Participating in Eurovision 2022 cost Spanish broadcaster RTVE almost €670.000. The price tag was revealed following a freedom of information request by journalistic platform Maldita. At a total cost of €668.792,60, RTVE has gone over their initial Eurovision 2022 budget of almost €640.000.
Expensive, but not the most expensive
In total, the figure of €668.792,60 represents a nearly €200.000 increase over 2021. Despite this massive rise and Chanel getting Spain’s best result in years in 2022, this is not the most expensive Spanish Eurovision participation of the last decade. In 2019, RTVE spent over €780.000 only to see Miki Núñez finish 22nd in the Grand Final with his song “La Venda“. But what did all that money go to this year? The biggest expenditure was on broadcasting rights, at a total of €302.156,84. The rest of the budget was spent on anything from technical staff (€90.000), to costuming (€18.029), and more. The budget does not include the cost of Benidorm Fest, Spain’s National Final. That three night event cost a total of nearly €3 million. RTVE recently announced that Benidorm Fest will return for 2023, but nothing is known as of yet about the budget.
Spain’s Eurovision Journey
Spain debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 with Conchita Bautista’s “Estando Contigo”. The country earned its first win in 1968 with Massiel’s “La La La”, and won again in 1969 with Salome’s “Vivo Cantando” in an infamous four-way tie. Although they have yet to win again, Spain earned several 2nd place finishes, most famously with Mocedades’ “Eres tu” in 1973 and Anabel Conde’s “Vuelve conmigo” in 1996.
Spain’s recent participation saw them enter the Top 5 when Chanel finished in 3rd place with 459 points from the jury and televoters with her song “SloMo”.
What do you think of how much Spain spent on their Eurovision participation? Do you expect RTVE to spend even more next year following Chanel’s success? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram as we gear up for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: Maldita.es
Photo Credit: EBU/Corinne Cumming
Mucho dinero. They’ll probably make it back (and then some) with the increased interest in Benifdorm Fest. You gotta spend money to make money.