Eurovision Song Contest 2017

The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the 2016 contest with the song "1944" by Jamala.Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC), the contest was held at the International Exhibition Centre and consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and a final on 13 May 2017. The three live shows were presented by Ukrainian television presenters Oleksandr Skichko, Volodymyr Ostapchuk and Timur Miroshnychenko, being the first contest since the inaugural 1956 edition without a female host.

Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Celebrate Diversity
Dates
Semi-final 19 May 2017 (2017-05-09)
Semi-final 211 May 2017 (2017-05-11)
Final13 May 2017 (2017-05-13)
Host
VenueInternational Exhibition Centre
Kyiv, Ukraine
Presenter(s)
Directed by
  • Troels Lund
  • Alexander Kolb
  • Ladislaus Kiraly
Executive supervisorJon Ola Sand
Executive producerPavlo Grytsak
Host broadcaster
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/kyiv-2017 Edit this at Wikidata
Participants
Number of entries42
Number of finalists26
Debuting countriesNone
Returning countries Portugal
 Romania
Non-returning countries Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Russia
  • A coloured map of the countries of EuropePortugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Slovakia in the Eurovision Song ContestAustria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song ContestMontenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Turkey in the Eurovision Song ContestCyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Morocco in the Eurovision Song ContestLiechtenstein in the Eurovision Song ContestAndorra in the Eurovision Song ContestMonaco in the Eurovision Song ContestPoland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song ContestLebanon in the Eurovision Song ContestTunisia in the Eurovision Song Contest
         Finalist countries     Countries eliminated in the semi-finals     Countries that participated in the past but not in 2017
Vote
Voting systemEach country awards two sets of 12, 10, 8–1 points to ten songs.
Winning song Portugal
"Amar pelos dois"
2016 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 2018

Forty-two countries participated in the contest. Portugal and Romania returned to the contest after a year's absence, while Bosnia and Herzegovina did not participate on financial grounds. Russia had originally planned to participate, but later withdrew after its representative, Julia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of having travelled directly from Russia to Crimea, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.

The winner was Portugal with the song "Amar pelos dois", performed by Salvador Sobral and written by his sister Luísa Sobral. The song won both the jury vote and televote, and Bulgaria, Moldova, Belgium and Sweden rounded out the top five. This was Portugal's first victory in 53 years of participation, the longest in Eurovision history. It was also the first winning song entirely performed in a country's native language since Serbia's "Molitva" in 2007. The top three countries – Portugal, Bulgaria and Moldova – all achieved their highest placings in their Eurovision history, while host country Ukraine received its worst placing to date, finishing 24th in the final.

The EBU reported that 182 million viewers worldwide watched the contest, 22 million fewer than the 2016 record.

Location

International Exhibition Centre, Kyiv - host venue of the 2017 contest

Venue

The contest took place in the International Exhibition Centre in Kyiv, following Ukraine's victory at the 2016 contest with the song "1944", written and performed by Jamala. The International Exhibition Centre has a capacity of approximately 11,000 attendees and is the largest exhibition centre in Kyiv.[1] Located in the western part of the Livoberezhna microdistrict, the centre was opened in October 2002, and its head since its construction was Anatoly Tkachenko.[1]

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.

The Deputy Chief of host broadcaster Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) and Head of Delegation for Ukraine, Viktoria Romanova, stated on 18 May 2016 that the first organisational meeting for the contest would take place before 8 June, during which the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and UA:PBC would go through the technical requirements for the contest, as well as any training required for the contest to take place in Ukraine. Romanova also announced that the venue for the contest would be announced over the summer.[2][3][4]

UA:PBC and the Ukrainian Government formally launched the bidding process for interested cities to apply to host the contest on 23 June.[5][6] The selection of the host city was scheduled to be conducted in four stages:

  • 24 June – 8 July: Interested cities were formally invited to submit their bids.
  • 8–15 July: A working group within UA:PBC and a government-appointed Local Organisational Committee (LOC) headed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman reviewed submitted bids prior to their formal presentation.
  • 18–22 July: Candidate cities formally presented their bids to the LOC. The bids of three cities were shortlisted and handed over to the EBU.
  • 22 July – 1 August: The three shortlisted cities were inspected by representatives from the EBU and LOC to explore their infrastructure and implementation of their bids. A press conference was initially planned to be held during this period to announce the selection results and the host city.

The following criteria were outlined for the selection of the host city:[7]

  • The venue must be covered with a capacity of at least 7,000 but ideally up to 10,000 attendees.
  • An international press centre must be able to accommodate no less than 1,550 journalists.
  • Venues must also be provided for the opening and closing ceremonies of at least 3,000 attendees.
  • The host city must have fairly priced hotel rooms to European standards, that are located in close proximity to the venue and the city centre. At least 2,000 hotel rooms must be provided: 1,000 for participating delegations and 1,000 for accredited media and fans.
  • The host city must be able to guarantee the safety and security of participants, members of delegations and guests.
  • The host city must have modern transport infrastructure: an international airport and readily available transport between the airport, the city and hotels, in addition to convenient traffic in the city and the opportunity to provide additional transport routes.
  • The host city must provide a social program alongside their bid, showcasing the hospitality, originality, cultural values and identity of both the city and Ukraine.

Six cities submitted applications by the deadline of 8 July: Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa.[8] Prior to the opening of the bidding process, the cities of Cherkasy, Irpin, Uzhhorod and Vinnytsia had declared their interest in hosting the contest, but did not submit a formal bid.[9][10] Ukrainian Culture Minister Yevhen Nyshchuk stated on 30 June that an appropriate venue for the contest does not exist in Ukraine, suggesting that the construction of a new venue in Kyiv or Lviv should be considered.[11]

The six candidate cities were officially presented to the LOC on 20 July in a two-hour live discussion show titled City Battle, broadcast from the UA:Pershyi studios in Kyiv and moderated by Timur Miroshnychenko, with radio commentary from Olena Zelinchenko. The show was broadcast on UA:Pershyi, Radio Ukraine and the UA:Pershyi YouTube channel with commentary in English and Ukrainian. During the show, a representative from each candidate city presented its bid in front of a live studio audience:[12]

  • Dnipro: Borys Filatov (City Mayor)
  • Kharkiv: Ihor Terekhov (Deputy City Mayor)
  • Kherson: Volodymyr Mykolaienko (City Mayor)
  • Kyiv: Oleksii Reznikov (Deputy Head of City State Administration)
  • Lviv: Andrii Moskalenko (Deputy City Mayor)
  • Odesa: Pavlo Vugelman (Deputy City Mayor)

Members of the LOC, media representatives, Ukrainian musical experts and fans also participated in the discussion.

Host selection

UA:PBC announced on 22 July that the bids from Dnipro, Kyiv and Odesa had been shortlisted for further consideration.[13]

The EBU announced on 30 July that the host city would be announced "in due course", rather than on the previously stated date of 1 August, with Executive Supervisor of the contest Jon Ola Sand stating that the EBU "really want to take the time it takes to come up with the right decision".[14] The Deputy General Director of UA:PBC, Oleksandr Kharebin, stated on 10 August that the host city would be announced on Ukrainian Independence Day, 24 August.[15] The announcement was later scheduled to take place on 25 August; however, it was postponed at 14:00 EEST, one hour before it was due to take place, with NTU citing the need to further consider some fine details regarding the decision.[16]

After several delays in announcing the host city, UA:PBC announced on 8 September that they would be meeting with the Ukrainian Government and the LOC on 9 September and that a press conference to announce the host city was scheduled to take place at 13:00 EEST on the same day from the Government Press Centre in Kyiv. Kyiv was announced as the host city for the contest with the International Exhibition Centre selected as the venue.[17][18]

Key †  Host venue ‡  Shortlisted

City[19]VenueNotes
DniproDniproEuroArenaProposal included the complete reconstruction of the Meteor Stadium and Sports Complex Meteor, which would have been completed by March 2017.[20] Withdrew after the host city announcement being postponed for a fourth time.
KharkivMetalist Oblast Sports ComplexHosted three group stage matches of UEFA Euro 2012 & EAMV Recording Label. Would have required significant construction including the addition of a roof.[21]
Kherson"Yuvileinyi" Concert HallProposal included expansion and reconstruction of the venue, which would have taken approximately 7–8 months.[22]
Kyiv
Palace of SportsHosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009. May have conflicted with contest preparations as the venue hosted part of the 2017 IIHF World Championship Division I ice hockey tournament between 22 and 28 April 2017.[23]
International Exhibition CentreVenue was initially submitted as a reserve.[24][25] Kyiv later announced on 24 August 2016 that this was their preferred venue for staging the contest.[26]
LvivArena LvivHosted three of the group-stage games for UEFA Euro 2012. The arena required the construction of a roof.[27]
Unfinished venueAn unfinished venue originally planned for EuroBasket 2015 that was 25% complete when construction halted.[27]
OdesaChornomorets StadiumProposal included plans for reconstruction of the venue and options for providing a covered roof.[28][29]

Other sites

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

The Eurovision Village was the official Eurovision Song Contest fan and sponsors' area during the events week. There it was possible to watch performances by local artists, as well as the live shows broadcast from the main venue. Located at Independence Square in Kyiv, it was open from 4 to 14 May 2017.[30][31]

The EuroClub was the venue for the official after-parties and private performances by contest participants. Unlike the Eurovision Village, access to the EuroClub was restricted to accredited fans, delegates, and press. It was located at the Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Center.[32]

The "Red Carpet" event, where the contestants and their delegations are presented before the accredited press and fans, took place at Mariinskyi Palace in central Kyiv on 7 May 2017 at 19:00 CEST, followed by the Opening Ceremony at the Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Center.[33][34]

Participating countries

Eurovision Song Contest 2017 – 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.[35] The EBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members and associate member Australia.[36]

Initially, on 31 October 2016, it was announced that forty-three countries were to participate in the contest, equalling the record set in 2008 and 2011. Portugal and Romania returned after a year's absence, while Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew on financial grounds.[36] Russia had planned to participate but announced their withdrawal on 13 April 2017, after their representative, Julia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of travelling directly from Russia to Crimea, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law. This subsequently reduced the number of participating countries to forty-two, the same number of countries as 2016.[37][38]

Participants of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017[39]
CountryBroadcasterArtistSongLanguageSongwriter(s)
 AlbaniaRTSHLindita"World"English
 ArmeniaAMPTVArtsvik"Fly with Me"English
 AustraliaSBSIsaiah"Don't Come Easy"English
 AustriaORFNathan Trent"Running on Air"English
 AzerbaijanİTVDihaj"Skeletons"English
 BelarusBTRCNaviband"Story of My Life"BelarusianArciom Lukjanienka
 BelgiumRTBFBlanche"City Lights"English
 BulgariaBNTKristian Kostov"Beautiful Mess"English
 CroatiaHRTJacques Houdek"My Friend"English, Italian
  • Jacques Houdek
  • Arjana Kunštek
  • Fabrizio Laucella
  • Tony Malm
  • Ines Prajo
  • Siniša Reljić
 CyprusCyBCHovig"Gravity"EnglishThomas G:son
 Czech RepublicČTMartina Bárta"My Turn"English
  • DWB
  • Kyler Niko
 DenmarkDRAnja"Where I Am"English
 EstoniaERRKoit Toome and Laura"Verona"EnglishSven Lõhmus
 FinlandYleNorma John"Blackbird"English
  • Lasse Piirainen
  • Leena Tirronen
 FranceFrance TélévisionsAlma"Requiem"French, English
 GeorgiaGPBTamara Gachechiladze"Keep the Faith"English
 GermanyNDR[a]Levina"Perfect Life"English
 GreeceERTDemy"This Is Love"English
 HungaryMTVAJoci Pápai"Origo"HungarianJózsef Pápai
 IcelandRÚVSvala"Paper"English
 IrelandRTÉBrendan Murray"Dying to Try"English
 IsraelIBAImri"I Feel Alive"English
 ItalyRAIFrancesco Gabbani"Occidentali's Karma"Italian
 LatviaLTVTriana Park"Line"English
 LithuaniaLRTFusedmarc"Rain of Revolution"English
 MacedoniaMRTJana Burčeska"Dance Alone"English
  • Florance A.
  • Johan Alkenäs
  • Borislav Milanov
  • Joacim Persson
 MaltaPBSClaudia Faniello"Breathlessly"English
 MoldovaTRMSunStroke Project"Hey Mamma"English
  • Mihail Cebotarenco
  • Alina Galetskaya
  • Anton Ragoza
  • Sergey Stepanov
  • Sergei Yalovitsky
 MontenegroRTCGSlavko Kalezić"Space"English
  • Iva Boršić
  • Adis Eminić
  • Momčilo Zeković "Zeko"
 NetherlandsAVROTROSOG3NE"Lights and Shadows"English
  • Rory de Kievit
  • Rick Vol
 NorwayNRKJowst[b]"Grab the Moment"English
 PolandTVPKasia Moś"Flashlight"English
 PortugalRTPSalvador Sobral"Amar pelos dois"PortugueseLuísa Sobral
 RomaniaTVRIlinca feat. Alex Florea"Yodel It!"English
  • Mihai Alexandru
  • Alexa Niculae
 San MarinoSMRTVValentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson"Spirit of the Night"English
 SerbiaRTSTijana Bogićević"In Too Deep"English
  • Johan Alkenäs
  • Lisa Desmond
  • Borislav Milanov
  • Joacim Persson
 SloveniaRTVSLOOmar Naber"On My Way"English
 SpainRTVEManel Navarro"Do It for Your Lover"Spanish, English
 SwedenSVTRobin Bengtsson"I Can't Go On"English
  SwitzerlandSRG SSRTimebelle"Apollo"English
  • Alessandra Günthardt
  • Nicolas Günthardt
  • Elias Näslin
 UkraineUA:PBCO.Torvald"Time"English
  • Zhenia Galych
  • Yevhen Kamenchuk
  • Denys Myzyuk
 United KingdomBBCLucie Jones"Never Give Up on You"English

Returning artists

The contest featured five representatives who also previously performed as lead vocalists for the same countries. Valentina Monetta, who performed in a duet this time, represented San Marino in three consecutive editions: 2012, 2013, and 2014. The duo of Koit Toome and Laura Põldvere have both represented Estonia in different years: Toome in 1998 as a solo artist, finishing 12th place with the song "Mere lapsed", and Põldvere in 2005 as part of Suntribe, finishing 20th in the semi-final with the song "Let's Get Loud". Omar Naber represented Slovenia in 2005, finishing 12th in the semi-final with the song "Stop".[41] This also made for one of the only occasions in which the same participants not only returned after originally competing in the same year, but also had both participations occur in the same host country (the only other recent example being 1982, which saw both Norway's Anita Skorgan and Belgium's Stella Maessen return to the United Kingdom for the second time after the 1977 contest). SunStroke Project represented Moldova in 2010 alongside Olia Tira, finishing 22nd with the song "Run Away".[42]

The contest also featured the group OG3NE which previously represented the Netherlands at another Eurovision event, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007, as Lisa, Amy and Shelley, with the song "Adem in, adem uit".[43] In addition, the contest featured two lead singers previously participating as backing vocalists for the same countries: Israel's representative Imri Ziv who backed Nadav Guedj in 2015 and Hovi Star in 2016,[44] and Serbia's representative Tijana Bogićević who backed Nina in 2011.

Other countries

Active EBU members

Active EBU member broadcasters in Andorra, Luxembourg, Monaco and Slovakia confirmed non-participation prior to the announcement of the participants list by the EBU.[45][46][47][48][49][50][51] BHRT, broadcaster for Bosnia and Herzegovina, did the same due to financial difficulties[52] and non-payment of debts to the EBU totalling 6 million Swiss francs (€5.4 million); the EBU had already threatened to withdraw BHRT from all member services in May 2016, and in late 2016 they began to impose sanctions on the broadcaster for their pending debts.[53][54][55][56] Despite initially stating their participation in the contest[57] and efforts from non-governmental organizations aimed at their return in 2017,[58] Turkish broadcaster TRT ultimately opted not to participate.[59][60]

Associate EBU members

Kazakh broadcaster Khabar Agency became an associate member of the EBU on 1 January 2016, opening up the possibility of their participation in 2017;[61][62] however, Kazakhstan was not on the final list of participating countries announced by the EBU on 31 October 2016.[63]

Non-EBU members

In 2016, Kosovan broadcaster RTK was invited to the Eurovision Committee to discuss the possibility of being accepted in the EBU in order to take part in the contest;[64][65][66] however, Kosovo did not appear on the final list of participants. Liechtensteiner broadcaster 1 FL TV announced that they would not debut at the contest in 2017, but that they intended to obtain EBU membership in order to debut in a future contest, on receipt of financial support from the government.[67]

Format

The preliminary dates for the contest were announced on 14 March 2016 at a meeting of Heads of Delegation in Stockholm, with the semi-finals expected to take place on 16 and 18 May and the final on 20 May 2017. These preliminary dates were chosen by the EBU to avoid the contest coinciding with any major television and sporting events scheduled to take place around that time.[68]

However, the EBU announced on 24 June that the preliminary dates for the contest had to be brought forward a week, with the semi-finals scheduled for 9 and 11 May and the final on 13 May.[5] This was due to a request from UA:PBC, as the initial preliminary dates coincided with the Remembrance Day for the victims of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars on 18 May.[69][70] However despite attempts to avoid conflicts, the eventual dates coincided with the second leg of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League semi-finals.[70]

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[c]
  Pre-qualified for the final but also voting in the second semi-final

The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place at Column Hall on 31 January 2017, hosted by Timur Miroshnychenko and Nika Konstantinova. The thirty-seven semi-finalists had been allocated into six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. Drawing from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called "bloc voting" and increase suspense in the semi-finals.[71]

Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4Pot 5Pot 6

Visual design

The theme of the contest, "Celebrate Diversity", was unveiled on 30 January 2017, with its visual design featuring imagery of stylized beads. The main logo used the beads to form a traditional Ukrainian neck amulet.[72][73]

Presenters

The hosts on the red carpet

The EBU announced on 27 February that the presenters for the contest would be Oleksandr Skichko, Volodymyr Ostapchuk and Timur Miroshnychenko, with Miroshnychenko also hosting the green room.[74] It was the first time that the contest was presented by a male trio,[74] and the second time that the contest did not feature a female presenter, after 1956. Miroshnychenko has previously co-hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and 2013.[75][76]

Promotional emojis

It was announced on 30 April that the creative teams from both the Eurovision network and Twitter had worked together to create three emoji that would accompany specific promotional hashtags for the duration of the contest. The heart emoji would appear alongside #ESC2017 and #Eurovision, while the winners' trophy emoji would be used for #12Points and #douzepoints. The final emoji is the logo for the contest, which would appear alongside #CelebrateDiversity, the slogan of the contest.[77]

Opening and interval acts

The EBU released details regarding the opening and interval acts for each of the live shows on 20 April.[78] The first semi-final was opened by Monatik performing "Spinning", while the interval featured Jamala performing a new version of her winning song "1944" and "Zamanyly".[78] The second semi-final was opened by a medley of past Eurovision songs performed by co-presenters Oleksandr Skichko and Volodymyr Ostapchuk, while the interval featured a dance performance by Apache Crew titled "The Children's Courtyard". In the interval of the final, Jamala performed her new single "I Believe in U",[78] and Onuka performed a megamix together with Ukraine's National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments.[79]

Contest overview

Semi-final 1

Eighteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom voted in this semi-final.[80] The highlighted countries qualified for the final.[81]

  Qualifiers
R/O[82]CountryArtistSongPointsPlace[83]
1  SwedenRobin Bengtsson"I Can't Go On"2273
2  GeorgiaTamara Gachechiladze"Keep the Faith"9911
3  AustraliaIsaiah"Don't Come Easy"1606
4  AlbaniaLindita"World"7614
5  BelgiumBlanche"City Lights"1654
6  MontenegroSlavko Kalezić"Space"5616
7  FinlandNorma John"Blackbird"9212
8  AzerbaijanDihaj"Skeletons"1508
9  PortugalSalvador Sobral"Amar pelos dois"3701
10  GreeceDemy"This Is Love"11510
11  PolandKasia Moś"Flashlight"1199
12  MoldovaSunStroke Project"Hey Mamma"2912
13  IcelandSvala"Paper"6015
14  Czech RepublicMartina Bárta"My Turn"8313
15  CyprusHovig"Gravity"1645
16  ArmeniaArtsvik"Fly with Me"1527
17  SloveniaOmar Naber"On My Way"3617
18  LatviaTriana Park"Line"2118

Semi-final 2

Eighteen countries participated in the second semi-final. France, Germany and Ukraine voted in this semi-final.[80] Russia was originally set to perform in position three, but later withdrew from the contest after the artist it selected was banned from entering Ukraine, resulting in countries originally planned to perform fourth and later, to do so one place earlier.[37] The highlighted countries qualified for the final.[84]

  Qualifiers
R/O[82]CountryArtistSongPointsPlace[85]
1  SerbiaTijana Bogićević"In Too Deep"9811
2  AustriaNathan Trent"Running on Air"1477
3  MacedoniaJana Burčeska"Dance Alone"6915
4  MaltaClaudia Faniello"Breathlessly"5516
5  RomaniaIlinca feat. Alex Florea"Yodel It!"1746
6  NetherlandsOG3NE"Lights and Shadows"2004
7  HungaryJoci Pápai"Origo"2312
8  DenmarkAnja"Where I Am"10110
9  IrelandBrendan Murray"Dying to Try"8613
10  San MarinoValentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson"Spirit of the Night"118
11  CroatiaJacques Houdek"My Friend"1418
12  NorwayJowst[b]"Grab the Moment"1895
13   SwitzerlandTimebelle"Apollo"9712
14  BelarusNaviband"Story of My Life"1109
15  BulgariaKristian Kostov"Beautiful Mess"4031
16  LithuaniaFusedmarc"Rain of Revolution"4217
17  EstoniaKoit Toome and Laura"Verona"8514
18  IsraelImri"I Feel Alive"2073

Final

Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 42 participating countries eligible to vote. The running order for the final was revealed after the second semi-final qualifiers' press conference on 11 May.[86]

  Winner
R/O[86]CountryArtistSongPointsPlace[87]
1  IsraelImri"I Feel Alive"3923
2  PolandKasia Moś"Flashlight"6422
3  BelarusNaviband"Story of My Life"8317
4  AustriaNathan Trent"Running on Air"9316
5  ArmeniaArtsvik"Fly with Me"7918
6  NetherlandsOG3NE"Lights and Shadows"15011
7  MoldovaSunStroke Project"Hey Mamma"3743
8  HungaryJoci Pápai"Origo"2008
9  ItalyFrancesco Gabbani"Occidentali's Karma"3346
10  DenmarkAnja"Where I Am"7720
11  PortugalSalvador Sobral"Amar pelos dois"7581
12  AzerbaijanDihaj"Skeletons"12014
13  CroatiaJacques Houdek"My Friend"12813
14  AustraliaIsaiah"Don't Come Easy"1739
15  GreeceDemy"This Is Love"7719
16  SpainManel Navarro"Do It for Your Lover"526
17  NorwayJowst[b]"Grab the Moment"15810
18  United KingdomLucie Jones"Never Give Up on You"11115
19  CyprusHovig"Gravity"6821
20  RomaniaIlinca feat. Alex Florea"Yodel It!"2827
21  GermanyLevina"Perfect Life"625
22  UkraineO.Torvald"Time"3624
23  BelgiumBlanche"City Lights"3634
24  SwedenRobin Bengtsson"I Can't Go On"3445
25  BulgariaKristian Kostov"Beautiful Mess"6152
26  FranceAlma"Requiem"13512

Spokespersons

The spokespersons announced the 12-point score from their respective country's national jury in the following order:[88]

  1.  Sweden – Wiktoria
  2.  Azerbaijan – Tural Asadov
  3.  San Marino – Lia Fiorio
  4.  Latvia – Aminata
  5.  Israel – Ofer Nachshon
  6.  Montenegro – Tijana Mišković
  7.  Albania – Andri Xhahu
  8.  Malta – Martha Fenech
  9.  Macedonia – Ilija Grujoski
  10.  Denmark – Ulla Essendrop
  11.  Austria – Kristina Inhof
  12.  Norway – Marcus & Martinus
  13.  Spain – Nieves Álvarez
  14.  Finland – Jenni Vartiainen
  15.  France – Élodie Gossuin
  16.  Greece – Constantinos Christoforou
  17.  Lithuania – Eglė Daugėlaitė
  18.  Estonia – Jüri Pootsmann
  19.  Moldova – Gloria Gorceag
  20.  Armenia – Iveta Mukuchyan
  21.  Bulgaria – Boryana Gramatikova [bg]
  22.  Iceland – Bo Halldórsson
  23.  Serbia – Sanja Vučić
  24.  Australia – Lee Lin Chin
  25.  Italy – Giulia Valentina Palermo
  26.  Germany – Barbara Schöneberger
  27.  Portugal – Filomena Cautela
  28.   Switzerland – Luca Hänni
  29.  Netherlands – Douwe Bob
  30.  Ireland – Nicky Byrne
  31.  Georgia – Nika Kocharov
  32.  Cyprus – Giannis Karagiannis
  33.  Belarus – Alyona Lanskaya
  34.  Romania – Sonia Argint-Ionescu
  35.  Hungary – Csilla Tatár
  36.  Slovenia – Katarina Čas
  37.  Belgium – Fanny Gillard [fr]
  38.  Poland – Anna Popek [pl]
  39.  United Kingdom – Katrina Leskanich
  40.  Croatia – Uršula Tolj
  41.  Czech Republic – Radka Rosická [cs]
  42.  Ukraine – Zlata Ognevich

Detailed voting results

Semi-final 1

  Qualifiers
Split results of semi-final 1
PlaceCombined resultsJuryTelevoting
CountryPointsCountryPointsCountryPoints
1  Portugal370  Portugal173  Portugal197
2  Moldova291  Australia139  Moldova180
3  Sweden227  Sweden124  Belgium125
4  Belgium165  Moldova111  Sweden103
5  Cyprus164  Azerbaijan87  Cyprus103
6  Australia160  Armenia87  Poland69
7  Armenia152  Czech Republic81  Armenia65
8  Azerbaijan150  Georgia62  Azerbaijan63
9  Poland119  Greece61  Greece54
10  Greece115  Cyprus61  Finland51
11  Georgia99  Poland50  Montenegro39
12  Finland92  Finland41  Albania38
13  Czech Republic83  Belgium40  Georgia37
14  Albania76  Albania38  Iceland31
15  Iceland60  Iceland29  Australia21
16  Montenegro56  Montenegro17  Slovenia20
17  Slovenia36  Slovenia16  Latvia20
18  Latvia21  Latvia1  Czech Republic2
Detailed jury voting results of semi-final 1[89]
  • Voting procedure used:
  •   100% televoting
  •   100% jury vote
Total score
Jury score
Televoting score
Jury vote
Sweden
Georgia
Australia
Albania
Belgium
Montenegro
Finland
Azerbaijan
Portugal
Greece
Poland
Moldova
Iceland
Czech Republic
Cyprus
Armenia
Slovenia
Latvia
Italy
Spain
United Kingdom
Contestants
Sweden22712410388412612524881085721032
Georgia996237613363410576521
Australia160139211265103876861012711210187
Albania7638381010108
Belgium16540125331723325524
Montenegro561739872
Finland924151777133166
Azerbaijan150876310375788464431125
Portugal370173197512667410125121212710781241210
Greece11561541812227112106
Poland119506912242311822436
Moldova291111180103101215651036867712
Iceland6029312222522381
Czech Republic83812414624123514107108
Cyprus1646110385876451233
Armenia152876575108441261051465
Slovenia361620141154
Latvia211201
Detailed televoting results of semi-final 1[89]
  • Voting procedure used:
  •   100% televoting
  •   100% jury vote
Total score
Jury score
Televoting score
Televote
Sweden
Georgia
Australia
Albania
Belgium
Montenegro
Finland
Azerbaijan
Portugal
Greece
Poland
Moldova
Iceland
Czech Republic
Cyprus
Armenia
Slovenia
Latvia
Italy
Spain
United Kingdom
Contestants
Sweden22712410348105376103511025457161
Georgia99623712662182
Australia16013921211126233
Albania76383812351017
Belgium165401251054821078487646810684
Montenegro5617391735821651
Finland9241518253714332553
Azerbaijan15087631216112121072
Portugal370173197128101212712810126127671212101210
Greece1156154236645212545
Poland11950696328123583238312
Moldova2911111805612710108101271081071010812108
Iceland60293171451472
Czech Republic838122
Cyprus1646110347634563127744124636
Armenia15287653105748645814
Slovenia361620282431
Latvia21120145127

12 points

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury and televote in the first semi-final. Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points (12 points apiece from professional jury and televoting) to the specified entrant.

12 points awarded by juries
N.ContestantNation(s) giving 12 points
7  Portugal  Azerbaijan,  Georgia,  Iceland,  Latvia,  Moldova,  Poland,  Spain
3  Australia  Czech Republic,  Slovenia,  Sweden
2  Greece  Cyprus,  Montenegro
 Moldova  Albania,  United Kingdom
 Sweden  Belgium,  Finland
1  Armenia  Greece
 Azerbaijan  Italy
 Cyprus  Armenia
 Czech Republic  Portugal
 Poland  Australia
12 points awarded by televoting
N.ContestantNation(s) giving 12 points
9  Portugal  Albania,  Belgium,  Finland,  Iceland,  Latvia,  Poland,  Slovenia,  Spain,  Sweden
3  Azerbaijan  Czech Republic,  Georgia,  Moldova
 Moldova  Australia,  Italy,  Portugal
2  Cyprus  Armenia,  Greece
1  Albania  Montenegro
 Georgia  Azerbaijan
 Greece  Cyprus
 Poland  United Kingdom

Semi-final 2

  Qualifiers
Split results of semi-final 2
PlaceCombined resultsJuryTelevoting
CountryPointsCountryPointsCountryPoints
1  Bulgaria403  Bulgaria199  Bulgaria204
2  Hungary231  Netherlands149  Hungary165
3  Israel207  Norway137  Romania148
4  Netherlands200  Austria115  Israel132
5  Norway189  Denmark96  Croatia104
6  Romania174  Israel75  Estonia69
7  Austria147  Hungary66  Belarus55
8  Croatia141  Malta55  Norway52
9  Belarus110  Belarus55  Netherlands51
10  Denmark101  Serbia53   Switzerland49
11  Serbia98   Switzerland48  Serbia45
12   Switzerland97  Ireland45  Ireland41
13  Ireland86  Croatia37  Macedonia40
14  Estonia85  Macedonia29  Austria32
15  Macedonia69  Romania26  Lithuania25
16  Malta55  Lithuania17  Denmark5
17  Lithuania42  Estonia16  San Marino1
18  San Marino1  San Marino0  Malta0
Detailed jury voting results of semi-final 2[90]
  • Voting procedure used:
  •   100% televoting
  •   100% jury vote
Total score
Jury score
Televoting score
Jury vote
Serbia
Austria
Macedonia
Malta
Romania
Netherlands
Hungary
Denmark
Ireland
San Marino
Croatia
Norway
Switzerland
Belarus
Bulgaria
Lithuania
Estonia
Israel
France
Germany
Ukraine
Contestants
Serbia98534526482226642117
Austria1471153263588710754761245846
Macedonia692940582383
Malta55550268135115714263
Romania174261481041434
Netherlands20014951886612101031212888856586
Hungary23166165123533102522127
Denmark101965475101061581032468421
Ireland864541101352218742
San Marino101
Croatia141371043172413655
Norway18913752152771271041010512101031210
Switzerland974849416448537312
Belarus110555577371351012
Bulgaria403199204101212128121261286121212101267108
Lithuania421725467
Estonia851669223117
Israel207751327104515637410121
Detailed televoting results of the semi-final 2[90]
  • Voting procedure used:
  •   100% televoting
  •   100% jury vote
Total score
Jury score
Televoting score
Televote
Serbia
Austria
Macedonia
Malta
Romania
Netherlands
Hungary
Denmark
Ireland
San Marino
Croatia
Norway
Switzerland
Belarus
Bulgaria
Lithuania
Estonia
Israel
France
Germany
Ukraine
Contestants
Serbia98534561210125
Austria1471153211463314234
Macedonia69294010463125
Malta55550
Romania1742614867378788878757612101275
Netherlands2001495142367532341245
Hungary231661651212661210461012681085877106
Denmark10196514
Ireland8645413146252234711
San Marino1011
Croatia14137104710885410761104625263
Norway189137523255102637324
Switzerland9748494255101151241242
Belarus110555521132135868312
Bulgaria4031992048810128121212101281261210101281210
Lithuania4217251210111
Estonia8516694234235182126638
Israel2077513255710778647575710341087

12 points

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury and televote in the second semi-final. Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points (12 points apiece from professional jury and televoting) to the specified entrant.

12 points awarded by juries
N.ContestantNation(s) giving 12 points
10  Bulgaria  Austria,  Belarus,  Estonia,  Hungary,  Ireland,  Macedonia,  Malta,  Netherlands,  Norway,   Switzerland
3  Netherlands  Croatia,  Romania,  San Marino
 Norway  Denmark,  Germany,  Lithuania
2  Hungary  Israel,  Serbia
1  Austria  Bulgaria
 Belarus  Ukraine
 Israel  France
12 points awarded by televoting
N.ContestantNation(s) giving 12 points
9  Bulgaria  Belarus,  Denmark,  Germany,  Hungary,  Israel,  Malta,  Netherlands,  Norway,  San Marino
4  Hungary  Austria,  Croatia,  Romania,  Serbia
2  Romania  Estonia,  France
 Serbia  Macedonia,   Switzerland
1  Belarus  Ukraine
 Estonia  Lithuania
 Lithuania  Ireland
 Macedonia  Bulgaria

Final

  Winner
Split results of the final
PlaceCombinedJuryTelevoting
CountryPointsCountryPointsCountryPoints
1  Portugal758  Portugal382  Portugal376
2  Bulgaria615  Bulgaria278  Bulgaria337
3  Moldova374  Sweden218  Moldova264
4  Belgium363  Australia171  Belgium255
5  Sweden344  Netherlands135  Romania224
6  Italy334  Norway129  Italy208
7  Romania282  Italy126  Hungary152
8  Hungary200  Moldova110  Sweden126
9  Australia173  Belgium108  Croatia103
10  Norway158  United Kingdom99  France90
11  Netherlands150  Austria93  Azerbaijan42
12  France135  Azerbaijan78  Poland41
13  Croatia128  Denmark69  Belarus33
14  Azerbaijan120  Armenia58  Cyprus32
15  United Kingdom111  Romania58  Norway29
16  Austria93  Belarus50  Greece29
17  Belarus83  Hungary48  Ukraine24
18  Armenia79  Greece48  Armenia21
19  Greece77[e]  France45  Netherlands15
20  Denmark77[e]  Cyprus36  United Kingdom12
21  Cyprus68  Israel34  Denmark8
22  Poland64  Croatia25  Israel5
23  Israel39  Poland23  Spain5
24  Ukraine36  Ukraine12  Germany3
25  Germany6  Germany3  Australia2
26  Spain5  Spain0  Austria0
Detailed jury voting results of the final[91]
  • Voting procedure used:
  •   100% televoting
  •   100% jury vote
Total score
Jury score
Televoting score
Jury vote
Sweden
Azerbaijan
San Marino
Latvia
Israel
Montenegro
Albania
Malta
Macedonia
Denmark
Austria
Norway
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
Lithuania
Estonia
Moldova
Armenia
Bulgaria
Iceland
Serbia
Australia
Italy
Germany
Portugal
Switzerland
Netherlands
Ireland
Georgia
Cyprus
Belarus
Romania
Hungary
Slovenia
Belgium
Poland
United Kingdom
Croatia
Czech Republic
Ukraine
Contestants
Israel3934547568112
Poland6423416172241
Belarus8350331221273321512
Austria9393046173152112431210375413314
Armenia7958214471183645143232
Netherlands150135153751241424104737415128184883
Moldova374110264810136327378710868634
Hungary20048152351141013128
Italy3341262086328121267107104825822102
Denmark7769857845358355236
Portugal7583823761281212126101010810128125128712121275101212512810612128121271210
Azerbaijan1207842521055121211014416
Croatia12825103156337
Australia17317121054883810217410355444747767106102
Greece7748295121210612
Spain505
Norway158129291075263171010513122572766732
United Kingdom111991264831123164712655310255
Cyprus68363225127145
Romania282582243310354612318
Germany6333
Ukraine361224741
Belgium363108255181086224422786212351051
Sweden344218126107112465128638682610471066868716124847
Bulgaria615278337722872108124101266527121066828810106712101081067102
France1354590635453641215
Detailed televoting results of the final[91]
  • Voting procedure used:
  •   100% televoting
  •   100% jury vote
Total score
Jury score
Televoting score
Televote
Sweden
Azerbaijan
San Marino
Latvia
Israel
Montenegro
Albania
Malta
Macedonia
Denmark
Austria
Norway
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
Lithuania
Estonia
Moldova
Armenia
Bulgaria
Iceland
Serbia
Australia
Italy
Germany
Portugal
Switzerland
Netherlands
Ireland
Georgia
Cyprus
Belarus
Romania
Hungary
Slovenia
Belgium
Poland
United Kingdom
Croatia
Czech Republic
Ukraine
Contestants
Israel39345113
Poland642341523133217410
Belarus835033621216438
Austria93930
Armenia795821621012
Netherlands15013515121101
Moldova37411026481088531283665768461067121271258610121037664512
Hungary20048152474217623354422862124325628105151124
Italy334126208161038101212862885755447624410215864105271
Denmark776988
Portugal7583823761087101288875121212121281210610712875121212108777781210810810
Azerbaijan1207842151012410
Croatia12825103231273104115168833351215
Australia17317122
Greece7748293715121
Spain5055
Norway1581292961726151
United Kingdom11199124134
Cyprus68363211212322
Romania28258224326574641010731014612285410106747124262677663
Germany6333
Ukraine361224734127
Belgium36310825512451264554687410851012254103421010710526586123545
Sweden344218126324327512155633333281611415323123427
Bulgaria61527833771212710610101210781074107787410585868671012812788128122
France13545905421631415812216233441336

12 points

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury and televote in the final. Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points (12 points apiece from professional jury and televoting) to the specified entrant.

12 points awarded by juries
N.ContestantNation(s) giving 12 points
18  Portugal  Armenia,  Czech Republic,  France,  Georgia,  Hungary,  Iceland,  Israel,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Netherlands,  Poland,  San Marino,  Serbia,  Slovenia,  Spain,  Sweden,   Switzerland,  United Kingdom
4  Bulgaria  Belarus,  Estonia,  Macedonia,  Norway
3  Sweden  Belgium,  Denmark,  Finland
2  Azerbaijan  Italy,  Portugal
 Belarus  Azerbaijan,  Ukraine
 Greece  Cyprus,  Montenegro
 Italy  Albania,  Malta
 Netherlands  Austria,  Romania
1  Austria  Bulgaria
 Belgium  Ireland
 Cyprus  Greece
 Hungary  Croatia
 Norway  Germany
 Romania  Moldova
 United Kingdom  Australia
12 points awarded by televoting
N.ContestantNation(s) giving 12 points
12  Portugal  Austria,  Belgium,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Iceland,  Israel,  Lithuania,  Netherlands,  Norway,  Spain,   Switzerland
7  Bulgaria  Azerbaijan,  Belarus,  Czech Republic,  Hungary,  Macedonia,  San Marino,  United Kingdom
5  Moldova  Australia,  Italy,  Portugal,  Romania,  Ukraine
4  Belgium  Estonia,  Latvia,  Poland,  Sweden
2  Croatia  Montenegro,  Slovenia
 Cyprus  Armenia,  Greece
 Hungary  Croatia,  Serbia
 Italy  Albania,  Malta
 Romania  Ireland,  Moldova
1  Azerbaijan  Georgia
 France  Bulgaria
 Greece  Cyprus
 Sweden  Denmark

Broadcasts

Most countries sent commentators to Kyiv or commentated from their own country, in order to add insight to the participants and, if necessary, the provision of voting information. The EBU announced on 9 May, that all three shows would also be streamed live via YouTube.[92]

It was reported by the EBU that the contest was viewed by a worldwide television audience of approximately 182 million viewers,[93] which was 22 million less than the 2016 record which was viewed by 204 million.[94] The EBU stated that this decrease in viewing figures was likely a result of the withdrawal of Russia and its decision not to broadcast any of the three shows.[37][93]

Broadcasters and commentators in participating countries
CountryShow(s)Broadcaster(s)Commentator(s)Ref(s)
 AlbaniaAll showsRTSH, RTSH HD, RTSH Muzikë, Radio TiranaAndri Xhahu
 ArmeniaAll showsArmenia 1, Public Radio of ArmeniaAvet Barseghyan[95]
SF1/FinalGohar Gasparyan
 AustraliaAll showsSBSMyf Warhurst and Joel Creasey[96][97]
 AustriaAll showsORF einsAndi Knoll[98]
 AzerbaijanAll showsİTVAzer Suleymanli
 BelarusAll showsBelarus-1, Belarus 24Evgeny Perlin[99]
 BelgiumAll showsLa UneJean-Louis Lahaye [fr] and Maureen Louys[100]
één, Radio 2Peter Van de Veire[101]
SF1/FinalVivaCitéOlivier Gilain[102]
 BulgariaAll showsBNT 1Elena Rosberg and Georgi Kushvaliev
 CroatiaAll showsHRT 1Duško Ćurlić[103]
HR 2Zlatko Turkalj [hr]
 CyprusAll showsCyBCTasos Tryfonos [el] and Christiana Artemiou[104]
 Czech RepublicSemi-finalsČT2Libor Bouček [cs][105]
FinalČT1Libor Bouček and Martina Bárta
 DenmarkAll showsDR1Ole Tøpholm[106]
 EstoniaAll showsETVMarko Reikop[107]
ETV+Aleksandr Hobotov and Julia Kalenda[108]
SF2/FinalRaadio 2Mart Juur and Andrus Kivirähk[109]
 FinlandSF1Yle TV1
[110]
SF2/FinalYle TV2
 FranceSemi-finalsFrance 4Marianne James and Jarry [fr][111]
FinalFrance 2Marianne James, Stéphane Bern and Amir Haddad[112][113]
 GeorgiaAll shows1TVDemetre Ergemlidze
 GermanyAll showsOnePeter Urban[114]
SF2NDR Fernsehen
FinalDas Erste
 GreeceAll showsERT1, ERT HD, ERT WorldMaria Kozakou and Giorgos Kapoutzidis[115]
Proto Programma, Voice of Greece
 HungaryAll showsDunaKrisztina Rátonyi and Freddie[116]
 IcelandAll showsRÚV, Rás 2Gísli Marteinn Baldursson
 IrelandSemi-finalsRTÉ2Marty Whelan[117]
FinalRTÉ One
SF2/FinalRTÉ Radio 1Neil Doherty and Zbyszek Zalinski[118]
 IsraelAll showsChannel 1No commentary[119]
IBA 88FMKobi Menora, Dori Ben Ze'ev [he] and Alon Amir[120]
 ItalySemi-finalsRai 4Andrea Delogu [it] and Diego Passoni [it][121][122]
FinalRai 1Flavio Insinna and Federico Russo
 LatviaAll showsLTV1Valters Frīdenbergs[123]
FinalToms Grēviņš [lv]
 LithuaniaAll showsLRT, LRT HD, LRT RadijasDarius Užkuraitis [lt] and Gerūta Griniūtė[124]
 MacedoniaAll showsMRT 1Karolina Petkovska[125]
 MaltaAll showsTVMNo commentary
 MoldovaAll showsMoldova 1Galina Timuș[126][127]
Radio MoldovaCristina Galbici[128]
Radio Moldova TineretCătălin Ungureanu and Maria-Mihaela Frimu
 MontenegroAll showsTVCG 1, TVCG SATDražen Bauković and Tijana Mišković[129]
 NetherlandsAll showsNPO 1, BVNCornald Maas and Jan Smit[130]
 NorwayAll showsNRK1Olav Viksmo-Slettan[131]
FinalNRK3Ronny Brede Aase [no], Silje Nordnes [no] and Markus Neby [no][132]
NRK TegnspråkSign language performers[133]
SF2/FinalNRK P1Ole Christian Øen[134]
 PolandAll shows[f]TVP1, TVP Polonia, TVP RozrywkaArtur Orzech[135]
 PortugalAll showsRTP1, RTP InternacionalJosé Carlos Malato and Nuno Galopim[136]
 RomaniaAll showsTVR 1, TVR HDLiana Stanciu and Radu Andrei Tudor[137][138]
 San MarinoAll showsSan Marino RTV, Radio San MarinoLia Fiorio and Gigi Restivo[139]
 SerbiaSF1RTS1, RTS HD, RTS SATSilvana Grujić and Olga Kapor[140]
SF2/FinalDuška Vučinić[141][142]
 SloveniaSemi-finalsTV SLO 2Andrej Hofer [sl][143]
FinalTV SLO 1
SF2/FinalRadio Val 202
All showsRadio Maribor
 SpainSemi-finalsLa 2José María Íñigo and Julia Varela[144][145]
FinalLa 1
 SwedenAll showsSVT1Måns Zelmerlöw and Edward af Sillén[146]
SR P4Carolina Norén, Björn Kjellman and Ola Gäverth [sv][147]
  SwitzerlandSemi-finalsSRF zweiSven Epiney[148]
FinalSRF 1
Semi-finalsRTS DeuxJean-Marc Richard and Nicolas Tanner
FinalRTS Un
Semi-finalsRSI La 2Clarissa Tami [it] and Sebalter
FinalRSI La 1
 UkraineAll showsUA:FirstTetyana Terekhova and Andriy Horodyskyi[149]
Ukrainian RadioOlena Zelinchenko and Roman Kolyada [uk][150]
 United KingdomSemi-finalsBBC FourScott Mills and Mel Giedroyc[151]
FinalBBC OneGraham Norton
BBC Radio 2Ken Bruce
Broadcasters and commentators in non-participating countries
Country/TerritoryShow(s)Broadcaster(s)Commentator(s)Ref(s)
 ChinaAll showsHunan TelevisionLee Wei Song and Lee Shih Shiong[152]
 GreenlandFinalKNROle Tøpholm[153]
 KazakhstanAll showsKhabar TVDiana Snegina and Kaldybek Zhaysanbay[154]
 KosovoAll showsRTK 1Alma Bektashi [sq] and Agron Krasniqi[155][failed verification]
 SlovakiaFinalRádio FMDaniel Baláž [sk], Pavol Hubinák and Juraj Malíček [sk][156]
 United StatesFinalLogo TVMichelle Visage and Ross Mathews[157]

Incidents

Organising team shakeup

In December 2016, Grytsak was appointed as a new head of the organising committee. In February 2017, 21 team members resigned claiming that the new appointment effectively stopped the work for two months.[158][159]

French song submission

France 2 announced on 9 February 2017 that they would participate at the contest with the song "Requiem", performed by Alma.[160] However, it was discovered during the week of 17 February that "Requiem" had been recorded and performed prior to 1 September 2016, the submission deadline set by the EBU, potentially violating the rules of the contest.[161] Further investigation revealed that "Requiem" had been performed at the end of January 2015.[162] While France 2 had claimed not to be in breach of the rules of the contest, no ultimate decision had been made regarding their potential disqualification.[162] No further reports were made regarding Alma's participation, and she was able to partake in the competition in May with a revised version of the song.[163]

Russian withdrawal

Channel One Russia (C1R) announced on 12 March 2017 that they would participate at the contest with "Flame Is Burning", performed by Julia Samoylova. However, Samoylova was issued a three-year travel ban on entering Ukraine by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on 22 March,[164] by virtue of illegally travelling directly from Russia to Crimea, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, in 2015 to give a performance.[165][166] Entry to Crimea by non-Ukrainian citizens via Russia is illegal under Ukrainian law;[165] however, Samoylova confirmed that she performed in Crimea in 2015.[167][168][169]

The EBU responded by stating its commitment to ensuring that all participating countries would be able to perform in Kyiv, while expressing their disappointment at the lack of compromise from C1R and UA:PBC.[170] C1R were offered the opportunity to allow Samoylova to perform via satellite from a venue of their choice,[171] but such a compromise was rejected by both C1R and the Ukrainian Government.[172]

The Director General of the EBU, Ingrid Deltenre, condemned Ukraine's actions, describing them as "abusing the contest for political reasons" and "absolutely unacceptable".[173] C1R announced their withdrawal from the contest on 13 April, stating that they also might not broadcast the contest.[37][38][174] C1R had not organised accommodation before their artist announcement, as is typically the case, and refused to attend the meeting of Heads of Delegation. By announcing their artist just before the deadline for entry submission to the contest and not booking a hotel, it was speculated that C1R had not intended to go due to audiences booing Russian artists in previous contests.[175]

As part of the Russian Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, Samoylova gave another performance in Crimea, including "Flame Is Burning", the song which was intended to represent Russia at the contest.[176]

Israeli broadcaster compromise

Under a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was reorganised into two separate entities: the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), with responsibility for "general programming" such as entertainment, and another with responsibility for news and current affairs programming. The IPBC is also branded as Kan (Hebrew: כאן, lit.'Here'). The EBU informed the IPBC executive board on 7 April that such a compromise would render them unable to remain a member without an outlet for news and current events programming. It was then reported that the IBA may cease to be a member of the EBU.[177]

The IBA was expected to close down on 15 May 2017, before the IPBC was expected to launch. However, on 9 and 10 May 2017, the IBA unexpectedly closed down most of their operations in news and current affair programs.[178] The 2017 contest was the last program that Channel 1 aired under the IBA, where a skeleton staff of twenty people remained to ensure a smooth transmission of the shows on Channel 1.[120][179] After the contest ended, the station displayed a slide about its closure. During the jury voting segment of the final, Ofer Nachshon, the Israeli voting spokesperson since 2009, bid farewell on behalf of the IBA before revealing their jury points. This was incorrectly reported by several international media outlets as Israel leaving the contest.[180]

The IPBC applied for EBU membership later that year and was accepted, thus Israel continued to participate. They went on to win the contest the next year, and subsequently earned the right to host the 2019 edition.[181] However, the EBU warned that the pending plan to make the IPBC's news department a separate entity conflicted with rules requiring member broadcasters to handle both news and entertainment programming.[182] As a high-court decision on the split approached, Netanyahu stated that the Israeli government would comply with EBU rules to protect its hosting rights for the 2019 edition.[183][184][185] The High Court of Justice later issued a temporary injunction, blocking the split.[186] The split was eventually cancelled permanently, allowing the IPBC to meet all requirements for joining the EBU.[187][188]

Argument for using pre-recorded vocals live

Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) had discussions with the EBU regarding the abolition of the rule prohibiting pre-recorded vocals during live performances at the contest. Such a rule is intended to guarantee the authenticity of live performances.[189] The discussion stems from when Norwegian representative Jowst stated his displeasure at the rule in an interview on 24 March, in reference to the sampling technique of chopped vocals in his song "Grab the Moment" which cannot be attributed in the live performance.[189]

Such discussions were also in place in 1999, when pre-recorded vocals during the Croatian entry, "Marija Magdalena", performed by Doris Dragović, led to objections by the Norwegian delegation — led at the time by Jon Ola Sand. Such objections led the EBU to consider deducting a third of Croatia's final score, reducing it from 118 points to 79. However, such a deduction never occurred.[citation needed] The possible abolition of the rule, alongside the abolition of the live orchestra in 1999, has led some fans and critics of the contest to argue that the contest has become too commercialised and the authenticity of live performances has been compromised.[189]

After discussing the matter with the EBU, NRK were granted an exception to the rule. Jowst stated that "[the Norwegian delegation] have now been allowed to use the recorded vocal tracks, [...]. But [they] have also practiced a plan B with the backing vocalists, if there are big protests from others in Kyiv."[190] Both Jowst and Aleksander Walmann think that had "Grab the Moment" been in the semi-final of the 2018 contest following an abolition of the rule, they would have had an advantage. NRK stated on 2 May that Jowst was aiming to perform the song acoustically as a back-up, by bringing two additional backing vocalists who would perform the pre-recorded vocals live using a filter applied by the sound engineering team so as not to compromise on sound quality.[191]

Norwegian jury replacement

Norwegian jury member Per Sundnes made comments on NRK preview show Adresse Kiev on 17 April 2017 against Irish representative Brendan Murray, saying: "It's been a long time since they've gotten up and I do not think they'll do it again. They try the same formula year after year."[192] The comments were not welcomed by the Irish delegation, who subsequently reported the matter to the EBU.[193]

The Irish Independent reported on 8 May that Sundnes had been replaced due to an alleged breach in jury rules. Commenting on the decision, the Head of Delegation for Ireland, Michael Kealy, said: "I'm glad that the European Broadcasting Union have reacted swiftly to this situation and that all jury members are impartial. It's only fair that each song in the Eurovision Song Contest is judged on its individual merits on the night." Sundnes was subsequently replaced by Erland Bakke.[194]

Sundnes stated in an interview with Verdens Gang on 9 May: "I do not know anything about the jury stuff, just that I'm not [in it]. It was not really surprising. The same thing happened in Sweden last year with the Swedish professional jury."[195]

NRK admits that they made a mistake by letting Sundnes sit in both the professional jury and the judging panel of Adresse Kiev. However, when they were informed by the EBU that this was against the rules, they rectified the situation quickly. Project manager for Melodi Grand Prix and Norwegian Head of Delegation, Stig Karlsen, stated: "We have received some concerns from several teams that Per has been in the jury, while at the same time he has been meaningful in the program. Therefore, we took a new assessment."[196]

Estonian technical issues

On 11 May 2017, during the transmission of the second semi-final, the microphone of the Estonian representative seemed to have malfunctioned as singer Laura Põldvere could not be heard for approximately two seconds by viewers at home. It was later revealed that the Estonian delegation considered appealing to the EBU to allow Põldvere and Koit Toome to perform their entry "Verona" again as a result of the error, but later decided against it. Mart Normet, the Head of Delegation for Estonia, explained "If there has been such a powerful performance for three minutes and given an absolute maximum, then this energy again does not come back when you go on stage again". The EBU responded to the situation, reportedly describing the error as purely technical, as the microphone was supposed to automatically come on. Instead, a sound technician was forced to respond by manually switching on the microphone via the sound desk.[197] The country ultimately failed to reach the grand final, with Põldvere expressing her annoyance, however stating "I do not think it's so tremendously influenced when a few words remain unheard".[198]

Salvador Sobral's political message

Salvador and Luísa Sobral at the first semi-final winners' press conference

The Portuguese representative Salvador Sobral drew attention to the European migrant crisis by turning up to the first semi-final winners' press conference in an "S.O.S. Refugees" shirt.[199] "If I'm here and I have European exposure, the least thing I can do is a humanitarian message", Sobral stated. "People come to Europe in plastic boats and are being asked to show their birth certificates in order to enter a country. These people are not immigrants, they're refugees running from death. Make no mistake. There is so much bureaucratic stuff happening in the refugee camps in Greece, Turkey and Italy and we should help create legal and safe pathways from these countries to their destiny countries", he added, earning a round of applause.[200] Later on, the EBU ordered a ban so that he could not wear it for the remainder of the contest.[201] The EBU explained that Sobral's jumper was used as a means of "political message," which violates the rules of the contest.[201] However, Sobral argued in his winning press conference that it was not political, but a message of humanitarianism.[202]

Jamala stage invasion

Jamala's performance of her song "I Believe in U" during the interval of the final was disrupted by a man draped in an Australian flag who invaded the stage and briefly mooned the audience before being removed by security.[203] He was later identified as Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk.[204] In their response to the incident, the EBU stated the following: "A person took to the stage at the beginning of Jamala's performance of 'I Believe in U' at tonight's Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. He was quickly removed from the stage by security and out of the arena. He is currently being held and questioned by the police at the venue police office." The last time an unauthorised person gained access to the stage was in 2010 when the Spanish performance was disrupted by Jimmy Jump.[205]

Other awards

In addition to the main winner's trophy, the Marcel Bezençon Awards and the Barbara Dex Award were contested during the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. The OGAE, "General Organisation of Eurovision Fans" voting poll also took place before the contest.

Marcel Bezençon Awards

The Marcel Bezençon Awards, organised since 2002 by Sweden's then-Head of Delegation and 1992 representative Christer Björkman, and 1984 winner Richard Herrey, honours songs in the contest's final.[206] The awards are divided into three categories: Artistic Award, Composers Award, and Press Award.[207] The winners were revealed shortly before the final on 13 May.[208]

CategoryCountrySongPerformer(s)Songwriter(s)
Artistic Award  Portugal"Amar pelos dois"Salvador SobralLuísa Sobral
Composers Award
Press Award  Italy"Occidentali's Karma"Francesco Gabbani

OGAE

OGAE, an organisation of over forty Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, conducts an annual voting poll first held in 2002 as the Marcel Bezençon Fan Award. The 2017 poll ran from 1 to 30 April with a daily-publishing of adding the votes of 44 clubs,[209] and after all votes were cast, the top-ranked entry was Italy's "Occidentali's Karma" performed by Francesco Gabbani; the top five results are shown below.[210][211][212]

CountrySongPerformer(s)OGAE result
 Italy"Occidentali's Karma"Francesco Gabbani497
 Belgium"City Lights"Blanche335
 Sweden"I Can't Go On"Robin Bengtsson308
 France"Requiem"Alma277
 Estonia"Verona"Koit Toome and Laura242

Barbara Dex Award

The Barbara Dex Award is a humorous fan award given to the worst dressed artist each year. Named after Belgium's representative who came last in the 1993 contest, wearing her self-designed dress, the award was handed for the first year by the fansite songfestival.be after the fansite House of Eurovision organised it from 1997 to 2016.[213]

PlaceCountryPerformer(s)
1  MontenegroSlavko Kalezić
2  LatviaTriana Park
3  Czech RepublicMartina Bárta
4   SwitzerlandTimebelle
5  AlbaniaLindita

Official album

Cover art of the official album

Eurovision Song Contest: Kyiv 2017 is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and was released by Universal Music Group digitally on 21 April and physically on 28 April 2017.[214] The album features all 42 participating entries, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final. The album also features the Russian entry which withdrew from the contest on 13 April 2017.[37][215][216] This is the second consecutive year that the official album featured a song which had withdrawn before the contest.

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[217]15
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[218]3
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[219]30
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[220]37
German Compilation Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[221]2
Greek Albums (IFPI)[222]12
Irish Compilation Albums (IRMA)[223]7
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[224]37
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[225]3
UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[226]7

See also

Notes

References

External links