The Eurovision Song Contest Finals are Saturday night in Europe, which is Saturday afternoon here in the United States, and we have all the information about when and how to watch it from home. The contest has faced controversy before, but this may be the most contentious in its history as thousands demonstrate against Israel's involvement in the face of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the loss of life in Gaza as Israel pursues Hamas militants.
What is the Eurovision Song Contest?
That’s a big question, but it’s essentially a competition where representatives of European nations (along with a few others) each submit a representative to compete in an international pop music contest. Each nation’s entrant is often chosen through a local competition in that country — think of it as a bit like “American Idol,” but with all original songs.
The most noteworthy past winner is likely Abba, although several winners have achieved international success. The competition began in the 1950s and has been held every year since. You can find out more about the competition and its history in this article explaining it all from TheWrap’s Jeremy Fuster.
To guide us through this year’s contest, we enlisted the hosts of the “Eurovangelists” podcast, comedy writers and performers Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée. The show features relatively new fan Jeremy, longtime fan and expert Dimitry and the passionate Oscar discussing and disagreeing about Eurovision. “What gave me a lot of confidence in the idea [of the podcast] is that Oscar and I have seen everything, but there are times when we do not get along,” Pompée said. “Because we can’t agree on what a good song is — because he’s wrong.”
What time are the Eurovision 2024 finals at? What time can I watch the Eurovision finals in the U.S.?
After two rounds of semifinals earlier this week, the nations who’ve made it through compete Saturday, May 11 at 9 p.m. Central European Time. That’s 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 p.m. Pacific here in the States.
Where is it streaming?
You can watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 finals on Peacock, its current home after airing in the past on Bravo. You can also watch the semifinals from earlier this week, archived on the NBCUniversal streaming service. In many nations outside of the U.S., you can stream the finals on YouTube, but the service is geoblocked in countries with exclusive streaming contracts — including Australia, Greece, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and the U.S.
“Eurovangelists” cohost Jeremy Bent told us how he first became a Eurovision fan, with cohost Dimitry inviting him over to watch the finals. “I was like, I guess so. How long is that? And he’s like, four hours long,” Bent said, laughing. “There were so many points of failure in this relationship. The fact that we didn’t hit any of them was a miracle.”
You can find more details on how to watch Eurovision around the world from the Eurovision subreddit here.
How can I vote in Eurovision?
You can vote via the Eurovision app or online at the official European Song Contest voting site, ESC.vote. While voting used to be limited to only residents of participating nations, the competition has recently allowed votes from the rest of the world. Pompée explained that this is a new development from last year.
However, due to the complex process involving votes from a jury panel and residents of participating countries submitting their votes, non-participating countries' votes are combined as a “Rest of the World” vote. These votes are treated as equal to those of one of the participating nations.
“It’s very thrilling,” Pompée added. “I had been waiting for it for years, and it finally happened. And I don’t want to emphasize it too much, but it’s very similar to the first time I voted in a presidential election. I was 18 years old, like oh my god, yes. Voting in Eurovision — it really meant a lot to me.”
You can find out more about the voting process here.
What’s the big controversy around Israel, the song it submitted, and contestant Eden Golan?
Israel’s entry in the contest has been contentious this year due to the nation’s ongoing war with Hamas terrorists following the Oct. 7 attacks. Many have criticized Israel for its approach to the war with attacks in Gaza, which have resulted in numerous civilian deaths, though there is disagreement about the official death toll.
The song submitted by Israel was originally called “October Rain,” inspired by the suffering of Israeli citizens from the surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The Eurovangelists hosts talked with us before growing demonstrations in Malmö outside the contest, but we did discuss the controversy over Israel’s participation in the contest.
“There’s a rule in Eurovision that your song cannot be too political,” Bent said. “And even the title alone should make you think, well, this may not be suitable for Eurovision. So initially, Israel said, ‘We won’t change anything.’ And the EBU said, ‘Great, your song’s not in the competition.’ Then Israel said, ‘OK, maybe we’ll change some things.'”
The song was rewritten to be more metaphorical, and its title changed to “Hurricane.”
“‘Hurricane’ is more about a relationship,” Bent said. “And the EBU reviewed that song and said, this is still not allowed based on the lyrics. So they changed the lyrics once more, and then it was accepted.”
The origins of the song were a significant part of this year’s controversy. “We don’t understand why Eurovision wouldn’t just say no — you can’t keep re-editing your propaganda song to be suitable for this competition — but they did,” Bent said. “But now the song is fairly generic lyrically. I suppose there’s not really anything to object to, except that it began as a song that I think is perhaps too political for Eurovision.”
“We strongly feel that both Hamas and Benjamin Netanyahu are not interested in trying to reduce civilian casualties,” Pompée shared. “They both should be replaced by leaders who genuinely want to achieve real lasting peace and full political rights for every single person who lives in that territory. That being said, one party is in Eurovision and the other is not.”
Some people suggested that Israel should be forbidden from the competition completely, similar to how Russia was banned due to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. As a result, thousands have protested throughout the week against Golan, Israel, and the competition.
There has been a lot of talk about how much the Israeli government influenced the Independent Public Broadcaster in order to participate in Eurovision and portray a positive image. Many oppose the idea of an authoritarian government using Eurovision to promote its message, especially considering their actions in Gaza and the attempt to control the judicial system. This raises concerns about the government's intentions and use of Eurovision for its own benefit.
It's also important to note that Israel has previously submitted songs promoting peace and a two-state solution in a subtle manner, as being direct would be too political. They have a history of such songs, so there was anticipation to see if their song would follow the same pattern. However, their latest song differed from the usual theme.
Pompée stated, 'If Israel had used the opportunity to advocate for equal political rights for everyone in the region, we would have been happier. However, their entry did not reflect this, and we are displeased about it.'
Where can I preview all the songs in the competition?
You can watch excerpts of all 37 finalists here:
There are 26 nations competing in the finals. You can also listen to all the finalists on the Spotify playlist below:
What are the politics of Eurovision?
As mentioned, the competition has typically aimed to steer clear of politics.
“Ideally, politics would not be involved at all,” Pompée explained. “In reality, political figures usually do not play a significant role in Eurovision. It's a complex situation because the European Broadcasting Union, which oversees Eurovision, aims to create a politically neutral environment. However, as an artist, there comes a point when your work becomes political, as everything is intertwined with politics.”
“I believe that there is a way to engage with politics without being aggressive,” Pompée added. “The best Eurovision songs achieve this.”
Where is it being held?
This year’s event is taking place in Malmö, Sweden, as the 2023 winner, Sweden, is hosting the competition. Despite the tradition of the previous year’s winner hosting the next year’s event, last year’s competition was held in England, even though they had not won since 1997. Ukraine triumphed in 2022 but was unable to host due to the conflict with Russia, so it took place in Liverpool, England. The ongoing war also led to Russia's exclusion from Eurovision.
“In recent years, Ukraine has submitted songs that could be seen as political, but mostly focused on the strength of the Ukrainian people,” Bent said. “Zelinsky predicted that Eurovision would be held in Kyiv next year, and although it was a lovely idea, some felt it may not be realistic. However, the U.K. did a great job by including a Ukrainian host on stage with two English hosts and featuring several Ukrainian acts. I thought they handled it very well.”
“They made sure to emphasize that even though the event was hosted in the U.K., it was a show for Ukraine,” Pompée added. “This kind of politics promotes positivity in Eurovision. It uplifts people.”
Which countries and artists are taking part?
A complete list can be found here, from Albania’s BESA to the United Kingdom’s Olly Alexander.
The Eurovangelists hosts discussed the competition's popularity in competing countries, noting that attitudes vary. Pompée said, “In Ukraine, some view it as a great platform to share their art and message with the world. They hold it in high regard.” He added, “In the U.K., some people think it's terrible, but when they do well, it's good. In Germany, it's deemed stupid when they lose, but when they perform well, they care. However, there are Germans who are huge fans.”
“France is somewhat disinterested,” Bent added. “But they always believe their song is great, leaving it to the larger European community to appreciate it or not.”
“Spain is like the Philadelphia of Eurovision — all the Eagles fans you can think of,” Pompée continued. “Imagine if they liked European pop music, and that’s the Spanish fan base. They’re terrifying. I do like the Spanish song this year — it’s a great song. And one of the best they’ve sent, ever.”
What sets Eurovision apart from an American song contest?
One significant difference is the competition's less commercial nature, although the presenting sponsor this year is the Israeli beauty company Morrocanoil, adding to the controversy.
“One factor that has sustained Eurovision in Europe and hindered its expansion in the U.S. until relatively recently is that it’s publicly funded — there's very little opportunity to profit from it,” Pompée said. “Here, an event needs a commercial aspect to make sense. Over there, it's about celebrating music and culture, and that seems to work without a problem. There's no need for a financial incentive for people to pay attention, no grand prize, or major record deal.”
“Dimitry would be extremely upset if all of a sudden it became the American Eurovision, like the Tostino’s American Eurovision. I think it would drive him slightly insane,” Bent said. “That might do it,” Pompée agreed. “Honestly, that might be what finally turns me into the Joker-masked maniac that I’ve been dancing on the edge of becoming.”
Who is hosting Eurovision this year?
The hosts for 2024 are Swedish-American actress Malin Åkerman (“Watchmen”) and Swedish comedian and presenter Petra Mede.
Where can I find past Eurovision contests to watch?
While they are more widely available in Eurovision host countries, accessing the more recent contests in the United States has been difficult. “Especially through the early 2000s, it was almost impossible for Americans to watch it,” Bent said.
However, dedicated fans have assembled viewing links for every Eurovision contest dating back to 1956, with some years even accessible on YouTube in the US. You can find more information on this Eurovision subreddit page.
The latest show available in the US from the official Eurovision YouTube channel is the 2015 competition, which you can watch here:
Also available is this 2020 special, which aired instead of an official competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic:
A popular pastime during the pandemic was revisiting old Eurovision contests, including for Eurovangelist cohost Oscar Montoya. ” “I was like, ‘Oh yeah, and I’m also like batting around this Eurovision podcast with a friend of mine,'” Bent explained. “And [Oscar] goes, ‘Oh, well, you’re not allowed to make that without me.'”
“Your early Eurovision is almost indistinguishable from what was considered American pop at the time. It was just in other languages. And there’s a lot of standards,” Bent detailed. “And then in the ’70s, I think it actually was pretty similar to American pop music. And now it is like, wow, like, if I cherry-picked 10 entries from this year, you’d be like, ‘all of these people are competing to win the same competition?'”
If you want to learn more about Eurovision, check out the links above or go listen to the Eurovangelists podcast from the Maximum Fun podcast network.
