Eurovision Song Contest 2020

Cancelled international song competition
(Redirected from EV20)

The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the 2019 contest with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. This edition was the first and only one in the contest's history to be cancelled, with it being called off on 18 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Open Up
File:Eurovision Song Contest 2020.svg
Dates
Semi-final 112 May 2020 (cancelled)
Semi-final 214 May 2020 (cancelled)
Final16 May 2020 (cancelled)
Host
VenueRotterdam Ahoy
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Presenter(s)
Directed by
Executive supervisorJon Ola Sand
Executive producer
  • Sietse Bakker
  • Inge van de Weerd
Host broadcaster
Participants
Number of entries41 (planned)
Number of finalists26 (planned)
Debuting countriesNone[a]
Returning countries Bulgaria
 Ukraine[a]
Non-returning countries Hungary
 Montenegro[a]
  • <imagemap> File:ESC 2020 Map 2.svg|298px|alt=A coloured map of the countries of Europe poly 119 467 123 451 117 448 128 427 133 410 140 414 149 415 154 420 147 426 144 440 139 441 140 447 136 454 137 459 132 465 132 468 128 471 Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 134 410 130 395 146 390 197 405 205 414 220 418 221 427 234 428 236 425 242 423 240 433 250 456 232 465 207 466 194 483 180 486 162 482 149 494 146 490 139 472 132 472 134 463 141 461 136 454 144 450 139 446 139 442 145 441 149 426 155 422 152 415 Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 rect 317 402 329 414 San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 200 407 206 379 208 372 203 367 199 355 187 348 184 339 196 339 198 343 209 345 209 332 218 337 225 334 235 330 237 321 244 319 252 328 256 331 266 338 275 341 288 346 284 356 281 365 269 377 274 379 277 386 275 393 276 404 270 404 270 416 296 423 298 427 296 436 294 438 291 433 291 427 296 424 270 415 262 415 256 411 248 410 240 415 240 424 233 424 234 414 221 414 221 416 216 417 203 412 France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 225 234 219 246 213 252 221 255 225 273 229 280 233 288 229 294 238 294 241 296 241 304 230 311 236 314 225 320 209 318 199 316 197 320 193 318 182 321 192 311 197 310 203 310 208 305 202 308 189 301 199 295 196 284 207 285 212 277 208 267 200 265 188 272 176 266 181 258 189 258 192 268 199 265 199 260 200 251 197 241 201 232 193 223 196 220 206 221 216 220 229 201 226 217 218 223 211 231 United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 179 292 174 292 164 295 156 295 156 292 151 292 151 289 155 286 160 282 164 275 158 271 163 262 170 265 171 260 175 254 178 255 179 261 175 265 176 268 180 268 181 268 186 273 184 281 184 288 Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 148 137 144 133 140 127 132 124 138 123 140 115 132 109 142 109 143 106 136 103 145 94 149 99 152 106 160 108 171 112 175 108 181 118 184 128 176 135 156 137 151 140 Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 244 323 245 319 252 316 261 316 269 318 267 322 270 325 272 330 266 333 266 338 261 338 261 331 257 334 258 329 252 324 247 323 Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 266 318 261 315 253 315 260 307 263 299 267 294 278 291 281 295 281 300 278 302 278 305 277 311 270 311 272 316 272 320 272 325 268 325 268 320 262 315 Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 276 385 274 377 272 377 267 380 268 375 272 371 276 366 277 363 285 363 289 361 293 361 293 363 292 363 292 374 304 374 304 372 306 372 303 377 298 379 294 379 294 384 290 381 287 378 284 381 Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 282 363 282 358 285 350 288 346 277 343 276 339 275 336 272 331 274 328 271 322 272 315 272 310 275 310 279 306 279 299 282 294 280 289 289 289 295 289 293 275 302 275 302 281 310 281 307 286 310 286 317 283 321 280 328 280 328 283 330 290 332 289 332 294 332 299 336 302 338 313 340 321 334 321 326 324 318 329 320 337 322 341 331 348 332 350 326 356 326 362 314 362 310 365 305 362 Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 293 275 291 268 290 266 292 264 289 257 291 248 296 248 300 242 304 242 303 253 306 257 317 261 318 266 318 272 311 277 Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 rect 338 498 350 509 Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 289 469 287 465 288 456 288 451 286 447 292 443 295 442 297 443 312 426 310 422 308 420 303 407 296 403 292 401 284 407 283 408 283 404 276 404 276 402 276 398 272 395 275 395 278 390 276 385 282 384 289 378 294 385 294 379 300 380 305 373 308 374 315 371 318 371 322 375 331 376 331 382 330 384 324 389 320 389 320 393 323 397 321 399 322 402 317 402 318 414 329 414 329 409 333 412 336 419 339 426 344 432 354 432 358 432 356 435 368 440 375 444 381 448 380 453 374 449 369 447 367 449 362 456 368 461 368 466 364 472 358 477 355 478 353 486 353 491 351 491 351 494 346 494 343 488 332 484 327 483 327 480 333 478 343 479 353 476 358 473 361 468 358 458 355 456 351 449 340 446 338 439 331 437 332 426 319 426 319 429 312 426 298 442 298 446 301 448 299 454 299 467 293 465 Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 278 231 274 227 274 219 271 201 273 189 283 180 297 172 304 162 314 150 316 132 325 118 320 113 324 105 336 94 348 84 362 71 372 69 321 11 311 0 322 0 322 11 371 69 381 71 385 72 383 77 385 82 385 86 374 81 371 85 371 94 370 101 363 101 357 101 351 95 349 100 347 106 340 107 339 112 335 113 333 120 331 128 328 135 325 135 325 142 321 155 325 158 322 164 315 164 313 167 313 179 315 183 313 193 318 194 315 201 318 206 315 213 312 218 313 225 308 222 306 214 303 216 303 221 302 226 296 229 291 234 285 235 282 235 Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 317 250 313 239 314 235 311 233 309 227 311 223 313 215 318 209 316 199 318 196 314 192 314 183 313 172 313 165 317 162 324 162 324 160 320 155 323 145 324 138 330 131 333 119 337 113 342 107 346 107 348 101 357 103 363 110 365 117 367 121 367 127 373 135 364 136 362 143 358 150 361 152 358 159 353 164 348 172 344 182 344 193 344 199 348 203 356 212 353 221 348 224 360 233 360 243 357 243 356 238 358 232 347 225 346 234 346 243 347 246 345 251 343 257 332 258 331 261 330 268 326 268 321 258 321 255 320 248 Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 369 198 368 189 365 175 367 170 370 165 376 146 380 142 378 136 372 134 368 128 368 122 363 110 360 107 347 102 347 99 350 96 357 100 364 101 370 98 370 90 370 86 375 80 384 85 382 98 384 101 389 103 392 106 391 113 400 125 401 138 405 142 410 146 408 152 413 155 420 157 419 166 415 177 408 191 400 193 392 199 384 204 373 198 Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 395 229 395 223 380 227 380 221 386 214 394 207 403 207 412 207 412 214 415 225 415 228 409 231 400 225 397 229 Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 377 255 375 250 375 242 379 236 382 233 387 236 389 240 394 240 396 238 394 230 397 226 401 225 408 230 415 230 416 230 416 234 419 237 422 244 419 250 415 252 406 248 404 248 402 245 402 248 387 248 Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 392 273 391 266 383 264 381 265 377 255 383 249 394 249 401 245 406 248 411 249 415 252 417 256 411 264 413 268 409 272 403 275 400 277 396 272 Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 367 358 359 355 357 352 360 347 365 345 368 339 371 337 383 337 388 336 392 333 395 334 398 336 401 338 399 346 391 346 386 346 385 351 375 354 372 358 Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 331 376 321 374 321 371 313 371 307 375 304 375 305 363 314 363 322 362 328 364 324 358 330 352 333 350 338 350 342 346 351 347 356 349 358 352 362 356 355 362 355 370 350 374 336 377 327 374 Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 332 384 331 376 337 376 347 375 353 371 356 374 350 378 350 382 346 385 347 389 342 387 339 388 335 388 Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 355 374 356 367 356 362 360 361 360 355 364 359 369 357 373 353 383 351 385 346 397 346 401 346 405 351 401 356 398 368 395 372 391 375 385 377 376 382 370 382 364 379 Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 369 415 362 411 356 411 349 406 349 404 351 403 346 399 344 393 340 390 337 396 333 392 333 390 342 388 350 384 350 380 353 376 360 377 366 381 369 382 376 380 379 384 381 391 369 391 359 390 359 392 354 392 353 394 355 402 366 410 370 414 Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 379 419 371 415 361 408 356 402 353 397 353 392 356 390 366 390 376 390 382 391 382 397 386 401 383 406 381 408 378 416 Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 378 421 378 416 382 408 385 407 389 408 394 414 394 419 390 419 386 422 386 426 Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 386 408 384 405 384 400 381 397 382 392 377 381 382 375 388 375 394 378 396 382 401 386 400 390 405 392 406 389 412 390 410 394 413 398 413 401 417 408 417 410 413 412 414 419 404 422 398 427 397 422 393 417 394 413 390 408 Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 397 453 392 449 387 446 389 434 388 427 385 424 387 419 394 419 399 423 399 431 400 437 405 438 401 447 399 454 Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 404 438 399 436 399 428 399 423 408 418 415 418 420 422 420 428 420 432 413 432 409 438 North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 399 454 403 443 404 436 411 436 411 433 418 432 422 427 431 424 440 426 442 426 450 422 448 416 455 420 452 426 453 430 448 430 439 430 437 432 430 434 430 441 420 440 420 445 424 449 431 455 439 461 443 465 437 466 437 472 438 496 446 497 453 497 465 497 452 501 439 499 439 496 438 470 434 468 428 471 432 477 426 477 431 486 424 485 416 483 417 477 403 469 408 467 Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 421 430 421 424 414 420 413 415 418 410 418 405 413 404 410 397 413 395 413 399 430 399 439 397 447 387 457 388 462 391 464 391 464 394 461 396 461 401 459 407 463 412 456 413 449 416 449 417 449 424 440 425 433 424 421 431 Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 416 399 412 395 411 390 407 390 401 390 399 385 396 384 395 381 389 376 395 374 399 360 402 356 408 348 415 348 422 346 423 350 426 346 431 345 436 339 445 345 449 352 455 359 453 367 456 373 463 371 470 368 471 375 466 375 464 381 463 391 455 388 448 389 442 392 438 397 Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 438 340 440 336 444 335 453 337 458 337 459 345 462 347 467 348 470 355 460 356 463 360 458 371 455 367 453 357 452 353 444 345 Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 407 349 400 347 401 339 405 339 403 332 403 327 408 320 410 318 410 314 406 309 406 303 413 296 428 296 431 299 443 296 455 296 457 296 454 289 455 286 464 284 466 280 473 276 476 277 482 281 480 283 483 288 487 286 491 287 494 293 502 293 508 289 514 292 523 291 534 290 534 296 533 300 537 304 538 311 533 311 530 317 528 323 523 328 516 334 511 339 508 347 514 354 523 349 523 355 517 355 510 361 507 367 503 364 503 362 492 360 499 352 497 349 491 352 485 350 478 349 474 352 473 360 468 368 457 370 458 364 460 360 460 356 469 356 466 352 461 347 457 339 450 338 444 335 436 340 431 345 423 348 Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 405 304 404 299 401 299 405 291 402 283 401 278 408 272 412 270 413 259 416 256 416 250 420 249 422 243 433 243 434 246 439 243 444 245 447 253 451 262 456 264 461 264 465 267 462 270 454 270 457 277 461 280 464 285 458 285 455 293 455 295 446 296 434 299 429 296 421 296 412 299 408 305 Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 677 0 677 137 522 137 522 0 Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 393 272 385 275 371 275 370 207 386 207 408 199 409 190 414 177 418 165 419 156 410 151 409 146 405 138 402 133 399 125 392 115 391 105 391 101 384 100 384 94 385 87 387 82 393 78 398 81 413 81 428 84 436 86 443 91 445 95 445 101 435 109 422 109 414 111 414 113 419 115 422 121 425 129 427 133 432 134 435 134 438 136 445 136 449 132 442 130 437 126 437 123 454 123 457 123 447 113 454 95 465 98 460 85 455 84 452 76 449 71 453 68 461 71 457 77 461 80 468 84 473 80 469 72 473 61 463 56 459 53 459 51 464 48 468 52 465 55 473 63 476 52 478 45 485 49 490 47 487 43 491 40 495 29 500 33 503 29 501 22 490 19 477 17 469 22 464 20 452 22 449 19 450 12 445 3 445 1 454 1 457 7 464 15 475 15 490 15 500 10 518 5 529 4 527 0 679 1 679 97 677 101 665 94 665 100 658 101 657 111 652 122 645 138 632 155 635 160 645 159 645 162 638 168 647 173 644 180 658 179 662 184 654 192 647 197 642 197 631 203 630 213 628 218 611 217 597 220 590 227 585 239 585 245 591 254 585 256 579 251 579 261 581 270 582 279 590 282 592 285 598 280 610 286 606 292 613 292 610 302 604 302 608 309 606 321 614 321 620 332 635 342 633 354 623 349 614 349 611 346 603 349 596 354 590 352 582 352 576 356 565 356 561 357 549 353 540 351 535 351 528 349 534 345 538 335 533 330 539 320 537 319 531 323 530 319 536 311 543 311 536 301 533 291 529 289 519 289 519 292 512 288 507 293 495 292 490 286 483 286 480 278 475 275 472 279 467 279 464 285 456 276 455 271 462 271 464 267 455 261 448 253 443 245 436 245 436 247 431 243 424 243 419 234 416 226 413 218 412 209 413 202 419 199 427 196 416 193 414 191 409 191 408 198 388 206 370 207 371 269 380 269 380 266 381 264 389 265 394 266 Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 583 375 583 370 576 361 568 361 562 359 569 355 576 355 584 353 591 350 595 355 598 351 611 348 614 351 619 351 619 355 627 358 621 359 611 360 611 363 599 373 595 370 587 374 Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 627 388 620 383 626 381 632 385 635 385 638 380 634 375 628 375 625 372 622 370 618 365 611 363 613 361 626 358 620 354 620 349 628 350 632 353 637 342 647 349 659 349 654 354 656 365 654 368 658 379 650 377 648 369 646 367 639 373 637 384 629 387 Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 582 375 591 371 596 371 604 374 604 381 605 383 615 383 615 389 618 398 623 405 628 410 625 414 612 416 602 423 593 429 587 437 581 441 574 439 568 447 558 448 561 453 557 459 555 456 557 449 554 448 549 454 540 455 536 464 524 470 515 465 505 464 503 467 503 474 496 476 489 474 473 470 468 463 458 458 461 451 461 444 455 444 455 438 464 433 476 433 477 426 483 421 477 421 464 423 461 430 453 431 454 423 452 418 454 413 460 410 467 414 479 416 497 414 504 402 517 396 530 395 542 395 556 394 563 391 570 387 577 383 Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 530 487 524 482 533 473 544 469 543 480 Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 569 535 559 523 556 517 557 512 559 496 564 493 568 506 Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 606 383 603 379 603 375 601 371 613 364 620 366 624 370 628 376 632 376 636 378 638 381 635 386 632 386 627 381 619 381 Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 96 539 97 533 104 524 106 520 116 514 128 512 134 505 144 489 152 499 161 502 170 503 180 506 183 511 181 531 183 536 186 539 96 539 Morocco in the Eurovision Song Contest rect 292 362 305 375 Liechtenstein in the Eurovision Song Contest rect 221 414 234 427 Andorra in the Eurovision Song Contest rect 270 404 283 416 Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 340 321 339 316 338 313 335 305 335 300 331 300 333 293 333 287 338 283 343 282 350 276 357 272 359 272 364 277 368 278 371 275 379 275 387 275 392 273 399 274 403 286 404 291 400 296 403 299 407 309 411 317 406 324 403 331 406 337 395 334 385 336 380 338 377 335 372 336 371 332 366 332 363 328 355 330 352 327 349 324 Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 330 346 325 344 320 338 320 335 319 329 325 326 335 321 343 323 352 324 354 331 358 327 366 330 369 331 373 336 370 338 365 345 360 347 357 349 349 345 343 346 341 349 337 350 333 348 Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 poly 269 341 267 334 271 332 275 336 274 342 Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 558 496 558 486 559 474 564 472 570 476 569 483 566 490 565 495 Lebanon in the Eurovision Song Contest poly 283 539 277 536 275 532 275 526 284 521 285 514 285 507 285 499 287 495 292 490 296 489 301 490 305 495 310 491 312 495 307 501 306 504 313 510 308 518 299 526 299 529 306 532 310 532 317 536 315 539 Tunisia in the Eurovision Song Contest desc bottom-right </imagemap>
         Countries that had planned to participate in 2020 and would have automatically qualified for the final     Countries that had planned to participate in 2020 and would have competed in the semi-finals     Countries that had participated in the past but did not plan to participate in 2020
2019 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 2021

The contest was scheduled to be held at Rotterdam Ahoy and would have consisted of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May, and a final on 16 May 2020.[2] Forty-one countries would have participated in the contest; Bulgaria and Ukraine would have returned after their absence from the 2019 contest, while Hungary and Montenegro had confirmed their non-participation after taking part in the previous edition. All 41 competing artists and songs were confirmed by the relevant broadcasters by early March 2020.

Following the cancellation, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) began discussions of potential carryovers for the 2021 contest, such as the host city and participating artists, with various parties. In place of the cancelled contest, the EBU and its Dutch members NPO, NOS and AVROTROS organised a replacement show, Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light, to showcase the selected entries on 16 May, the day of the planned final.[3] Rotterdam remained host of the 2021 contest on 18, 20 and 22 May 2021; however, the songs selected for the 2020 contest were not eligible for the competition.[4][5]

Location

 
Rotterdam Ahoy – the planned host venue of the 2020 contest

The 2020 contest was to be held at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, following the country's victory at the 2019 edition with the song "Arcade", performed by Duncan Laurence. It would have been the fifth time that the Netherlands had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1958, 1970, 1976 and 1980. Rotterdam Ahoy had previously hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007.[6]

Preparations

Preparations for the 2020 contest began on 19 May 2019, immediately after the Netherlands won the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Jon Ola Sand, the executive supervisor of the contest on behalf of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), handed AVROTROS, the Dutch participating broadcaster, a stack of documents and a USB drive with tools to begin the work needed to host the next contest.[7] AVROTROS was co-organising the event with sister broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and their parent public broadcasting organisation, Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO).[8][9]

Bidding phase

Locations of the candidate cities: the chosen host city is marked in blue. The shortlisted cities are marked in green, while the eliminated cities are marked in red.

Already prior to the 2019 contest, when bookmakers expected Duncan Laurence to win, several Dutch cities, including Amsterdam, The Hague and Maastricht, announced their intent to host the contest should the Netherlands win.[10] A spokesperson for NPO also stated that the broadcaster had a rough plan for how they would select the host city in the event of a Dutch victory.[11] When Laurence won the contest, mayors of various municipalities immediately began lobbying Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, through text messages.[12] Public figures, including Laurence, Esther Hart, Getty Kaspers and André Rieu, voiced their support for their respective favourite host cities.[13]

The hosting broadcasters launched the bidding process on 29 May 2019.[14] In the first phase of this process, cities were to formally apply to bid.[15] Nine cities—Amsterdam, Arnhem, Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Hague, Leeuwarden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, and Utrecht—did so and received a list of criteria they and their venues needed to meet on 12 June 2019.[15] Initially, Zwolle had also considered launching a bid to host the event but the city ultimately decided against doing so because it deemed its venue, the IJsselhallen, to have unsuitable proportions.[16] Enschede could have been a potential host city as Enschede Airport Twente considered bidding to host the event in its eleventh hangar, however, it later learned that Enschede's municipality executive board had decided against financially supporting such a bid.[17][18]

From this point on, these nine cities had until 10 July 2019 to compile their bid books to demonstrate their capabilities to host the contest.[15] Further cities were still able to join in on the bidding race by applying prior to the deadline.[15] During this period, four cities withdrew. Amsterdam could not host the contest because it was preoccupied with hosting other events during the contest's time frame.[19] Breda dropped out due to financial concerns.[20] Leeuwarden ceased bidding due to the insufficient height of the ceiling of its WTC Expo.[21] The Hague dropped its bid because both of its potential venues were unsuitable for the event.[22] The local Cars Jeans Stadion football stadium would have been large enough but lacked a roof, and installing such a roof would have made the bid financially unviable.[22] Its other option would have been spanning a tent over the Malieveld field, but after reviewing the hosting conditions, this option fell out of favour.[22] Following its withdrawal, The Hague turned to support Rotterdam's bid instead.[22]

The five remaining cities—Arnhem, 's-Hertogenbosch, Maastricht, Rotterdam, and Utrecht—delivered their finished bid books to a ceremonial event held in Hilversum on 10 July 2019.[23] The hosting broadcasters reviewed the bids presented and on 16 July 2019 announced that it eliminated those for Arnhem, 's-Hertogenbosch and Utrecht, shortlisting only Maastricht and Rotterdam.[24] Utrecht was specifically eliminated because its proposal to span a tent over its Jaarbeurs offered limited possibilities for testing on location and had a questionable suitability for events like the Eurovision Song Contest,[25] while 's-Hertogenbosch was dropped due to an insufficient ceiling height in its Brabanthallen and too few hotel rooms blocked for potential visitors of the contest.[26]

To review and discuss the location, venue and surrounding events for the remaining bids, NPO visited Maastricht on 17 July 2019 and Rotterdam on the following day.[27][28] By late July, additional visits to the two shortlisted cities were deemed necessary to review production logistics.[29] The EBU did not pay visits to either city.[30] Maastricht and Rotterdam were to hand in revised versions of their bid books by 9 August 2019 to add details involving the cities' social programmes, side-events and programme licensing.[31] A "concept agreement" was put before the organisers in both Maastricht and Rotterdam in August 2019.[32] While Rotterdam signed this agreement, the city council of Maastricht discussed and rejected it.[32] Within the same council session, it was also clarified that the MECC would not receive additional renovations.[32] On 30 August, Rotterdam was announced as the host city during a special broadcast on NPO 1 and NPO 2.[2][33]

Key:  †  Host venue  ‡  Shortlisted venues

City Venue Notes Ref.
Arnhem GelreDome Joint bid with the city of Nijmegen and the Veluwe region. [34]
Maastricht MECC Maastricht Candidacy was supported by the province of Limburg and surrounding cities. [34][35]
Rotterdam Rotterdam Ahoy Candidacy was supported by the province of South Holland and the cities of Dordrecht and The Hague. The venue previously hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007. [34][35]
's-Hertogenbosch Brabanthallen Candidacy was supported by the province of North Brabant and the cities of Breda, Eindhoven, Tilburg and Helmond. [34]
Utrecht Jaarbeurs [34]

Other sites

 
 
ESC Village
 
EuroClub
Location of host venue (red) and other contest-related sites and events (blue)

The Eurovision Village would have been erected to serve as the official Eurovision Song Contest fan and sponsors' area during the events week. There, it would have been possible to watch performances by local artists, as well as the live shows broadcast from the main venue. The Binnenrotte was the planned location for the Village.[36] The Binnenrotte is one of the largest open spaces in the centre of Rotterdam. It is located in the heart of the city, next to some of Rotterdam's most famous architectural marvels, such as the Markthal.

The EuroClub would have been the venue for the official after-parties and private performances by contest participants. Unlike the Eurovision Village, access to the EuroClub would be restricted to accredited fans, delegates, and press. It would have been located at the Maassilo. Maassilo is located on Rotterdam's waterfront at Maashaven Zuidzijde, a 10-minute drive from Rotterdam Ahoy.[37]

The "Golden Carpet" and Opening Ceremony events, where the contestants and their delegations present themselves in front of the accredited press and fans, would have taken place at the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal on 10 May 2020.[38]

Countries set to participate

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 – Participation summaries by country

Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting it live nationwide. The EBU issued an invitation of participation in the contest to all active members. In contrast to previous years, associate member Australia did not need an invitation for the 2020 contest, as it had previously been granted permission to participate at least until 2023.[39]

The EBU announced on 13 November 2019 that forty-one countries would participate in the contest, with Bulgaria and Ukraine returning after their absence from the 2019 contest, with Hungary and Montenegro not participating mostly due to financial reasons.[40] Following the cancellation of the contest, the participating broadcasters were given sole discretion on whether to retain the artists who would have participated in this edition for the following year,[41] but they were required to enter new songs in accordance with the contest's rules.[5]

Planned participants of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020[40][42]
Country Broadcaster Artist Song Language Songwriter(s)
  Albania RTSH Arilena Ara "Fall from the Sky" English
  Armenia AMPTV Athena Manoukian "Chains on You" English
  Australia SBS Montaigne "Don't Break Me" English
  Austria ORF Vincent Bueno "Alive" English
  Azerbaijan İTV Efendi "Cleopatra" English
  • Luuk van Beers
  • Sarah Lake
  • Alan Roy Scott
  Belarus BTRC VAL "Da vidna" (Да відна) Belarusian
  • Valeryja Hrybusava
  • Mikita Najdzionaŭ
  • Uladzislaŭ Paškievič
  Belgium VRT Hooverphonic "Release Me" English
  Bulgaria BNT Victoria "Tears Getting Sober" English
  Croatia HRT Damir Kedžo "Divlji vjetre" Croatian Ante Pecotić
  Cyprus CyBC Sandro "Running" English
  Czech Republic ČT Benny Cristo "Kemama" English
  Denmark DR Ben and Tan "Yes" English
  Estonia ERR Uku Suviste "What Love Is" English
  Finland Yle Aksel "Looking Back" English
  • Joonas Angeria
  • Connor McDonough
  • Riley McDonough
  • Toby McDonough
  • Whitney Phillips
  France France Télévisions Tom Leeb "Mon alliée (The Best in Me)" French, English
  Georgia GPB Tornike Kipiani "Take Me as I Am" English
  Germany NDR[b] Ben Dolic "Violent Thing" English
  • Dag Lundberg
  • Connor Martin
  • Borislav Milanov
  • Peter St. James
  • Jimmy Thorén
  Greece ERT Stefania "Supergirl" English
  Iceland RÚV Daði og Gagnamagnið "Think About Things" English Daði Freyr
  Ireland RTÉ Lesley Roy "Story of My Life" English
  Israel IPBC Eden Alene "Feker Libi" (ፍቅር ልቤ) English, Amharic
  Italy RAI Diodato "Fai rumore" Italian
  Latvia LTV Samanta Tīna "Still Breathing" English
  Lithuania LRT The Roop "On Fire" English
  Malta PBS Destiny "All of My Love" English
  Moldova TRM Natalia Gordienko "Prison" English
  Netherlands AVROTROS Jeangu Macrooy "Grow" English
  North Macedonia MRT Vasil "You" English
  • Kalina Neskoska
  • Nevena Neskoska
  • Alice Schroeder
  Norway NRK Ulrikke "Attention" English
  Poland TVP Alicja "Empires" English
  • Laurell Barker
  • Maria Broberg
  • Dominic Buczkowski-Wojtaszek
  • Patryk Kumór
  • Fraser Mac
  • Reece Pullinger
  Portugal RTP Elisa "Medo de sentir" Portuguese Marta Carvalho
  Romania TVR Roxen "Alcohol You" English
  Russia C1R Little Big "Uno" English, Spanish
  San Marino SMRTV Senhit "Freaky!" English
  • Nanna Bottos
  • Gianluigi Fazio
  • Henrik Steen
  Serbia RTS Hurricane "Hasta la vista" Serbian
  Slovenia RTVSLO Ana Soklič "Voda" Slovene
  Spain RTVE Blas Cantó "Universo" Spanish
  Sweden SVT The Mamas "Move" English
   Switzerland SRG SSR Gjon's Tears "Répondez-moi" French
  Ukraine UA:PBC Go_A "Solovey" (Соловей) Ukrainian
  United Kingdom BBC James Newman "My Last Breath" English

Planned returning artists

Three artists who had previously competed as lead vocalists for the same countries had been selected to compete again. Natalia Gordienko had previously represented Moldova in 2006 with Arsenium and Connect-R;[44] Senhit had represented San Marino in 2011;[45] and Sanja Vučić, a member of Hurricane, had previously represented Serbia in 2016 in a solo performance.[46]

A number of other acts had previously performed as backing vocalists in other years, but had been selected as the lead artist for the 2020 contest. Ksenija Knežević, a member of Hurricane, had previously served as backing vocalist for Montenegro's entrant Knez in 2015;[47] Destiny had provided backing vocals for Malta's Michela in 2019;[48] Vincent Bueno had backed Austria's Nathan Trent in 2017;[49] and Vasil and the Mamas had been present at the 2019 contest, providing backing vocals for North Macedonia's Tamara Todevska and Sweden's John Lundvik respectively.[50][51] In addition, two of the lead vocalists had previously competed in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest; Destiny won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 for Malta and Greece's Stefania had competed in the 2016 Junior contest for the Netherlands as a member of the group Kisses.[52][53]

Other countries

Active EBU members

Active EBU member broadcasters in Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Monaco, Slovakia and Turkey confirmed non-participation prior to the announcement of the participants list by the EBU.[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61] An inside source attributed Hungary's non-participation to a rise of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the country;[62] however, this was denied by the Hungarian broadcaster MTVA.[63] Montenegro, while initially confirming its participation, later reconsidered the option due to "modest results" and financial issues, and the country did not appear on the final list of participants.[64][65][66][67][68][69] Calls on Luxembourg to return to the contest after its continued non-participation since 1993 (including from Anne-Marie David, 1973 winner for the country), resulted in a fan-led petition directed to the broadcaster RTL and the Chamber of Deputies,[70] and in a second petition opened by the Chamber of Deputies itself;[71] however, RTL also ruled out participation in the 2020 contest prior to the official announcement by the EBU.[72]

Associate EBU members

Despite EBU associate member Kazakhstan's previous participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Jon Ola Sand, the executive supervisor of the contest, stated that the country's participation in the main contest needed to be discussed by its reference group.[73] The EBU stated in September 2019 that it had no intention to invite Kazakhstan to the 2020 contest.[74]

Non-EBU members

Despite attempts by the Kosovan broadcaster RTK to obtain full EBU membership in order to debut at the 2020 contest,[75] at the EBU's 82nd General Assembly in June 2019, it was decided to keep ITU membership as a requirement to join the EBU, thus making it impossible for RTK to join the EBU in time for the 2020 contest.[76] Liechtensteiner broadcaster 1 FL TV, despite previous attempts to become an EBU member, halted its plans after director Peter Kölbel's unexpected death, and did not resume them due to the lack of sufficient funds and of government support; thus it ruled out debuting in 2020.[77]

Production

The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 would have been a co-production between three related Dutch television organisations — Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and AVROTROS — of which each assumed a different role.[8] Sietse Bakker and Inge van de Weerd would have served as executive producers, while Emilie Sickinghe and Jessica Stam would have served as deputy executive producers.[78] In August 2019, Marnix Kaart and Marc Pos were announced as the directors of the three live shows,[79] as well as Gerben Bakker as head of show.[80] Cornald Maas would have been creative advisor.[81] Jon Ola Sand, executive supervisor of the contest, would keep his role as he had done since 2011, though he planned to step down following the 2020 contest.[82]

Visual design

The contest's slogan, "Open Up", was unveiled on 24 October 2019.[83] The official logo and branding was unveiled on 28 November 2019. Designed by Clever°Franke, it is "an abstract representation of the flag colours of the 41 countries participating in 2020 by first appearance to the contest".[84]

Presenters

 
Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit and Edsilia Rombley, planned to be the presenters of the 2020 contest

The contest would have been hosted by three presenters: actress and television host Chantal Janzen, singer and commentator for the contest Jan Smit, and singer Edsilia Rombley, who represented the Netherlands in the 1998 and 2007 contests.[85][86] Beauty vlogger Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials) would have been the presenter of the contest's online content, including a behind-the-scenes YouTube series to be recorded with the participating artists.[87] She would have also reported from the "Golden Carpet" during the opening ceremony and was scheduled to make an appearance in all three live shows.[88] Roos Moggré and Andrew Makkinga [nl] would have moderated the contest's press conferences.[89]

Stage design

The stage design for the 2020 contest was revealed on 2 December 2019. The design was inspired by the slogan "Open Up" and the typical Dutch flat landscape. The Eurovision stage was designed by German stage designer Florian Wieder, who also designed the stages for the contests in 2011–12, 2015, and 2017–19. Unlike the previous contest, the green room was placed inside the main performance venue.[90]

Opening and interval acts

The second semi-final would have opened with a performance by breakdancer Redouan "Redo" Ait Chitt. The final would have been opened with the traditional flag parade, introducing all twenty-six finalists, accompanied by music produced by 15-year-old DJ Pieter Gabriel.[91] A symphony orchestra of sixty-five young musicians from across the Netherlands, specifically formed for this occasion, was scheduled to perform in the final, together with DJ Afrojack and singer Glennis Grace, the latter of whom represented the Netherlands in the 2005 contest.[92][93] This interval act would have also featured forty dancers and a twenty-five-piece gospel choir.[92]

Furthermore, the final was scheduled to include performances from eight former Eurovision winners: Gigliola Cinquetti would have performed "Non ho l'età", Lenny Kuhr would have performed "De troubadour", Getty Kaspers (of Teach-In) would have performed "Ding-a-dong", Sandra Kim would have performed "J'aime la vie", Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan would have performed "Rock 'n' Roll Kids", Alexander Rybak would have performed "Fairytale", and Duncan Laurence would have performed "Arcade".[94]

Format

Voting system

The Spanish Head of Delegation revealed on 22 October 2019 that the EBU was consulting with delegations on potential changes to the voting system.[95] The Greek Head of Delegation revealed on 30 October 2019 that the majority of delegations (80%) voted in favour of maintaining the current voting system.[96]

Semi-final allocation draw

 
Results of the semi-final allocation draw
  Participating countries in the first semi-final
  Pre-qualified for the final but also voting in the first semi-final
  Participating countries in the second semi-final
  Pre-qualified for the final but also voting in the second semi-final

The draw to determine the participating countries' semi-finals took place on 28 January 2020 at 16:10 CET, at the Rotterdam City Hall.[97] The thirty-five semi-finalists were divided over five pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. The purpose of drawing from different pots was to reduce the chance of "bloc voting" and to increase suspense in the semi-finals. The draw also determined which semi-final each of the six automatic qualifiers – host country the Netherlands and "Big Five" countries France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – would broadcast and vote in. The ceremony was hosted by contest presenters Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit and Edsilia Rombley, and included the passing of the host city insignia from Zippi Brand Frank, deputy mayor of Tel Aviv (host city of the previous contest) to Ahmed Aboutaleb, mayor of Rotterdam.[97]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5

Postcards

The concept of the 2020 postcards was based on the "Open Up" theme of the contest. Each artist would have visited a different part of the Netherlands and connected with locals by participating in a Dutch activity, tradition or hobby.[98]

Overview of planned contest

Semi-final 1

The first semi-final would have taken place on 12 May 2020 at 21:00 (CEST). Seventeen countries would have participated in the first semi-final. These countries, plus Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, would have voted in this semi-final.[99]

Planned participants of the first semi-final[100][c]
R/O Country Artist Song
1   Sweden The Mamas "Move"
2   Belarus VAL "Da vidna"
3   Australia Montaigne "Don't Break Me"
4   North Macedonia Vasil "You"
5   Slovenia Ana Soklič "Voda"
6   Lithuania The Roop "On Fire"
7   Ireland Lesley Roy "Story of My Life"
8   Russia Little Big "Uno"
9   Belgium Hooverphonic "Release Me"
10   Malta Destiny "All of My Love"
11   Croatia Damir Kedžo "Divlji vjetre"
12   Azerbaijan Efendi "Cleopatra"
13   Cyprus Sandro "Running"
14   Norway Ulrikke "Attention"
15   Israel Eden Alene "Feker Libi"
16   Romania Roxen "Alcohol You"
17   Ukraine Go_A "Solovey"

Semi-final 2

The second semi-final would have taken place on 14 May 2020 at 21:00 (CEST). Eighteen countries would have participated in the second semi-final. These countries, plus France, Spain and the United Kingdom, would have voted in this semi-final.[99]

Planned participants of the second semi-final[101][c]
R/O Country Artist Song
1   Greece Stefania "Supergirl"
2   Estonia Uku Suviste "What Love Is"
3   Austria Vincent Bueno "Alive"
4   Moldova Natalia Gordienko "Prison"
5   San Marino Senhit "Freaky!"
6   Czech Republic Benny Cristo "Kemama"
7   Serbia Hurricane "Hasta la vista"
8   Poland Alicja "Empires"
9   Iceland Daði og Gagnamagnið "Think About Things"
10    Switzerland Gjon's Tears "Répondez-moi"
11   Denmark Ben and Tan "Yes"
12   Albania Arilena Ara "Fall from the Sky"
13   Finland Aksel "Looking Back"
14   Armenia Athena Manoukian "Chains on You"
15   Portugal Elisa "Medo de sentir"
16   Georgia Tornike Kipiani "Take Me as I Am"
17   Bulgaria Victoria "Tears Getting Sober"
18   Latvia Samanta Tīna "Still Breathing"

Final

The final would have taken place on 16 May 2020 at 21:00 (CEST). Twenty-six countries would have participated in the final, composed of the host country, the "Big Five", and the ten best-ranked entries of each of the two semi-finals. All forty-one participating countries would have voted in the final.

Planned participants of the final[102]
R/O Country Artist Song
  France Tom Leeb "Mon alliée (The Best in Me)"
  Germany Ben Dolic "Violent Thing"
  Italy Diodato "Fai rumore"
  Spain Blas Cantó "Universo"
  United Kingdom James Newman "My Last Breath"
23   Netherlands Jeangu Macrooy "Grow"

Planned broadcasts

Before the contest's cancellation, countries had started confirming their broadcasting plans and who would provide commentary either on-location or remotely at the broadcaster during the contest. The role of the commentators was to add insight to the participating entries and the provision of voting information.

Planned broadcasters and commentators in participating countries
Country Broadcaster Channel(s) Show(s) Commentator(s) Ref(s)
  Australia SBS SBS All shows Not announced [103]
  Austria ORF ORF 1 All shows Not announced [104]
  Belarus BTRC Belarus-1, Belarus 24 All shows Evgeny Perlin [105]
  Finland Yle Yle TV1 Final Not announced [106]
  France France Télévisions France 2 Final Not announced [107]
  Germany ARD/NDR One All shows Peter Urban and Michael Schulte [108][109]
Das Erste, Deutsche Welle Final
  Greece ERT Not announced All shows Maria Kozakou and Giorgos Kapoutzidis [110]
  Israel IPBC Kan 11 All shows Geula Even-Sa'ar and Asaf Liberman [he] [111][112]
  Italy RAI Rai 4 Semi-finals Not announced [113][114]
Rai 1, Rai Radio 2 Final
  Norway NRK NRK1 All shows Marte Stokstad [no] [115][116]
  Romania TVR TVR 1, TVRi All shows Not announced [117]
   Switzerland SRG SSR SRF info All shows Sven Epiney [118][119]
SRF zwei SF2
SRF 1 Final
  United Kingdom BBC BBC Four Semi-finals Scott Mills and Rylan Clark-Neal [120]
BBC One Final Graham Norton
BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce
Planned broadcasters and commentators in non-participating countries
Country Broadcaster Channel(s) Show(s) Commentator(s) Ref(s)
  Canada Rogers Omni Television Not announced Not announced [121]
  United States Netflix All shows Not announced [d]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and cancellation

In January–February 2020, the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (known simply as COVID-19) from Wuhan, China, to other countries around the world raised concerns and the potential impact over staging the Eurovision Song Contest.[123] On 6 March, the Dutch broadcaster NPO stated: "Eurovision organisers would follow the advice of health authorities in deciding what form the event, due to be held on 12–16 May, would take."[124] In March, authorities in Denmark urged the cancellation of events with more than 1,000 spectators to limit the spread of the virus. This resulted in the Danish national final being held with no live audience.[125] Representatives from Sweden, Finland, Israel, Switzerland, Italy and Greece attended the Heads of Delegation meeting on 9 March remotely.[126] The contest's executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand also attended the meeting remotely, due to travel restrictions being placed on EBU staff until 13 March after an employee contracted the virus.[127][128]

Several pre-parties – promotional events which are held across Europe in the lead up to the contest weeks – were also impacted due to the emerging pandemic. These included the PrePartyES, planned for 10–11 April in Madrid and was eventually modified to an online-only format, where artists performed at home in a YouTube concert;[129][130] and three pre-parties that were cancelled: Israel Calling, a pre-party planned in Tel Aviv;[131] Eurovision in Concert, a pre-party planned in Amsterdam;[132][133] and the London Eurovision Party.[134][135][136] The pandemic also affected pre-contest activities of several competing artists. Eden Alene, the Israeli representative, revealed that she would not travel to the Netherlands to film her postcard as a precautionary measure; the broadcaster noted they would try to find another way to film her postcard.[137] The Lithuanian representatives The Roop also cancelled both the travel plans to film their postcard and their participation in the London and Amsterdam pre-parties.[138] The Bulgarian representative Victoria also cancelled her participation in the London and Amsterdam pre-parties.[139]

Ultimately, the contest itself was cancelled as a result of the pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding it; the decision was announced on 18 March 2020.[1] On the same day, the EBU explained the reasons for which the alternative options that had been considered – postponement of the show, show without audience and remote show – were discarded. Postponement was impossible because at that time it was unknown when the pandemic would finish and also because the winning country would not have enough time to organise the event the following year. The idea of staging a show without a live audience was also impracticable because, regardless of audience participation, the presence of production crews, delegations and relevant personnel was needed, which would constitute a breach of social distancing guidelines. Finally, a remote show was also off the table because it would have undermined the tradition and the spirit of the event, in which all contestants have an equal opportunity by performing on the same stage.[1] By then, the Dutch government had decided to prohibit all gatherings with more than 100 attendees until further notice.[140] The contest's Reference Group explored the option of letting the artists selected for 2020 compete in the following year instead.[1] A decision was made on 20 March 2020 that, in accordance with the contest's rules, which disqualify songs released publicly before 1 September of the preceding calendar year, none of the 2020 songs would be eligible to compete in the 2021 contest.[5]

The Ahoy Arena itself, with most events and gatherings in the Netherlands prohibited until at least 1 September 2020,[141][142] served as a temporary care facility to cover the nationwide shortage of hospital beds.[143][144] Construction of the stage would have started on 6 April.[145]

Alternative programming

Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light

The EBU and the host broadcasters worked on a replacement show, Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light, after the contest's cancellation. From Hilversum's Studio 21, the show was broadcast live on 16 May 2020, the date the contest's final was planned to take place, with Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit and Edsilia Rombley serving as hosts.[146] 45 countries broadcast the show, including all of the countries that would have participated.[147]

Eurovision Song Celebration 2020

The EBU announced on 30 April 2020 that Eurovision Song Celebration 2020 would be released as a replacement for the semi-finals on the contest's official YouTube channel. The shows, presented by Janouk Kelderman and premiered on 12 and 14 May, honoured all 41 participants and their songs in a non-competitive format.

The first episode showcased the participants of the first semi-final, as well as those of host country the Netherlands and two of the "Big Five", Germany and Italy, who would also have voted in this semi-final. The second episode featured the participants of the second semi-final, as well as those of France, Spain and the United Kingdom, who would also have voted in this semi-final.

The running order was determined by the producers of the show as if the contest were actually held, while fans were asked to contribute to the show by sending videoclips of their favourite entries.[148][149]

Eurovision Home Concerts

The contest's official YouTube channel broadcast Eurovision Home Concerts every Friday from 3 April to 15 May 2020, featuring the planned artists for 2020 and past entrants performing their entries, as well as one of their favourite other entries from their homes.[150] For their cover, the act gave a shortlist of two to four entries for fans to choose in a poll on Twitter or Instagram, and covered the song (or songs if there was a tie) that won the poll.[151]

EurovisionAgain

Upon hearing about the contest's cancellation, journalist Rob Holley launched an initiative to watch a past contest on YouTube every week, eventually giving it the title EurovisionAgain.[152] The initiative quickly became popular, so the EBU itself decided to partake. Every Saturday at 21:00 CEST, the Eurovision YouTube channel would re-broadcast a final of a previous contest, revealed by the EurovisionAgain team 15 minutes before the start.[153] Contests prior to 2004 are available for a limited time. The initiative was generally received as a welcome distraction for fans. On Twitter, #EurovisionAgain regularly became a trending topic and received positive reactions from past participants.[154] As part of the initiative, Holley collected over £24,700 for charity.[155]

From 18 July 2020, a second run of EurovisionAgain began with a replay of the 1999 contest, and aired every third Saturday of the month leading up to the 2021 selection season. The season ended with a special edition where the 26 most popular songs that did not qualify for the final, one from each country, as chosen via the official Eurovision social media handles, were streamed and put to a fan-vote. Iceland's 2016 entry, "Hear Them Calling" by Greta Salóme, won the fan-vote.[156]

National alternative programming

Besides the Europe-wide replacement show, broadcasters were left to make plans to fill the rest of the gaps themselves. Most broadcasters provided their television audience with Eurovision-related replacement programming.[157][158] Examples include holding an alternative contest by offering people the chance to listen to the 2020 entries and vote for their favourites,[159][160][161] with some countries holding a ranking of (their own) songs throughout Eurovision history,[157][162][163][164] and re-broadcasts of pre-existing Eurovision specials[165][166] and previous contests which are significant for their country, such as the contest they last won.[166][167][168]

Big Night In was organised and broadcast by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) and aired on 16 May 2020. Australians voted online for their favourite 2020 song (minus Montaigne's "Don't Break Me"), and over three hours, the songs was counted down from 40 to 1, with the top twenty songs being playing in full. Iceland's Daði og Gagnamagnið were crowned winners with "Think About Things".[169]

Der kleine Song Contest (English: The Little Song Contest) was organised and broadcast by the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). The competition consisted of three semi-finals between 14 and 18 April 2020 and a final on 18 April 2020, and was hosted by Andi Knoll. All shows were broadcast on the television channel ORF 1, as well as on the streaming platform ORF-TVthek.

Eurovision 2020 – das deutsche Finale (English: Eurovision 2020 - The German Final) was organised and broadcast by the German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). The competition consisted of a pre-qualifying round on 9 May 2020 and a final on 16 May 2020.

Eurovision: Come Together was organised and broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Hosted by Graham Norton on 16 May 2020 and broadcast live on BBC One, an online vote determined the UK public's most popular Eurovision entry in its 64-year history, from a selection of 19 previous competing songs.[170][164]

Okkar 12 stig (English: Our 12 Points) was organised and broadcast by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV).

Pesem Evrovizije: Najboljših 25 (English: Eurovision Song Contest: Top 25) was organised and broadcast by the Slovenian broadcaster RTV Slovenija. The ranking of all Slovenian Eurovision entries (excluding the songs that represented Yugoslavia), decided by over 30,000 online votes, was revealed on the show.[171] Slovenian artists and presenters associated with Eurovision gave their opinions on the 25 songs, and interviews were held with several past Slovenian participants.[162] During the broadcast, it was revealed that Ana Soklič, who had been selected to represent Slovenia in 2020, would remain as the country's entrant in 2021.[172]

Sveriges 12:a (English: "Sweden's 12 [points]") was organised and broadcast by the Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT). The competition consisted of a pre-qualifying round on 9 May 2020, hosted by Christer Björkman and David Sundin, and a final on 14 May 2020, hosted by Christer Björkman and Sarah Dawn Finer. Both shows were broadcast live on SVT1, as well as on the streaming platform SVT Play. The winning entry – the hypothetical recipient of Sweden's 12 points – was the Icelandic entry "Think About Things".

Other awards

OGAE

OGAE, an organisation of over forty Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, conducts an annual voting poll. After all votes were cast, the top-ranked entry in the 2020 poll was Lithuania's "On Fire" by The Roop; the top five results are shown below.[173][174][175]

Country Performer(s) Song OGAE result
  Lithuania The Roop "On Fire" 430
  Iceland Daði og Gagnamagnið "Think About Things" 304
   Switzerland Gjon's Tears "Répondez-moi" 297
  Italy Diodato "Fai rumore" 226
  Bulgaria Victoria "Tears Getting Sober" 197

Official album

File:Eurovision - A Tribute to the Artists and Songs 2020.jpeg
Cover art of the official album

Eurovision: A Tribute to the Artists and Songs 2020 is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and containing all 41 songs that would have taken part in the competition. It was originally scheduled to be released by Universal Music Group physically and digitally on 17 April 2020 but was delayed to 8 May,[176] and later to 15 May.[177]

Charts

Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[178] 42
Austrian Compilation Albums (Ö3 Austria)[179] 1
Belgian Compilation Albums (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[180] 1
Belgian Compilation Albums (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[181] 3
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[182] 15
Danish Compilation Albums (Tracklisten)[183] 2
Dutch Compilation Albums (Compilation Top 30)[184] 1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[185] 24
German Compilation Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[186] 2
Irish Compilation Albums (IRMA)[187] 4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[188] 21
Swiss Compilation Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[189] 1
UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[190] 2
US Top Compilation Albums (Billboard)[191] 15

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Announced prior to cancellation
  2. ^ On behalf of the German public broadcasting consortium ARD[43]
  3. ^ 3.0 3.1 The running order was determined by the producers as if the contest were held and presented in the alternative programme Eurovision Song Celebration 2020, held as a replacement of semi-finals.
  4. ^ Netflix, an over-the-top video on demand service, signed an agreement with the EBU in July 2019 that would have allowed them to distribute all three shows of the 2020 contest on their service in the United States.[122]

References

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External links