For the second year running, Ukrainians will have a choice of two channels to watch the Eurovision Song Contest from. This comes after UA:Pershyi and STB have confirmed that they will be broadcasting the contest.
Still tuning in
Ukraine gave us a fair amount of drama this year to say that they’re not even competing. The news from their broadcasters comes after a controversial withdrawal from this year’s contest. As a result, they will not be able to vote for their favourites. However, commentary will still be provided.
UA:Pershyi and STB will broadcast the full event for Ukrainian fans alike, this will include Russia’s performance by returning artist Sergey Lazarev.
Ukraine’s withdrawal
Many fans will not want reminding of the story on Ukraine withdrawing this year. But to make this article a bit longer, I’ll need to include it anyway.
Ukraine hosted Vidbir for another year to decide on who should represent them in Israel. After a drama-filled selection, in the end, it was MARUV who won with “Siren Song”. However, the singer did not confirm her ticket to Tel Aviv after sharing her contract details to the public. This included having to cancel her concerts in Russia and pay the costs herself to compete in Eurovision.
After it was confirmed that MARUV would not represent Ukraine, UA:PBC were in talks with finalists Freedom Jazz and KAZKA to replace MARUV. They both rejected this offer, and ultimately, Ukraine withdraw from the contest.
Are you missing Ukraine this year? Do you think “Siren Song” could’ve challenged the top 10 or higher? Let us know via our social media pages @ESCXTRA!
