Will Operación Triunfo select Spain’s Eurovision 2018 entrant?

Operación Triunfo is set to make a return this summer in Spain. The show was previously used to select the country’s Eurovision representative between 2002 and 2004. Whilst there is no confirmation yet, this year’s series could have the winner go on to represent them in Portugal next year.

Will the winner definitely go to Eurovision?

Despite speculation that the winner will go to the Eurovision Song Contest next year, nothing has been confirmed by the Spanish broadcaster, RTVE. However, when Toni Sevilla, the Director of Content at RTVE, was asked if Operación Triunfo would select their representative for Eurovision through the program, his response was:

“It certainly is one of our options, but we are still studying it. We can’t confirm or deny anything.”

Operación Triunfo success rate

Back in the early 2000’s when the format was first used, the country achieved a good level of success. They had three consecutive Top 10 placings from 2002 to 2004 with Rosa placing 7th (2002), Beth placing 8th (2003) and Ramón placing 10th (2004).

https://youtu.be/3bbeKLqTMD0
That’s pretty good for a country like Spain, if you look at their results from the last decade. They have only managed to gain a Top 10 placing on two other occasions, with Pastora Soler (2012) and Ruth Lorenzo (2014) who both finished in 10th place.
Furthermore, after Manel Navarro brought Spain their worst result by finishing last, perhaps RTVE want to change their luck and go back to their earlier days of success.

More about Operación Triunfo

The auditions for the show are expected to take place towards the end of the summer, where 16 singers are expected to be selected for the next round. The successful 16 singers will then move into a complex, where they will all be having lessons in diverse musical and artistic matters.
As the show progress, there will be 14 weeks worth of live shows where the singers will each have to show to both the public and jury that they have what it takes to stay in the competition. The winner of the competition will earn a cash prize of €100,000 and could possibly represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Portugal, if RTVE choose to use the show as their selection process.
What are your thoughts on Operación Triunfo returning? Would you like to see it choosing the Spanish entrant for Eurovision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.