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The Eurovision Song Contest format - just what Putin needs

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Posted by Sietse Bakker on 16 October 2009 at 10:15 updated 16 October 2009 at 13:40
The Eurovision Song Contest format - just what Putin needs
Above: Prime Minister Putin on stage. Photo: Indrek Galetin (EBU)
Geneva, Switzerland -

The European Broadcasting Union, organiser of Europe's favourite TV-show, the Eurovision Song Contest, welcomed Russian Prime Minister Putin's idea to hold a song contest with China and Central Asia. The EBU said that it would be delighted to license Mr Putin the Eurovision Song Contest format.

The EBU owns and sells the format for one of the most-watched annual television events in Europe to countries across the world.

“Why not have the Song Contest in China, and Central Asia? We own the rights to an international song contest. We would be happy to sell the format to Prime Minister Putin,” said Bjørn Erichsen, Television Director at the EBU. “Investors have already signed a deal to make a version of the contest in the Middle East and North Africa. We are close to finalising a deal for a contest called Songs of Africa in sub-Saharan Africa,” he explained.

Putin made his statement at a recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Russia's capital Moscow hosted the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year. The Russian Prime Minister visited the contest's venue to be informed about the preparations, just days before the first Semi-Final. His visit was captured on camera by Eurovision.tv's video crew:

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Gloria Chen

Comment by Gloria_Chen from China

Posted on 6 November 2009 at 14:58
Maybe in the distant distant future, Mr. Putin...
It's strange that people outside China and possibly Asia are talking about "Asiavision", but not a sound of such a contest we have heard in this country!
Багай-оол Сарыг-оол

Comment by BadboyTuva from Russian Federation

Posted on 5 November 2009 at 22:52
sorry for my bad english...
Багай-оол Сарыг-оол

Comment by BadboyTuva from Russian Federation

Posted on 5 November 2009 at 22:51
I'm only for! If i'm right, there was some contests like those?! in 2004 or 2005? By the way, it's good idea, WELL DONE Vladimir Vladimirovich!=)
pedro ventura

Comment by pedrokas from Portugal

Posted on 30 October 2009 at 17:57
Mr. Putin, forget it PLEASE!!!!! SERIOUSLY!!!!!
pedro ventura

Comment by pedrokas from Portugal

Posted on 30 October 2009 at 17:55
NO! NEVER! there will be a worldwide song contest! just wait and see! i think everybody would like a worldwide song contest. that song contest is just growing up. just wait please! maybe only more 6 years. =)
if you wanna know more about it please contact me on eurovisionfamily. ;-)
Raymond Sammut

Comment by mundu-sammut from Australia

Posted on 19 October 2009 at 14:48
@ Atilla

Agreed. That's how I got the thought of Song of Songs in my previous comment. The best song(s) can be picked from each continent to form the group of best continental songs, and the WORLDVISION Song Contest would then pick the best from among these songs, which will then be the song of songs for that year. I think it would be doable on an annual basis. My possible continents/sub-continents, however, would be: EBU, Asia, North Africa, Central Africa, Horn of Africa, North America, Central America, South America, and Australasia. Two from each would make a grand-final of 18 songs. Of course, there will be the issue of financial viability. It could be hard in the poorer regions. But this is the statement that ESC fans are making here. The need to mitigate the inequities among world economies.
Atilla Ulusoy

Comment by Atilla from Azerbaijan

Posted on 19 October 2009 at 09:06
I am for a WORLDVISION Song Contest. But there are 183 countries, if I am not wrong, it makes 9 semi-finals and only five of the twenty participants of the semi-finals could go to FINAL, I think. It would be a very hard contest. One can see their country in the final only once a decade maximum. The best would be to have contest for the continents: Aurope, Asia & Australia, Africa, America and then World vision with the top ten of the continental contests.
Orsolya,Laura Széles

Comment by OrSoLyA-cuz this is my name from Hungary

Posted on 17 October 2009 at 21:39
man theyre reading my mind..seriously..i mean..why cant the whole world participate in this cool show ??:)
Daniel Doyle

Comment by Daniel Doyle from United Kingdom

Posted on 17 October 2009 at 12:40
I would like to see that happen. You never know if thats goes well in africa and north and south america (also fingers cross for next years asia-pacific song contest) you never know there could be a Worldvision Song Contest now that would be good
Daniel Doyle

Comment by Daniel Doyle from United Kingdom

Posted on 17 October 2009 at 12:35
This sounds very good i will would be glad to see an Africavision Song Contest for Africa as well as an Americavision Song Contest for North and South America. As well i am looking forward to next years Asia-Pacific Song Contest. So you never no people in a few years there might be a Worldvision Song Contest.
Ramón

Comment by Barcelona calling from Spain

Posted on 16 October 2009 at 22:20
The ESC format and concept can be exported worldwide. Perhaps in a middle term we will see a worldwide song contest with the winners of all the song contest. In fact, this in not new because in America, Spain and Portugal we had from 1972 until 2000 the OTI Song Contest (very good results for Spain, 6 victories). But the OTI Festival never had the success of Eurovision.
Daniel Wright

Comment by gaypanda from United Kingdom

Posted on 16 October 2009 at 22:18
I'm already looking forward to the Asiavision Song Contest or (Our Sound - Asian and Pacific Song Contest) which is supposedly gonna start November for national selection process with the contest spanning over a weekend; Friday being the show, Friday Night/Saturday = voting and Sunday being the results.
The Our Sound Website claims this show will take part sometime around March.
www.asiavision.tv

If there starts an Africanvision and Arabvision, we'll just need an Americavision to make a globalvision song contest.
Raymond Sammut

Comment by mundu-sammut from Australia

Posted on 16 October 2009 at 16:57
This is an excellent proposition by PM Putin. In time, there will be the Song of Songs Contest where everyone in the world will be invited to vote. For now, this could be the natural next step in that direction.
James Greene

Comment by oralbpulsar2 from Poland

Posted on 16 October 2009 at 13:53
Interesting

... but there is more!

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