Eurovision Song Contest Organizers Say 2021 Show Brought In 183 Million Viewers
The Eurovision Song Contest brought in 183 million viewers across 36 markets when it returned on May 22, after taking a year off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Viewership data for the world’s biggest live music event was released on Sunday by the contest’s organizers. It showed that the 65th Eurovision Song Contest’s Grand Final broadcast “achieved, on average, a 4 percentage point higher TV audience share than the last Contest in 2019 of 40.5%.”
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In retrospect, this year’s Grand Final was most successful with viewers between the ages of 15 and 25. Their viewing share was up by 7%, reaching 52.8% this time around. This stat is, per organizers, “4 times higher than the broadcast channels average (14.5%).”
There were also 50.6 million unique viewers—from 234 different countries—online, who engaged with the Song Contest via their official YouTube channel. Viewership in this area was up 28% in comparison to the 2019 show, with 18 to 34-year-olds making up 71% of live viewers.
In Italy—which won the 2021 Contest—an audience of 4.3 million tuned in for the Grand Final. In the Netherlands, meanwhile, which hosted the event, 5.4 million viewers were reached.
France (2nd Place) reached its largest audience in a decade, with 5.5 million viewers, while the UK, Germany, Iceland and Finland also reported their highest numbers in recent memory. The United Kingdom saw 7.4 million viewers tune in, with Germany reporting 7.8 million, and Finland gathering an audience of 1.4 million.
“We’re thrilled to see that audiences welcomed back the Eurovision Song Contest in such huge numbers and very proud to have brought millions together at a time when so many are still apart,” said Martin Osterdahl, who this year oversaw the Contest as Executive Supervisor for the first time. “The overwhelmingly positive response to this year’s incredible shows from NPO, NOS and AVROTROS, and the huge success of M?neskin and so many of this year’s songs demonstrates that, even in its 65th year, the Eurovision Song Contest’s impact is bigger than ever.”
This year, the Italian band M?neskin triumphed at the global battle of the bands, as mentioned above, with their song, “Zitti E Buoni.” Shortly after winning, M?neskin courted controversy, when a viral video surfaced, which appeared to show lead singer Damiano David taking drugs in the song contest’s green room. Ultimately, however, the European Broadcasting Union investigated the situation and cleared all band members of foul play, when they submitted to a voluntary drug test, which produced a negative result.
“No drug use took place in the Green Room and we consider the matter closed,” the organization said last week. “We are alarmed that inaccurate speculation leading to fake news has overshadowed the spirit and the outcome of the event and unfairly affected the band.”
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