The production team behind Eurovision 2025 has teased that they have planned a new system to announce the qualifiers of each semi-final in Basel. A documentary from SRG SSR on the contest’s production has allegedly leaked the system in question.
Split screens with three countries for each announcement
The change has been teased by Reto Peritz and Mortiz Stadler, the executive producers of the contest, speaking to the EuroTrip Podcast earlier this week. They explained that the EBU had given a green light to the change, which they would experiment on the dress rehearsals, starting on Monday.
A few days later, host broadcaster SRG SSR has released a documentary on the making of the contest, which reveals a version of the script that the hosts will use during the semi-finals. Some of the elements on the screen seem to reveal the new format for announcing qualifiers.
You can find the important bits of the script below the following summary.
In this version, for each announcement, three countries would be called and it is safe to assume cameras will be on them for a split screen: the script states “We are looking at A, B, and C”, with each letter being a country. The hosts will remind the audience that although only one of the three highlighted country qualifies at a given moment, the other two are not eliminated. The script does this at least twice at the beginning “No one gets eliminated until the very end.” before the first announcement, and “Country A and C, we will get back to you.“
The script also shows that the 10th qualifier will not be announced this way, but in a more traditional way (possibly with a 6-way or 7-way-split screen), meaning we will have to wait for the 10th country to be announced to be sure of who does not get through.
What the script says
Sandra
And now, let’s reveal the 10 finallists from today’s first semi-final. We will reveal them in random order. And we have a [surprise?] to everyone watching. Tonight, we will focus on three countries at a time, but no one gets eliminated until the very end.
Are you ready? Here we go.
We are looking at A, B, and C. The first country to qualify for the Grand Final is…. B!
Hazel
Congratulations B! A and C, we will get back to you. Moving on.
D, e and F. The second country to qualify for the Grand Final is… D!
Sandra
Remember, no one gets eliminated until he very end.
Now, G, H and I. The third country to qualify is…
[…etc. until the 10th qualifier]
Hazel
Now, there is only one spot left in the Grand Final. Which country will be the last to qualify, [but?] seven countries are still waiting to hear if they made it. These countries are
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sandra
You at home made the decision. The last country to move through the semi-final and compete in the Grand Final on Saturday is… X!
A new format after a 2023 attempt
Back in Liverpool, the BBC tried to change the announcement format, but rolled back after some backlash during the dress rehearsals. That new format would have had the artists of the semi-final alll standing on the stage during the announcement.
What do you think of this new kind of announcement? Is it more exciting or less so? Will it be better or worse for the artists? Tell us more in the comments below or on social media at @escxtra! And stay tuned as we will give you our experience from the ground, in the arena, of this new format!
So visible will now be sad reactions from the two who don’t make it from each of the initial reveals. How is that in keeping with the EBU’s priority of artist welfare? It’s Eurovision torture porn.