This afternoon, the European Broadcasting Union has announced the broadcast of a new show entitled “Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light” which will air in place of the Grand Final of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest at 9pm CET on Saturday 16 May.
The Dutch are in charge!
In order to honour the work put into the cancelled 2020 Eurovision Song Contest by Dutch broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS, “Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light” will be a collaborative production between these Dutch broadcasters and the EBU. In addition, the show will be hosted by Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit who has been selected to host the Eurovision Song Contest at the Rotterdam Ahoy next month.
Honouring all 41 entries of 2020
According to eurovision.tv, the two-hour long show will primarily honour all 41 entries chosen for the 2020 contest. In addition, it intends to bring together all 41 artists from Eurovision 2020, from their home locations, in a performance of a past Eurovision hit with lyrics appropriate to the challenging situation the world is currently facing. We’re imagining something along the lines of the “Hallelujah” performance from 1999 with lots of added technology!
The exact line-up of the show, as well as the list of EBU broadcasters that will air the show, will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Furthermore, well-known Eurovision stars from recent years will also be invited to take part in the show whilst NikkieTutorials will create special online content for the broadcast.
“The spirit of unity and togetherness”
In response to the newly-announced broadcast, EBU executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand says:
“Sadly there will be no Eurovision Song Contest this year. Instead, we intend to unite Europe on 16 May with a unique prime-time TV programme. We are encouraging all broadcasters who were due to take part in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, and EBU Members in other countries, to air this show in the spirit of unity and togetherness.”
The planned executive producer of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, Sietse Bakker, also gave his thoughts to eurovision.tv:
“We want to make a show that puts a spotlight not only on the 41 artists that were due to appear in Rotterdam but also inspire those at home and connect people from across Europe and beyond in these difficult times. Of course, we will also honour those who are affected by the coronavirus crisis and those who work so hard to fight it. Let’s make this an unforgettable moment in Eurovision history!”
Eurovision week begins on 10 May
The EBU will also encourage radio organisations from across Europe to give airtime to both the 2020 entries as well as historic Eurovision entries during the 2020 “Eurovision Week” which will commence from Sunday 10 May.
I won’t be able to watch Eurovision: Come Together