Eurovision Question

[Melman Giraffe]

Does anyone know why the UK don't have to qualify for the final?

Where as Ireland who have won it 7 times do?

[bigdods]

We paid more to be there. Automatic qualification for those paying the most.

[cazzer]

Yup....BBC supplies the lions share of the funding for it.

[DrTre]

There's qualifying?! WTF?
Why?! I mean, I understand the concept...it's more a question of...why?!

Surely the qualifying can be decided by the usual route:
Quality Eastern European frippet x 12; can't sing a note but wear very little.
Mediterranean shemale x 2; one ooglah, one causing trouser stirrings in the male viewers (a confusing concept in and of itself, given the male demographic Eurovision appeals to)
Scandinavian pseudo-metal gimp band to amusingly "subvert the Eurovision concept for sure" x 1
Irish crooner capable of moistening the gussets of all female viewers over the age of 60 x 1
Plucky British non-entity x1; immediately plummet to post Eurovision obscurity returning to work in the Margate Berni Inn.

[cw2k]

cazzer said:

Yup....BBC supplies the lions share of the funding for it.

BBC pay around £180,000 (works out at less than 1p per tv license fee payer and it works out about a third of the price of what an alternative would cost). The other 3 key countries pay around the same.

The 2007 Eurovision cost 8.5 million. They got 2.7 million from ticket sales and just over 2 million European Broadcasting Union. They also get some money from sponsorship but the rest gets covered by the host nation.

Edited by cw2k on Friday 15th May 14:09