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RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Eurovision 2025 watched by 166 million
The Eurovision Song Contest confirmed its place as the world's biggest live televised music event with 166 million viewers in 37 countries watching the 2025 competition, organisers have said. This year's 69th edition in Basel, Switzerland, attracted three million more viewers than last year's contest in Malmö, Sweden, said the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The EBU said Eurovision had seen significant increases in youth engagement with a record 60% of viewers aged 15-24 tuning into the competition. The 17 May final was won by 24-year-old Austrian JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, singing Wasted Love, which blended techno beats with operatic vocals. "This year's Eurovision Song Contest has once again demonstrated its extraordinary power to unite millions across continents through the joy of music and shared celebration," said Eurovision director Martin Green. After the drama as the votes from national juries and the public were revealed, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel - whose participation drew protests - on 357, and Estonia on 356. Votes were cast from 146 states, with viewers in the United States and Canada voting the most outside Europe, ahead of Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa. The final commanded viewing shares were above 50% in 19 of the 37 European markets, led by Iceland (98%), Finland (91%), Sweden (90%), Norway (85%), and Denmark (75%). The viewing shares in Finland and in France (40%) were the highest ever for Eurovision in those countries. The highest average audience was in Germany, with 9.1 million viewers - the best figures since 2016, said the EBU. Meanwhile, there were 969 million views on Instagram and 748.5 million on TikTok. Following JJ's win, next year's event will be hosted in Austria. Last week, Eurovision director Martin Green released an open letter following voting concerns surrounding this year's competition. The statement came amid ongoing debates regarding Israel's promotion of its entry, as well as discussions among several national broadcasters about the current voting system. In his letter, Martin Green said Eurovision employs specially developed systems designed to prevent fraudulent voting. "Every year the Reference Group for the Contest, which contains representatives from and acts on behalf of our Members, studies the data provided by our voting partner Once to make recommendations of any actions available to us to ensure our rules and systems remain fail safe and take into account contemporary external factors such as advances in technology and external influences," he wrote. "This process will happen as it always does in June this year."
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Eurovision 2025 in Basel draws 166 million viewers in 37 countries, voting received from 146 states
GENEVA, May 29 — The Eurovision Song Contest confirmed its place as the world's biggest live televised music event, with 166 million viewers in 37 countries watching the 2025 competition, organisers said yesterday. This year's 69th edition in Basel, Switzerland, attracted three million more viewers than last year's contest in Malmo, Sweden, said the European Broadcasting Union. The EBU said Eurovision had seen significant increases in youth engagement with a record 60 percent of viewers aged 15-24 tuning in. The May 17 final was won by 24-year-old Austrian JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, singing 'Wasted Love', which blended techno beats with operatic vocals. 'This year's Eurovision Song Contest has once again demonstrated its extraordinary power to unite millions across continents through the joy of music and shared celebration,' said Eurovision director Martin Green. After the nail-biting drama as the votes from national juries and the public were revealed, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. Votes were cast from 146 states, with viewers in the United States and Canada voting the most outside Europe, ahead of Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. The final commanded viewing shares above 50 percent in 19 of the 37 European markets, led by Iceland (98 percent), Finland (91 percent), Sweden (90 percent), Norway (85 percent), and Denmark (75 percent). The viewing shares in Finland, and in France (40 percent), were the highest ever for Eurovision. The highest average audience was in Germany, with 9.1 million viewers — the best figures since 2016, said the EBU. Meanwhile there were 969 million views on Instagram and 748.5 million on TikTok. Following JJ's win, next year's event will be hosted in Austria. — AFP
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Why are Kneecap facing consequences when Israel is not?
What happens next in Gaza – and members of the Israeli government are laying out their plans in full view, clearly encouraged by the lack of consequences for war crimes to date – will continue to define the trajectory of our world. It already has. The longer Israel's destruction of Gaza and the Palestinian people continues, and the longer those with the power to stop it do nothing effective, the more heightened actions of protest will become and the more trust in those obliged to stop this destruction will collapse. This trajectory seems inevitable. It is the hypocrisy that drives people stone mad. Identifying the hypocrisies and gaslighting inherent in the response to Israel's actions in Gaza is not necessarily whataboutery, but it is a signal of the kind of double standards that warp truth and clarity. READ MORE Some of these examples may feel like small beans when held up against the mass slaughter in Gaza. If Russia was booted out of the Eurovision Song Contest , then why wasn't Israel? As it happens, the European Broadcasting Union is now reviewing the event's voting system due to the curiously high level of public voting for Israel's song in the competition. In the United States , for another example, the same voices who were cheerleaders for 'free speech' on university campuses when it came to right-wing provocateurs now advocate for the suppression of protest when it comes to Palestinian solidarity. What this demonstrates is that 'free speech' was clearly never a value, but an empty phrase that is an example of the ultimate hypocrisy as it is leveraged for the opposite of its meaning. Some hypocrisies are about who is reprimanded by the law and who isn't. If a member of the Belfast hip hop group Kneecap can be charged with committing a terrorist offence for allegedly displaying a flag the group says was thrown on stage during a concert, then will something also happen about allegations of much more serious crimes also happening in Israel's war on Palestine ? Last month, British human rights lawyers filed a 240-page war crimes complaint with the Metropolitan Police's war crimes unit. It concerned 10 British citizens serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Guardian reported that the dossier included allegations about 10 suspects targeting and killing citizens by sniper fire, indiscriminately attacking civilian areas and hospitals, attacking historic and religious sites, and the forced transfer and displacement of civilians. 'Scores of legal and human rights experts have signed a letter of support urging the war crimes team to investigate the complaints,' the Guardian report stated. Why Kneecap with a flag, and not others with a gun? Of course, it's not a binary choice. The application of the law is not one of finite gestures. No one is demanding the jettisoning of policing of less serious allegations of crimes in the pursuit of larger ones. Investigating those alleged to have committed 'core international crimes' is complex and would take time. But why Kneecap, and why now? Is it anything to do with the manufactured uproar around their Coachella performance? And what happens when larger crimes – war crimes – are not met with any consequences at all? The arm of the law delivers a message, both in its action and stasis. The public subsumes that message. As people identify hypocrisies, and perceive distorted priorities, their cynicism grows and their trust in institutions erodes. Kneecap said in a statement: 'The IDF units they [the British state] arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Whatever you think about Kneecap – what they did or didn't do or say – they are raising legitimate questions of proportionality here. Part of the power of artists is their capacity to offer perspective in real time. The political sphere operates on a lag – this is why culture moves politics, and not the other way around. The lack of a concerted international effort to stop what Israel is doing in Gaza has frustrated those protesting and advocating for peace and freedom who are quietly screaming: catch up, do something. These metaphorical screams can become real actions that sometimes cross lines. The murder of two people working for the Israeli embassy in Washington DC last week was a horrific event that could not have been predicted. Yet it is not a surprise to see violence erupt. It is never justified, and it is wrong. But there is a degree to which there is a terrible inevitability about it. When protest is policed, but the legitimate reasons for the protests are not; when outspoken artists are charged and soldiers participating in what has been characterised by so many as genocide are not; when governments and global institutions speak of international law and values, but do not uphold them, then anger, frustration, despair, pessimism take hold. So, too, do feelings of helplessness, of a lack of agency, fear of reprisals for protest and ultimately a lack of trust in governments, media and global institutions. Poet June Jordan was right when she described what people were prepared to do for the Palestinian people as a litmus test for morality.
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
EBU ‘looking into' promotion of acts and number of votes allowed following Eurovision voting controversy
Eurovision organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has said it will look at the promotion of Eurovision acts 'by their delegations and associated parties', and the number of votes allowed per person amid calls for an audit of the voting system. Earlier this week, RTÉ requested a breakdown in Eurovision voting numbers. The Irish televote awarded Israel 10 points for Yuval Raphael's song New Day Will Rise, while the jury awarded seven points. RTVE, Spain's public broadcaster, called for a 'complete review' to avoid 'external interference', and VRT, the Flemish public broadcasting company also publicly raised concerns over the voting process. Belgium and Spain's televoters both awarded Israel 12 points, while the juries gave the country zero points. Israel was ranked joint 14th by the national juries but jumped to the top of the leader-board when it received 297 in the public vote. As it currently stands, viewers can currently vote up to 20 times each by phone, text or app. While the EBU says there is no evidence this affects the final result, it will discuss this rule at the annual Reference Group that takes place after the contest each year. We want to ensure that such promotion is not disproportionately affecting the natural mobilisation of communities and diasporas we see in all entertainment audience voting Some countries, including Israel, used advertising on social media channels to promote their act. In an 'open letter' on the Eurovision website, Martin Green, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said that the EBU would look into promotion of acts. 'Such promotion is allowed under our rules and acts to celebrate the artists, increase their profile and launch future careers – it's very much part of the music industry - but we want to ensure that such promotion is not disproportionately affecting the natural mobilisation of communities and diasporas we see in all entertainment audience voting,' he said. 'Another example is the number of votes we allow per person – 20 per payment method. This is designed to ensure that audiences of all ages can vote for more than one of their favourite songs and there is no current evidence that it disproportionately affects the final result – but the question has been asked and so we will look at it.' ADVERTISEMENT The EBU has said that the voting system is highly advanced and contains 'multiple security layers and a comprehensive set of rules to ensure that a valid result is generated'. Mr Green said that over 60 individuals in Cologne and other individuals in Vienna and Amsterdam 'monitor the voting process in each country and maintain direct contact with telecommunication and broadcasting partners globally'. The results are then independently authenticated by compliance monitor EY. He said all the concerns and feedback will be considered at the annual reference group for the contest which will take part in June this year. The Song Contest was won on Saturday night by Austrian singer JJ with his techno ballad Wasted Love.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eurovison winner calls for Israel to be banned from next song contest
The winner of last week's Eurovision has called for Israel to be barred from competing in the song contest next year. JJ, the Austrian singer who won the competition in Switzerland with his song Wasted Love, said the country should not perform amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The 24-year-old operatic singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, told the Spanish newspaper El Pais: 'It is very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the contest. 'I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel.' It comes as the competition, supposed to be apolitical, faced another year of controversy over Israel's involvement given the continuing military campaign in neighbouring Gaza. Israel's Eurovision contestant, Yuval Raphael, finished in second place after securing a large margin of the public vote. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organiser of the contest, has been facing accusations of voter manipulation in favour of Israel from various national broadcasters, including the Spanish and Belgian representatives. Elsewhere, Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, also called for Israel's exclusion from competing in the future. Ms Raphael, 24, a survivor of the Hamas assault on the Nova music festival on Oct 7 2023, was disrupted in her final performance in Basel by pro-Palestinian protesters who tried to storm the stage. She ended up scoring 357 points for her song New Day Will Rise after admitting that she had prepared to perform with booing onstage following similar treatment of Eden Golan, the Israeli contestant last year. Credit: Youth Demand Her result has caused increased scrutiny of the Eurovision voting system, in which entrants receive points from a professional jury from each country, as well as from a public vote. The maximum amount of points from any country's jury or the public is 12. Many countries awarded Israel the maximum 'douze points' for the public vote, despite their professional juries giving the country zero points. Viewers at home can vote up to 20 times for a small cost charged to each vote by text or phone call. Austria's JJ said the vote-counting system should be revised to improve transparency, echoing calls from various broadcasters to the EBU. Katia Segers, a Flemish parliamentarian, said: 'A system in which everyone can cast up to 20 votes is a system that encourages manipulation. Whether this manipulation occurred in our country and all other participating and non-participating countries must be investigated.' In response to the claims, Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, said: 'It is important to emphasise 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.' He added: 'We remain in constant contact with all participating broadcasters of the Eurovision Song Contest and take their concerns seriously.' JJ's remarks followed protests calling for a boycott of the competition as well as an open letter published a week before the contest, which featured more than 70 previous Eurovision contestants calling on the organisers to ban Israel and its broadcaster KAN. During last Saturday's grand finale, the Spanish broadcaster RTVE also came under fire after it took a stand against Israel's inclusion. For 16 seconds, Spanish viewers saw a black screen with white lettering in Spanish and English that read: 'When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
