Operación Triunfo has been used as the selection process of the Spanish entry for the past 2 years. However, is it possible that Spain will not be using the show as their selection for this year? With the new dates announced for the upcoming OT, it became unlikely that the country will be selecting their singer from the show.
New dates for the show
Although initially intended to take a break, Operación Triunfo has been confirmed to take place in 2019. Yesterday, the Twitter account of Operación Triunfo announced the details for the castings of the 2019 edition. Apart from the locations where the castings will take place, the announcement also included the dates for the castings.
The castings are set to start with Barcelona in October and eventually end in November, which is later than the castings of the previous two years. Considering the fact that the live shows take place about two months after the conclusion of the auditions, will this affect the selection for the Eurovision artist?
☝️🤓 Castings de la próxima edición de @OT_Oficial 👉 https://t.co/V2ze6jejlw #OTFest 🌴 pic.twitter.com/n1n1i0AhrM
— OT 2018 (@OT_Oficial) July 18, 2019
Will Operación Triunfo be used as their selection?
With the new dates of the show, it is likely that Operación Triunfo will be unable to select the Spanish entrant for Eurovision 2020. Given that the show follows the formats of its predecessors, the live shows will be starting in January, and conclude in April.
However, it might still be possible, if the show has some changes with its format. For example, if the break between the auditions and live shows is smaller and the shows started earlier. That would mean the live shows would start in December and end in March, which would be ideal for the contest. Or perhaps if the show has fewer live shows, its use could be possible even if it starts in January.
Is Spain going internally?
If Operación Triunfo will not serve as their selection process, will Spain turn to internal selection for next year? Or will they host another event for it? According to an interview given to eurovision-spain.com, the Head of Delegation that the broadcaster is still unsure about the selection process. Accoording to Ana Bordas, the broadcaster has been working on their 2020 selection process since May.
“We’ve been working on our selection process for 2020 since the end of May. We have had several meetings with RTVE and we are about to make a decision. Hopefully, we’ll be able to announce it soon.”
Ana Bordas, Head of Delegation
In addition, when asked if the country would consider opting for internal selection, the Head of Delegation said that it was never ruled out. However, she did point out that it is not easy to opt for internally selected artist, not only financially. Nevertheless, RTVE is open for big names who are willing to take the responsibility of representing the country in Eurovision. She also said that the most important job is to “change that vision of the contest and get talented artists to share that illusion to take part”.
Considering the results Spain had the past two years, is it possible that RTVE will look for a better way to select their entry? Only time will tell.
What do you think about this? Do you think Operación Triunfo will remain as the Spanish selection and if it does, will it have some changes? Or will Spain opt for an internal selection next year?
Let us know in the comment section below, or on all social media platforms @ESCXTRA.
