attack on southern Israeli communities, in which about 1200 people were killed and 251 were taken as hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Loading Israel's campaign has killed more than 52,900 Palestinians, according to local health officials. It has left Gaza on the brink of famine, aid groups and international agencies say. Ahead of this year's competition, more than 70 former Eurovision contestants – including former winners Irish singer Charlie McGettigan, and Portuguese singers Salvador Sobral and Fernando Tordo - signed an open letter to the contest's organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), calling for Israel to be removed. Compared to higher profile political tensions, the minor imbroglio over Maltese singer Miriana Conte's homophonic song title - Kant - seems mild. After initially approving the song title, the EBU changed its mind, forcing Malta to introduce changes to both the lyrics and title. (It was changed to Serving.) Malta's national broadcaster PBS described the ruling as an 'abuse of power and an unjust application of the rules.' This is Australia's 10th year in competition. Our best result was in 2016 when Dami Im performed Sound of Silence, and dazzled the professional juries and television viewers voting from home into a score that put her in second place, behind Ukraine's Jamala, who performed 1944. Australia's defeat shocked the Eurovision fans on the ground; Go-Jo had mounted an aggressive media campaign across Europe, and many felt he was an easy contender for a slot in the final. It is the third time we have failed to qualify since joining the competition a decade ago; the two previous times were Montaigne in 2021 and Electric Fields in 2024. The 2025 Eurovision competition features artists and songs from 37 countries performing in 20 languages. It is being staged at the St Jakobshalle stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
