Eurovision organisers have announced changes to its voting system ahead of shows in Liverpool.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed that only viewers' votes will decide which countries qualify from the semi-finals stage. It comes alongside a string of other changes including viewers in non-participating countries being able to votes.
Furthermore, jury votes will be combined with votes from the global audience to decide the final result. Following this, judges from the professional music industry will help decide with the public for the grand final.
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Martin Osterdahl, the Eurovision Song Contest’s executive supervisor, said the move will “give more power to the audience” as the song contest “remains relevant and exciting” after 67 years of performances. He added: "In 2023 only Eurovision Song Contest viewers will decide which countries make it to the grand final and, reflecting the global impact of the event, everyone watching the show, wherever they live in the world, can cast their votes for their favourite songs.
“By also involving juries of music professionals in deciding the final result, all the songs in the grand final can be assessed on the broadest possible criteria. We can also maintain the tradition of travelling around Europe and Australia to collect points and ensure a thrilling voting sequence with the winner only revealed at the very end of the show.”
Those who don't live in countries participating in the 2023 Eurovision SOng Contest will be able to vote for their favourites online. Their votes will then be converted to points that will hold the same weigh as one participating country in both the semi-finals and the grand final.
The Eurovision Song Contest is due to be held in May 2023 at the ACC Liverpool.
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