ENSPIRING.ai: Eurovision - The politics and economic powerplay behind the world's biggest song contest
The Eurovision Song Contest has grown from a post-war cultural unity project into a significant global event celebrated for its vibrant performances. Despite being known primarily for its camp and spectacle, the contest also holds layers of political and economic implications, often reflecting the political climate of Europe. With Ukraine unable to host in 2023 due to conflict, the UK stepped in as host, showcasing the competition's interconnectedness with global politics.
Beyond the entertainment factor, Eurovision carries economic weight for the hosting countries. Hosting the event can stimulate the local economy through tourism and international exposure. In Liverpool, chosen as the 2023 host city, the event correlates with its cultural strategy and offers a chance to highlight British culture while providing economic benefits, which are crucial amid ongoing economic challenges in the UK.
Main takeaways from the video:
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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:
1. spoofed [spuːfd] - (verb) - To mock or parody something, often in a humorous manner. - Synonyms: (parodied, ridiculed, lampooned)
Celebrated and spoofed by audiences across the globe, the world's largest singing competition has become something of a cultural institution.
2. flamboyant [flæmˈbɔɪənt] - (adjective) - Exuberant or elaborate; attracting attention due to confidence or stylishness. - Synonyms: (extravagant, showy, ostentatious)
But behind the flamboyant performances and even more outlandish outfits, the annual contest is also seen as a vehicle of political and economic power play.
3. zeitgeist [ˈtsaɪtˌɡaɪst] - (noun) - The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time. - Synonyms: (spirit of the times, cultural climate, ethos)
This is why people love to watch Eurovision, because it's always a reflection of the political zeitgeist in Europe.
4. solidarity [ˌsɒlɪˈdærɪti] - (noun) - Unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. - Synonyms: (unity, cohesion, camaraderie)
Based on the EBus solidarity principle, which states that the strongest shoulders should carry the most weight.
5. inflationary [ɪnˈfleɪʃənəri] - (adjective) - Relating to or causing inflation, where the general price level is rising. - Synonyms: (economically expansive, price increasing, inflation-driving)
But with inflationary pressures weighing heavy in Europe in 2023, those fees were deemed too much for some.
6. cohesion [koʊˈhiːʒən] - (noun) - The action or fact of forming a united whole. - Synonyms: (unity, togetherness, solidarity)
Through arts and culture, something both the UK and Ukraine are eager to do. Hello, we're Tvorci from Ukraine and we're here to represent Ukraine.
7. industrial action [ɪnˈdʌstriəl ˈækʃən] - (noun) - Steps taken by workers, such as strikes, to protest against working conditions or policies. - Synonyms: (strike, protest, work stoppage)
Meantime, months of industrial action, including train strikes on the day of the Eurovision finals, are putting a strain on services.
8. apolitical [ˌeɪpəˈlɪtɪkəl] - (adjective) - Not interested or involved in politics. - Synonyms: (neutral, politically neutral, non-political)
And while the EBU says that Eurovision is apolitical, Dean Valletik, a historian of contemporary Europe, has studied how the contest intersects with European relations.
9. criticize [ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz] - (verb) - To express disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes. - Synonyms: (condemn, denounce, chastise)
Since 2000, british entries have tended to place quite low on the scoreboard, leading Britains to criticize Europeans for not liking Britain anymore.
10. endure [ɪnˈdjʊə] - (verb) - To continue to exist or last for a long time, especially through resistance. - Synonyms: (persist, survive, withstand)
Well, for one, the competition can be a great advert for the host city and country, which can endure well after the party is over.
Eurovision - The politics and economic powerplay behind the world's biggest song contest
The Eurovision Song Contest. Who are you? Here? We're from Israel and we came to cheer up for. Who are you supporting? Why, I asked, I wonder. Mild youth from Ireland. Celebrated and spoofed by audiences across the globe, the world's largest singing competition has become something of a cultural institution. Since 1956. Eurovision is the best thing in the world, the most camp, wonderful world of happiness. You've come all the way from Australia. We have. Wow. That is commitment. That's incredible.
But behind the flamboyant performances and even more outlandish outfits, the annual contest is also seen as a vehicle of political and economic power play. Eurovision is full of political symbolism. It's full of political meaning at every level. In 2023, that's more the case than ever. The winning country traditionally hosts the next edition of the contest, but second place, the UK, assumed hosting duties in 2023. After the 2022 winner, Ukraine was invaded by Russia, which itself was booted from the competition. Meantime, rising costs have prompted some countries to bow out before the competition has even begun. Whatever investment that the country has made in putting on Eurovision, we will get it back tenfold.
So what is the true cost of the contest and is it really worth it? First held in Lugano, Switzerland, the Eurovision Song Contest was dreamed up by the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public broadcasters as a way of celebrating the culture and unity of a newly defined post war Europe. And while the EBU says that Eurovision is apolitical, Dean Valletik, a historian of contemporary Europe, has studied how the contest intersects with european relations.
Every year on the Eurovision stage, we've seen political social messages being projected through the songs, through the performances of artists. If we start with the first Eurovision in 1956, the representative of West Germany was a jew. A strong message from West Germany that it had distanced itself from Germany's nazi past. In 1993, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia debut in Eurovision as independent states, sending songs which have as their theme the wars in those countries. And, of course, we see another war being played out in Eurovision in recent years.
This is why people love to watch Eurovision, because it's always a reflection of the political zeitgeist in Europe. In the decades since, the contest has grown greatly, featuring the likes of Abba, Celine Dion and Olivia Newton John, and incorporating even non european countries such as Australia. Yet it remains a co production between EBU public broadcasters, with all participating countries, typically around 40, paying a fee to fund the non profit contest, Europes biggest economies, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain, otherwise known as the big five, pay the greatest amount. Based on the EBus solidarity principle, which states that the strongest shoulders should carry the most weight. They also automatically qualify for the final.
Other countries then contribute varying amounts to the pot, which in recent years has totalled around $7 million. But with inflationary pressures weighing heavy in Europe in 2023, those fees were deemed too much for some. The increase in participation fees this year has meant that it has become too expensive for them to enter Eurovision, so the national broadcasters from Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia this year are not participating.
Still, the main cost of holding the contest is shouldered by the host country, whose responsibility it is to put on a show to remember. Those sums have varied vastly over the years, with some countries more forthcoming than others. In 2013, the swedish city of Malmo reportedly took pride in hosting its event for around $20 million.
Thats well below the 42 million spent by Moscow in 2009, the approximately 30 million pounds paid out by Dusseldorf in 2011 and the 54 million dished out by Copenhagen in 2014. But the crown for the priciest Eurovision to date is held by Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, which spent between a whopping 64 and $76 million on the event alone, not to mention the 100 million it spent on a new stadium to host it in 2023. The UK is expected to spend up to $30 million to hold the contest as hosts, Liverpool seek to reflect ukrainian culture while showcasing the best of british music and creativity as host broadcaster.
The BBC will foot the bulk of the bill, an estimated ten to $20 million, while the UK government has said it will contribute 12 million. That budget is topped up by ticket sales, sponsorship deals and revenues from online platforms. Meanwhile, Liverpool's local authorities will spend a further $5 million, largely on events outside the arena. Claire McColgan, director of culture at Liverpool City Council, is responsible for allocating that budget. Culture is really important to this country and the way that we portray our culture and portray our identity internationally is hugely important.
Tourism in Liverpool is worth 47% of our economy, 47%. So this is a chicken feed for us, you know, this is really, really important. This is people's jobs and people's livelihoods. The event comes at a challenging time for the UK economy, which is struggling to keep up with its european neighbors amid soaring inflation and low economic growth.
In 2022, the UK was the only major economy that failed to return to pre pandemic growth rates, instead recording a contraction in 2023, it is expected to shrink by a further 0.3%. Meantime, months of industrial action, including train strikes on the day of the Eurovision finals, are putting a strain on services.
It also comes as the BBC undergoes major cuts as it tries to plug a 1.4 billion pound hole in its finances after the government froze the license fee. Rarely have we had the opportunity to stage Eurovision, but it's our time. We were obviously really, really honored to take it on on behalf of Ukraine and hopefully it's a great opportunity to show everybody what the BBC does really well with all that expense. It begs the why would the UK want to host the contest, especially after scoring so poorly or being awarded the dreaded null poi so many times in recent years?
Well, for one, the competition can be a great advert for the host city and country, which can endure well after the party is over. In 2019, Tel Aviv's event reached over 180 million tv viewers in over 40 markets and millions more online. It's something that countries put on their cv when they're aspiring to host events like the Olympic Games or the World cup. Just think about Russia. It hosted Eurovision in 2009 and afterwards hosted the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and then the World Cup.
Liverpool knows how to party. Yeah, they've really stepped up. It's the city of music, city of culture, so, yeah, they've smashed it. That can also attract tourism, spend and help boost the economy. 2020, two's host, Turin in northern Italy, spent around $11 million hosting the event, but said it made that money back seven times over through tourism.
James Bates, managing director at Marais restaurants in Liverpool, said he expects an uptick in customers during the contest and hopefully longer term, something like 50% busier. And, you know where we're sat now on the Albert dock, there's lots and lots of foot traffic. People soon spoke about the sort of ripple effect. We certainly saw that in 2008 when we were capital. Culture and the city are talking about the sort of boosting visitor numbers as similar to what we saw in 2008, which was sort of transformative for the city, really.
It's hard to put a metric on the feel good factor. Right. Liverpool themselves say that the long term economic benefit of Eurovision here over five years is 250 million pounds. We know the short term judges this week is 25 million pounds. The event plays an important role in showcasing a country's soft power, too, through arts and culture, something both the UK and Ukraine are eager to do. Hello, we're Tvorci from Ukraine and we're here to represent Ukraine.
What do you think it means for the people of Ukraine as well, for you to be representing the country this year? It means a lot. Yeah, it means a lot because I felt the song we wrote about people with hearts, with steel hearts. So, yeah, I think they chose us because we can show the world our courage, our bravery, our strength, and inspire all people to be like Ukrainians. Crucially, though, the contest represents one more act of solidarity with Ukraine and a reformulation of UK EU relations as Britain seeks to reestablish its presence in Europe.
Post Brexit for many eurosceptics in Britain, Eurovision has been a symbol of what is wrong with Europe. Since 2000, british entries have tended to place quite low on the scoreboard, leading Britains to criticize Europeans for not liking Britain anymore.
Last year that changed. The United Kingdom came second. Europe is still in love with Britain, with british popular music. So we also have to see this edition of Eurovision as being a rekindling of a british love affair with Eurovision and of british relations with Europe.
Culture, Politics, Economics, Eurovision, Soft Power, Tourism, Cnbc International
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