Are live-on-tapes back for Eurovision 2022?

It looks as if live-on-tapes, which were used in case of inability to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, are back again for 2022 in Turin.

Good to have a back-up

In order to ensure there would be a Contest for 2021, participating countries needed to prepare two performances. While one would be used – preferably the onstage version – those who were not able to either travel to Rotterdam or could not perform live onstage used back-up performances. These are live-on-tapes. Despite all 39 countries needing to produce live-on-tapes, only two countries ended up using their backups – Australia and Iceland.

New tapes for Eurovision 2022

According to information from OGAE Greece, live-on-tapes are to make a return for Eurovision 2022. Each of the 41 countries taking part are now aware of the requirement, so that broadcasters can adjust their financial budgets in time. In addition, the news also comes as the EBU approved pre-recorded backing tracks for use at Eurovision 2022. This is despite the EBU stipulating they could be used for one year only.

It’s likely that other countries will again collaborate in order to produce their live-on-tapes. For the 2021 Contest, several countries recorded their backups in Lithuania and Bulgaria to save money. Whether specific nations will repeat their specific collaborations remains to be seen.

To see or not to see

The EBU has yet to formally confirm whether the live-on-tapes produced for Eurovision 2022 will be released. Last year, the EBU confirmed the release of live-on-tapes in the week following the live final of Eurovision 2021. All of the live-on-tapes were shown in a two-part special, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

What do you make of the news? Are you looking forward to seeing what broadcasters are preparing for Eurovision 2022? Do you think we will need to see any of the live-on-tapes this year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. As well as this, you can also get involved on our social media, by following ‘That Eurovision Site’ for more information. You can follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

News Source: OGAE Greece

Photo Credit: Jess Gleeson