ESC Insight

What do you think of ESC Insight? Let us know in our Reader Survey for the 2026 season, what you didn’t, and what you want to see more of. This year, we'd also like to ask you about how much you have engaged with the Song Contest community and official channels.

Is the Junior Eurovision Song Contest reaching different audiences, or just giving Eurovision fans an extra show to enjoy? James Stephenson looks at this year's show to ask whether JESC needs a new approach to make a new generation fall in love with the Contest. escinsight.com/2026/10/26/c...

Armenia has won the 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. But the real story is in the stats. Ben Robertson, James Stephenson and Dane Jorgensen pile through the statistics to pick out the headlines from the dramatic victory. escinsight.com/2026/10/25/a...

The Eurovision Song Contest starts at 21:00 CET. Junior Eurovision? That's a little more complicated. As Junior airs in primetime at 21:00 CET this year, Ben Robertson looks at the history of Junior Eurovision's start times to work out which audiences benefit. escinsight.com/2026/10/24/p...

Four countries - Ireland, Spain, North Macedonia and the Netherlands - are taking part in Junior Eurovision this year, but chose to sit out Eurovision in Vienna. Ben Robertson explains what's kept these nations coming back to Eurovision's younger sibling. escinsight.com/2026/10/22/c...

All the songs, all the numbers, all the history - all in one place. Download your guide to 2026’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest from ESC Insight. escinsight.com/2026/10/22/d...

As a cross-party group of MPs prepare to hear evidence on why the BBC has performed badly at the #Eurovision Song Contest recently, @itsginajones.bsky.social offers a handy summary of the issues they’ll need to tackle to help turn things around.

As the Netherlands returns to the Eurovision Song Contest, it appears the era of the boycott is coming to an end. But are we really going back to normal? James Stephenson asks what comes next. escinsight.com/2026/09/24/e...

As the Netherlands returns to the #Eurovision Song Contest, it appears the era of the boycott is coming to an end. But are we really going back to normal? James Stephenson asks what comes next.

Episode 3 of our #Panarcticvision podcast for @escinsight.com is now online. An interview with northern Sweden representative Klara Pasma turned into a fascinating conversation about endangered languages. escinsight.com/2026/09/23/e...

The Eurovision Song Contest 2027 is going to the shores of the Black Sea, as Burgas becomes one of the smallest host cities for the show in recent years. Sem Anne van Dijk explores why the Contest is kicking off its shoes and heading for a beach holiday next year.

Canada is now a part of the Eurovision Song Contest - but should it be? Sem Anne van Dijk gives his view on why Canada shouldn't be in the Song Contest, and what makes this a change he just can't get behind.

The Eurovision Song Contest has a brand-new country – and it’s unlike any we’ve had before. James Stephenson breaks down why Canada is joining Eurovision, why now, and what it could mean for the future of the Contest as we know it.

The Eurovision Young Musicians competition is happening this Saturday, but the EBU’s Eurovision brand has barely publicised it. @dudepoints.fun discusses why failure to do so is a missed opportunity for a tarnished brand.

ICYMI, this is how we conducted our test into Eurovision televoting during the Semi Finals and Grand Final of Vienna 2026.

It was hard to miss the phrase ‘United by Music’ during the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna. Erik Nelson wonders if that simple slogan demonstrates a goal that the Song Contest should not be taking on.

Following on from our investigation into the effectiveness of Eurovision's rule change enforcing a ten-vote maximum at the Contest, Sharleen Wright discusses how the testing was undertaken, the results, and what it potentially could mean for the fairness and integrity of the Song Contest.

In an era dominated by spreadsheets, streaming data, and betting markets, Bulgaria’s historic victory shattered the rulebook. @bensvision.bsky.social explains how DARA and her creative team transformed an overlooked mid-table entry into a record-breaking Eurovision champion in just four days.

As we head into the long summer, and the Eurovision community's pace slows down (not you, Bulgaria), we'll be looking to see what we can do better for the 2026/27 season. To do that, we'd like to know what you think about the site and about the Eurovision Song Contest world, via our one-page survey.

We're looking for your thoughts on the EBU, the Eurovision community in 2025/26, and what you thought of our podcasts, articles, and coverage of the Vienna 2026 season. Pop by and fill out our survey! escinsight.com/2026/05/18/e...

‘The Eurovision Song Contest needs the trust and confidence of its audience. Can it begin to earn that back before we get to Bulgaria?’

As the confetti settles around in Vienna, the board at Bulgarian broadcaster BTN will be waking up with not only Dara’s victory on their mind, but also the challenge of organising 2027’s Eurovision Song Contest. The ESC Insight team look into the future…

📺 WE MADE IT ON TV! The Audience Poll which was conducted by That Eurovision Site alongside @escgabe.com, @12pointsusa.bsky.social, @escxtra.bsky.social, @mercicherie.at and @vdan.design was featured on CNN! Thank You for your votes (if you participated)

As the rankings of every juror and every televote have been released by the European Broadcasting Union, the ESC Insight team breaks down all the statistics you need to know from the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest from Vienna.

Tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest sell out fast, but the show itself is primarily for television. Guest writer and TV producer Philip McCullough takes a look at some of the differences, first as an audience member, and then as a viewer, of some of this year’s entries.

It’s been a long road, but tonight we finally see the culmination of months, even years of work. Following two competitive Semifinals, we have winnowed the field down to twenty-five acts, and only one will raise the crystal microphone high this evening. @escinsider.bsky.social previews the show

It's Eurovision day. A day where the weight behind this year's Contest may feel heavy. It's a day where we remember absent friends. Those who should be here today who are not. @bensvision.bsky.social wants to remind everyone that what we see on stage is everything good about the Song Contest.

A landmark rule technicality will allow Linda Lampenius to perform the first live-mic’ed instrumental solo on the Eurovision stage this century. This “Lampenius Rule” marks a watershed moment for the Contest, potentially opening the door for more live musicianship on the continent’s biggest stage

How effective is Eurovision's move to a ten-vote maximum? The televote has come under increased scrutiny by broadcasters, the media, and viewers following 2025’s Song Contest. Sharleen Wright discusses this change and its impact on 2026’s televoting. escinsight.com/2026/05/15/h...

New blog post: The image is gone, only you and I, this means nothing to me: the fractures of #Eurovision 2026 bakercatherine.wordpress.com/2026/05/15/t... …apologies that was a title waiting to happen.

It's the Second Semifinal of Eurovision 2026. Have we all recovered from Semi One yet? Has your pulse returned to normal following the agony and the ecstasy of finding out who our first ten qualifiers were? Are we ready to cast ourselves, once more, unto the breach for Semifinal Two?

Our @bensvision.bsky.social attended both days of the Eurovisions Academic Conference in Vienna. Much was spoken about the public value of Eurovision, and the United By Music motto #eurovision has today, and where research, and the EBU, should focus on going forward escinsight.com/2026/05/14/u...

2026's Eurovisions Academic Conference sought research, either directly and indirectly, on one of the Contest’s challenging topics; how Israel’s participation in recent years has challenged Eurovision and the EBU. @bensvision.bsky.social reports from Vienna's University of Music and Performing Arts.

By the slimmest of margins, BULGARIA 🇧🇬 are your winners of the second semifinal audience poll! Thanks to the over 3,300 people who voted, and to @escinsight.com, @escgabe.com @mercicherie.at, @thateurosite.bsky.social, @escxtra.bsky.social and @vdan.design for your teamwork! #Eurovision

It's a hugely close #eurovision Audience Poll, but tonight the Wiener Stadthalle went BANGARANGA! Australia five votes back in 2nd Thanks to @thateurosite.bsky.social @escxtra.bsky.social @12pointsusa.bsky.social and friends!

The Spotters Guide returns for Vienna. Here's what to look out for tonight. @escinsider.bsky.social previews Semi Final 1 as Eurovision returns to Vienna

At Eurovision 2016,  just three songs were performed without any utterance of English.  As we arrive in Vienna, the Contest has 14 tracks in different languages, according to the same statistic. @bensview.bsky.social explains why we have more languages and how that may play out on the scoreboard.

The Audience Was On Duty! A HUGE victory for Satoshi and Viva Moldova at the Eurovision Audience Poll this evening! Thank you to all the contributing sites including @thateurosite.bsky.social, @escxtra.bsky.social, @12pointsusa.bsky.social and others!

The Audience Was On Duty! A HUGE victory for Satoshi and Viva Moldova at the Eurovision Audience Poll this evening! Thank you to all the contributing sites including @thateurosite.bsky.social, @escxtra.bsky.social, @12pointsusa.bsky.social and others!

The Eurovision Song Contest is the home for a wealth of trivia and facts, and every year we gather more. Our resident Jeopardy! champion Samantha Ross, @escinsider.bsky.social, returns to take a look at the numbers behind Vienna 2026 for ESC Insight.

There have been nine Eurovision Audience Polls over the past three years. That gives us enough data to see if there is a long-term trend peering through the data, so we can read Audience Poll results even more wisely in the future. @bensvision.bsky.social dives into the statistics.

@bensvision.bsky.social placed a bet on #Eurovision 2025. The bet lost. If it had been the Grand Final, it would have won. Why is there such a difference between votes in the Semi Final and Grand Final? Let's have a look at the numbers, who's voting in each show, and the impact of fan favourites.