EBU has denied any current plans to launch a Eurovision Song Contest Asia. This clarification comes following a selection show broadcast by the Bhutanese network BBS.
What actually happened?
The speculation was sparked by a program aired on Bhutan’s public broadcaster, BBS, which presented what appeared to be a national selection show for Eurovision Asia. At one point during the broadcast, it was even mentioned that the first edition of the contest would take place later this year in Mumbai, India.
Fueling the rumours further, Vietnamese broadcaster HTV also listed a program titled “Eurovision Asia” in its schedule for August 31, suggesting that preparations for the contest might be underway.
EBU responds
Martin Green CBE, Eurovision’s director, addressed the rumours directly:
Earlier this week, a broadcaster in Bhutan aired a selection show for Eurovision Asia. Our format rights holders in Asia have spoken to them, and the episodes have now been taken off air and deleted from online platforms.”While we’d love to see an edition of Eurovision in Asia, no plans have been confirmed or announced to date.”
Eurovision Asia: Still a Dream, Not Reality
The idea of an Asian song contest is not new. The EBU has explored the possibility of expanding the Eurovision brand beyond Europe multiple times. The recent incident involving BBS simply highlighted the strong interest in Eurovision outside the European continent. However, for now, it remains a potential future project rather than an immediate development.
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Source: eurotrippodcast.com
Photo Credit: Eurovision Asia Song Contest