After winning Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool, SVT is now looking ahead to 2024, as they have revealed major changes to its selection Melodifestivalen; which will be implemented in next year’s competition.
30 songs competing and Semi-Finals scrapped
The first major change that will be that the competing entries will be increased by 2 to 30. The Semi-Final round of the competition is scrapped, with the fifth show now being a Heat.
In the first five shows, six entries will compete, with two making it to the final directly (which will make up ten of the twelve finalists). The final two participants will then be decided by a vote consisting of artists which placed 3rd and 4th in the Heats, with the number of votes from their respective heats and the votes casted in the fifth heat.
Speaking about the changes to be made, Anders Wistbacka (Melodifestivalen’s Project Manager) hopes that the changes will maintain the engagement with the viewers.
We always want to make Melodifestivalen even better and more exciting for our audience. With this completely new arrangement, we believe we can maintain viewers’ engagement throughout the season. It’s no secret that we’ve lost audiences in the semi-finals. Now we hope to keep the excitement up through all the programs
The final of the comeptition will remain the same, where the twelve entries will compete for the win, with the winner being decided 50/50 by Public Vote (SMS/App) and the International Jury, with the winner participating at the Grand Final of Eurovision 2024.
Submissions to open in August 25
In addition to the announcement of the changes, SVT has also revealed that the submissions of entries for Melodifestivalen 2024 will open on August 25 at 09:00 CEST and will close on September 15 at 11:59 over at melodifestivalen.se.
In 2023, SVT revealed that it had recieved 2,824 entries for Melodifestivalen 2023, which was the highest it had recived for the past 10 years.
Sweden’s Eurovision Journey
In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win seven times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023).
In 2023, Loreen returned to represent Sweden, who won the 2012 edition of the competition. She competed with the song “Tattoo”, which managed to qualify for the Grand Final, and placed 1st with 583 points. Loreen won the jury vote, accruing 340 points from the jury, earning an additional 243 points from the televote. This now means Sweden matches Ireland for the record of most wins in Eurovision history.
What are your thoughts on the changes for Melodifestivalen in 2024? Do you think Sweden will do a double and break a record on home soil? Let us know in the comments below or on social media. Don’t forget to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ over at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2024 in Sweden.
News Source: SVT
Photo Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU
