The Eurovision Song Contest has slightly opened its doors to those outside Europe (and Australia) after it announced that non-participating countries can vote in the 2023 song contest. Prior to this change, only countries participating in the song contest could vote for the winning act, while other countries could only share who they’d like to win on social media or fan sites.
Eurovision has a history of changing its voting system. It was an ongoing joke back in 2016 that Australia could have won if the voting system didn’t change. However, the changes for 2023 have to be the biggest by far. It was assumed that the reason for this is so that Ukrainians who sought refuge in other countries could vote for their favorite act (or their home country) and wouldn’t feel like they were missing out.
However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) revealed that this change was made due to the rising popularity of the song contest, especially in non-participating countries, and that this change would give “more power” to the viewers at home. At the same time, it’s to help combat voting irregularities, just like what happened during the second semi-final in 2022.
Does this mean that the USA will finally be able to vote after years of watching the popular song contest?
How can non-participating countries vote in Eurovision 2023?
According to Eurovision’s FAQ for the voting change, viewers from non-participating countries will be able to vote via a “secure online platform” using a credit card from their country. In 2022, Australia somewhat implemented this new system by sending voters to a special web page developed by Germany’s Digame. Australia may be a participating country, but Australian Eurovision fans can no longer use SMS or Televoting during the live shows, unlike other nations.
It’s fair to assume that a similar system will be used for non-participating nations who want to vote in the song contest. It was also revealed that non-participating viewers will be able to vote during both the semi-finals and the grand finals. This means that not only participating countries have to cater to their neighbors, but also to an international audience.
Will the USA be able to vote in Eurovision 2023?
While the EBU has announced that other nations can vote in the song contest, the song contest’s representatives told NPR that only a select few will be able to vote in 2023. According to the email that was sent to the publication, a “full list of eligible countries” will be released at a later date. It’s currently unknown who will be on that list but the email also stated that the U.S. will “most likely” be on it.’
Last year, it was reported over 189 million people from 232 nations tuned in to the official live stream of both semi-finals and grand-final of the song contest on YouTube. At the same time, 3.3 unique viewers watched the song contest live on TikTok. As the Eurovision Song Contest continues to grab the attention of those living in non-participating countries, it makes sense to open voting to those non-participating nations.
The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel on May 9, 11, and 13, 2023.