Eurovision changes rules ‘for a big f inale’
EUROVISION’S biggest voting shake-up since 1975 could mean an end to ‘nul points’.
The new system will split the voting process, with votes of each national jury announced first, and the public vote held back until the end of the show.
It means there will be twice as many points on offer and much more uncertainty.
The old system meant that sometimes the winner would be clear l ong before voting had concluded.
IT’S the bogeyman of the Eurovision that looms large over every entrant.
But the dreaded ‘nul points’ could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a shake up in the voting which means the likelihood of begin stranded on zero is reduced dramatically.
In the biggest change to how the competition runs since 1975, voting will now be split, with each country’s professional jury announcing their decisions first and then the votes of viewers across the continent added together and announced at the end.
This is different to the current system where a country’s jury and public vote were added together and announced by each nation in turn. The shift means there are now twice as many points to be awarded, so the chances of collecting none falls dramatically. While Ireland has only scored ‘nul points’ in the fictional Father Ted, there have been 36 acts to score zero in Eurovision’s 60-year history. Last year both Germany and Austria suffered the ignominy of been awarded a musical duck egg, while the dubious distinction was landed on the UK in 2003, with singing duo Jemini and their song Cry Baby.
The new system may also coun- ter the common claims that the allocation of points is very political.
Lecturer at Maynooth University and Eurovision expert, Dr Adrian Kavanagh, said he wasn’t happy with the new system. ‘New system of reporting #Eurovision votes means we won’t have a clue as to what country is going to win until last votes,’ he tweeted.
He also rejected suggestons that the new system could end bloc voting. ‘No! Will work in opposite direction meaning “good” juries can no longer totally cancel out “bloc votes” for bad song.’
The title of Europe’s most successful Eurovision nation has weighed heavily on Ireland’s shoulders in recent years, with our last two entries, Molly Sterling and Kasey Smith & Can-Linn, failing to make it past the semi-finals.
Our last entry to make the final, Ryan Dolan, finished a disappointing 26th with just five points. Jedward has been our most successful recent entry, with the twins coming in a creditable eighth in 2011 with 119 points.
Their performance was certainly received better than Dustin the Turkey who bombed out at the semi-final stage in 2008 after appearing in a shopping trolley. This year’s entrant is former Westlife member Nicky Byrne.
The organisers of the competition, the European Broadcasting Union, claim the changes will keep the suspense of who will win going right to the end.
With the way the previous system worked, the winner often knew they has won long before the end because mathematically no other country could catch up. Organisers hope the new format will help keep the suspense going for longer.
Jon Ola Sand, the EBU’s executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, said the changes are an attempt to keep the contest ‘relevant and in pace with shifting media trends’. He added: ‘The change will lead to a more dynamic voting sequence and keep the suspense and entertainment levels high right until the end of the voting.’
The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Stockholm, Sweden on May 14.
‘Will keep the suspense high’