Italian broadcaster RAI have confirmed that Italy will be competing in the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. RAI also announced that the contest will be broadcast on its main channel Rai 1 for the first time ever.
What we know about Italy in Junior Eurovision 2022
RAI confirmed their JESC participation during the official presentation of the 2022/23 broadcast schedules. The move from children channel Rai Gulp to Rai 1 is likely to dramatically increase viewership in the country. Junior Eurovision 2021 drew in 15,000 people, while the Rai 1 broadcast of Eurovision 2022 managed to get over 6.5 million viewers in Italy. Rai is yet to announce how or when they will select their entry for Junior Eurovision 2022. Almost all Italian entries were internally selected, but in 2015 they held a National Final.
Who is due to participate in the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest
At the time of writing, 10 countries have confirmed that they will be participating, and how they will be selecting their representative for this year’s contest.
- Armenia (Host Country)
- Bulgaria
- France
- Georgia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Malta
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
In addition to the above, Khabar Agency has confirmed its intention to participate. Whether this will come to fruition will be based on whether they will be invited by the EBU.
What we know about the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Shortly after winning the 2021 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU and ARMTV have revealed that Armenia will be hosting the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
Since then, it was revealed in April 2022, that Yerevan will be hosting the 20th edition of the competition, which will take place on December 11, 2022, at the Karen Demirchyan Complex, which can accommodate up to 8,000 spectators. This will be the second time the venue will host the competition, with the first being in 2011.
Italy’s Junior Eurovision Journey
Italy made its Junior Eurovision debut in 2014 with Vincenzo Cantiello and the song “Tu primo grande amore”. The performance scored 159 points on its way to a victory. Since winning, Italy’s best result is a 3rd place in the 2016 contest. Italy has so far participated seven times in the contest. Italy’s most recent participation was in 2021. Elisabetta Lizza’s “Specchio (Mirror on the Wall” finished 10th with 107 points from the jury and online voters.
Are you excited to see Italy compete again in Junior Eurovision? What do you make of the contest moving to a different channel? And who do you want to represent Italy at Junior Eurovision? Let us know in the comments below or on social media. Don’t forget to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ over at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News Source: RAI
Photo Source: EBU / Andres Putting
I hope Italy does a national final for a change.