Running Order for the Semi-Finals Released!

Moments ago, the Ukrainian broadcaster, UA:PBC, released the running order for the semifinals of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest!
The producers decided on the running order of the show, using the same format that has been used since 2013. This creates a more exciting TV show than selecting the running order randomly. It also ensures an opportunity is given to each song to stand out.

The First Semi-Final

Kicking off the first semi-final will be Sweden, whilst ending it will be Latvia. 18 countries will compete.
The full running order for the first semi-final on the 9th May is:

1. Sweden
2. Georgia
3. Australia
4. Albania
5. Belgium
6. Montenegro
7. Finland
8. Azerbaijan
9. Portugal
10. Greece
11. Poland
12. Moldova
13. Iceland
14. Czech Republic
15. Cyprus
16. Armenia
17. Slovenia
18. Latvia

Our Thoughts

Who did Björkman anger to have Sweden start the first semi-final?!?
For the most part, this is a good running order. However, there are a few things that we would have done differently. Although the semi-final is starting with Sweden, a very upbeat song which will get the crowd dancing, it is followed by 3 slower, dramatic ballads. We would have spread these ballads out more, maybe bringing Montenegro to an earlier place in the running order.
The semi-final also seems to have a slight skew, with more ballads near the beginning, and more uptempo songs near the end. A few changes, such as bringing Moldova to an earlier place, would’ve balanced it out.
Latvia, however, have been given a much-needed boost by being the last entry to perform!

The Second Semi-Final

The second semi-final will begin with Serbia, and end with Israel. 19 countries will compete.
The full running order for the second semi-final on the 11th May is:

1. Serbia
2. Austria
3. Russia
4. FYR Macedonia
5. Malta
6. Romania
7. The Netherlands
8. Hungary
9. Denmark
10. Ireland
11. San Marino
12. Croatia
13. Norway
14. Switzerland
15. Belarus
16. Bulgaria
17. Lithuania
18. Estonia
19. Israel

Most noteworthy, Russia has been included in the running order despite concerns that the country may not stay in the contest. Of course, these concerns are due to the Ukrainian ban on Yulia Samoylova’s entry into Ukraine. However, the producers have been very clever about this; a contrast between the entries still remains if they remove Russia from the running order.

Our Thoughts

Again, a well thought out running order (especially with Russia, who gets the “We don’t know what’s happening either” spot) though not as much as the first semi-final. There is a similar issue to the first semi-final though; there is a cluster of 4 consecutive ballads or slower songs. This could make the audience begin to doze off, it’s very risky!
Furthermore, the semi-final ends with 3 consecutive uptempo songs. Why the producers didn’t create more of a balance between uptempo songs and ballads, we do not know.

Further Information

The countries were allocated to the semifinals in January. It was also decided which of the big five countries will vote in which semi-final: Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom will vote in the first semifinal, whereas Germany, Ukraine, and France will vote in the second semi-final.
The producers will announce the running order for the grand final after both semi-finals are complete, and the finalists are known. The grand final will take place on the 13th May.
What do you think of the running order? Would you have done it differently? Let us know in the comments!