As the Eurovision 2019 season draws closer, more news regarding countries’ plans for next year begin to emerge. Unfortunately, Luxembourg’s broadcaster (RTL) confirmed they will not return to the contest in 2019.
No participation since 1993
Luxembourg’s non-participation is not overly surprising considering they last appeared at the contest in 1993. The last to fly the country’s flag at the contest was the band Modern Times with their entry in French and Luxembourgish “Donne-moi une chance“. They placed 20th out of 25 with a total of 11 points. With this announcement, they join Andorra and Slovakia in confirming non-participation in Israel.
Financial difficulties and low potential to do well?
Back in 2016, a petition was submitted to the parliament to push for a return to the contest. In response, RTL’s Director of Programming, Steve Schmit, explained to telepro.be that finances were the first obstacle saying:
It’s very difficult to see how to finance participation, as RTL is a very small channel that only has two hours of programming per evening.
Although he also noted they could have used the help for sponsor, in case of victory they would struggle to host the competition, making participation not a priority.
However, Mr. Schmit had also expressed some concerns regarding the place of smaller countries like Luxembourg at the contest, noting:
With the new voting system, it is very unlikely that Luxembourg will shine. Small countries are a bit more in trouble today.
Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest
Luxembourg was one of the countries that competed in the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, with Michèle Arnaud being their first representative. So far, they made a total of 37 appearances at the contest. During their participation they were quite successful, winning five times in 1961, 1965, 1972, 1973 and 1983. Luxembourg withdrew in 1993 and has yet to make a return to the contest. Before their withdrawal, Luxembourg had only missed out on participating in 1959.
Are you disappointed Luxembourg will not return next year? Do you hope to see them again on stage soon? What is your favourite Luxembourgish entry at the contest?
Let us know in the comments section below and on all social media platforms at @ESCXTRA!
