The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC have confirmed that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted in the UK on behalf of this year’s winning broadcaster, Ukraine’s UA:PBC.
- The BBC will take over hosting duties with the competition to be held in the UK in 2023
- The host city bidding competition will begin this week
- Ukraine will automatically qualify for the Grand Final along with the ‘Big 5’ (which includes the UK)
- AU representatives: PBC will work with the BBC to develop elements of Ukrainian shows
- Logo reflecting unique staging circumstances to be revealed later
In a previously published EBU press release, it was announced that this decision had been made following the exploration of hosting the Contest in Ukraine and, regrettably, it was concluded that for safety and security reasons this could not it was possible
As a result of these discussions, the BBC, as a finalist in the 2022 Contest, was invited by the EBU to act as the host broadcaster for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.
Ukraine, as the winning country in 2022, will automatically qualify for the Grand Final of the next Contest together with the so-called ‘Big 5’ (the countries that contribute the most financially to the Contest: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) .
‘Tradition of Solidarity’
“We are exceptionally grateful that the BBC has agreed to host the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK in 2023,” said Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest.
“The BBC has taken on hosting duties for other winning countries on four previous occasions. Continuing this tradition of solidarity, we know that next year’s Competition will showcase the creativity and skill of one of the world’s public broadcasters ‘Europe with more experience, while ensuring that this year’s winners, Ukraine, are celebrated and represented throughout the event.’
Mykola Chernotytskyi, head of the board of directors of UA:PBC added:
“The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will not be in Ukraine but in support of Ukraine. We are grateful to our partners at the BBC for showing solidarity with us. I am sure that together we can add Ukrainian spirit to this event and unite once plus all of Europe around our common values of peace, support, celebration of diversity and talent.
It was also revealed that AU: PBC representatives will work with the BBC to develop and implement the Ukrainian elements of next year’s shows.
The logo for the 2023 event will also be revealed at a later date and will reflect the unique organization of next year’s Competition and the cooperation between the host country and this year’s winners.
The hunt for the host city begins…
Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, shed some light on where the competition will be held:
“It is very unfortunate that our colleagues and friends in Ukraine will not be able to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. To be asked to host the biggest and most complex music competition in the world is a great privilege. The BBC is is committed to making the event a true reflection of Ukrainian culture, as well as showcasing the diversity of British music and creativity.The BBC will now begin the process of finding a host city to partner with us to deliver one of most exciting events coming to the UK in 2023.”
The BBC has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest more times than any other broadcaster… on 8 occasions so far:
United Kingdom: History of the host city 1960 London (Royal Festival Hall) 1963 London (BBC Television Centre) 1968 London (Royal Albert Hall) 1972 Edinburgh (Usher Hall) 1974 Brighton (Brighton Dome) 1977 London (Wembley Conference Centre) 1982 Harrogate International Arena (Birmingham) 1999 Harrogate International Arena (Birmingham) 2023TBD
Next year’s host city will be chosen in the coming months following a bidding process that will be launched this week.
The bid is expected to be competitive, with a number of mayors, councilors and MPs already informally expressing their intention to run, including representatives from: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Swindon and Wolverhampton.
Of course, not all of these locations will formally apply, and the BBC and EBU will be waiting for official approaches and applications from this week, and will publish the longlist later this summer.
In addition to selling their vision for a fantastic competition, potential host cities are expected to demonstrate that they can meet a list of expectations.
Last year, the EBU’s host city criteria were based on providing a venue capable of hosting at least 10,000 spectators (plus a press centre), which should be within walking distance of an international airport and with ample hotel accommodation.
Stay tuned to Eurovision.tv for more news.