RTÉ, the EBU and the Eurovision Song Contest.

political analyst

Considering the farce that Ireland's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has become (I don't need to go into details because one would have to have a very short memory not to know what I'm talking about), why is Ireland still taking part in it?



Is Ireland's participation in the contest a requirement for RTÉ to remain (No political pun intended!) as a member of the European Broadcasting Union?

lertsnim

Not all members of the EBU take part so RTE don't have to send someone.

EB_2013

I think the only reason we participate every year is that we have won it the most times. Otherwise we wouldve probably given up the year after sending Dustin.

jrmb

We're all familiar with Eurovision because if the song contest, but it's only a tiny fraction of what Eurovision (and the EBU) does.

News footage, major sporting events, satellite link facilities, audience and market research and the development of new technologies are all coordinated by the EBU.

TG4 and ITV, which don't participate in the song contest, are still affiliated with the EBU.

jrmb

Maybe the song contest's real value lies in the opportunities for teams from different countries to network, collaborate and experiment. That probably doesn't happen very often outside of sports and current affairs.

Elmo

jrmb wrote: »

TG4 and ITV, which don't participate in the song contest, are still affiliated with the EBU.

TG4 participate in Junior Eurovision as have ITV in the past.

Declan A Walsh

EB_2013 wrote: »

I think the only reason we participate every year is that we have won it the most times. Otherwise we wouldve probably given up the year after sending Dustin.

Ireland still holds the record for the number of wins: 7. But Sweden is biting at its heals with 6. Considering that the last time Ireland won the Eurovision was 1996, and that Scandanavan countries, including Sweden, have won in much more recent years, it is only a matter of time before Ireland loses that crown.

There is also a more complicated measure of success which is the most successful country in terms of their overall success rate. Of course, by virtue of the 7 wins, Ireland has an advantage. But you could also consider the times it came second, third and so on. Using that kind of more complicated holistic approach, Ireland would still probably be the most successful overall, even if its record of 7 wins was equalled. But even that will be under threat in the next 10 years, if it does not have a few more entries in the top 10 in the final!