🇹🇭 Eurovision Asia facing organisational issues ahead of final?

With just three weeks to go until Eurovision Asia is due to take place, it has been reported that major organisational issues are hampering the production of the competition. The organisers of the competition have since released a statement on claims the show may not be going ahead.

Financial and technical issues

According to information received by Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, the original budget for this year’s inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia was set to be around $4.5 million (€4.01 million). However, this has now reportedly been cut back by $1 million.

On top of this, the outlet claimed that international staff that had been working on the production of the competition in Bangkok have since been fired, citing the cost of housing and living expenses. These issues have since been rectified, as local workers from Thai companies have been employed.

In addition to the production issues, the creator of ZOOP, RJ Phillips, has now come on board as the majority shareholder of Voxovation, the production company behind Eurovision Asia. This was triggered following Peter Settman’s decision to resign from the role in August. However, Swedish producer Christer Björkman will continue to serve as the Executive Producer of the competition.

Organisers’ reponses

Responding to the claims, Voxovation confirmed that the competition will go ahead on November 14th in Bangkok as planned. They insisted that “there are no plans to cancel or postpone the event”. They added that the competition is helping to create local jobs in the region and is contributing to the local economy – though did not outright deny the allegations surrounding financial and technical issues.

Meanwhile a statement, Martin Green – the EBU’s Eurovision Director – said:

Asia has a very strong tradition of hosting major events and Eurovision Asia producers Voxovation are proud to be working with a large and experienced local team. We feel confident that the budget matches the level of ambition for the first Asian competition and we look forward to its continued growth.

The story of Eurovision Asia so far

Early this year, EBU and Voxovation confirmed the launch of Eurovision Asia, following its initial attempt to launch the format in 2017. The inaugural edition of the competition is set to take place on November 14th in Bangkok, Thailand.

The following countries and broadcasters have been confirmed for the inaugural edition of this year’s competition:

What do you think of the news coming from Eurovision Asia? Do you think the show will go ahead? As always, let us know what you think on social media and follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and ZOOP as we head towards Bangkok!

News Source: Aftonbladet

Photo Credit: Eurovision Asia