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Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted – for the first time – of two semi-finals on 20 and 22 May and a final on 24 May 2008, held at the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, and presented by Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), which staged the event after winning the 2007 contest for Serbia with the song "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović.
Broadcasters from forty-three countries participated in the contest, the highest ever number of participants, beating the record of forty-two set the year before. Azerbaijan and San Marino participated for the first time, while Austria did not participate, mainly due to questions on the semi-final organisation as well as the politicisation of the contest.
The winner was Russia with the song "Believe", performed by Dima Bilan who wrote it with Jim Beanz. Ukraine, Greece, Armenia, and Norway rounded out the top five, with Armenia achieving its best result to date. Of the "Big Four" countries, Spain placed the highest, finishing 16th, while the United Kingdom ended up in last place for the second time in its Eurovision history, after 2003.
The official website, eurovision.tv, streamed national finals for this year's contest live on ESCTV for the first time. Furthermore, for the first time, the winner has been awarded the perpetual glass microphone trophy of the Eurovision Song Contest. The trophy is a handmade piece of sandblasted glass in the shape of a 1950s microphone.
Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) gained the right to host the contest after "Molitva" performed by Marija Šerifović won the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. On 15 May 2007, one day following the final of the 2007 contest, RTS reported that it would host the 2008 contest in Belgrade. The broadcaster chose the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade as the venue for the contest, one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe, with a total capacity of 25,000 seats.
On 14 September 2007, the Mayor of Helsinki handed over the "Eurovision keys" to the Deputy of Belgrade. This ceremony was meant to be a tradition from the 2008 contest and onward, and the ring contains a key from every city that has ever hosted the competition. This tradition continued until 2024.
Following the unilateral Kosovo declaration of independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008, which has resulted in protests and unrest across the country, the host of the event was considered to be changed. The National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) was considered an option since they came second in 2007. Yleisradio (YLE) were another option, as they hosted the previous year's competition in Helsinki, Finland. Greece's Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT) also offered the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to host the contest in Athens, Greece again. It was later decided that the contest would stay in Belgrade, with the EBU giving support. RTS would gain a guarantee of safety and security from the government of Serbia for all visitors and participants. The delegations of Albania, Croatia, and Israel had special security. In the end, the contest was held without any incidents.
Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting it live nationwide. The EBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members.
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Eurovision Song Contest 2008 AI simulator
(@Eurovision Song Contest 2008_simulator)
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted – for the first time – of two semi-finals on 20 and 22 May and a final on 24 May 2008, held at the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, and presented by Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), which staged the event after winning the 2007 contest for Serbia with the song "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović.
Broadcasters from forty-three countries participated in the contest, the highest ever number of participants, beating the record of forty-two set the year before. Azerbaijan and San Marino participated for the first time, while Austria did not participate, mainly due to questions on the semi-final organisation as well as the politicisation of the contest.
The winner was Russia with the song "Believe", performed by Dima Bilan who wrote it with Jim Beanz. Ukraine, Greece, Armenia, and Norway rounded out the top five, with Armenia achieving its best result to date. Of the "Big Four" countries, Spain placed the highest, finishing 16th, while the United Kingdom ended up in last place for the second time in its Eurovision history, after 2003.
The official website, eurovision.tv, streamed national finals for this year's contest live on ESCTV for the first time. Furthermore, for the first time, the winner has been awarded the perpetual glass microphone trophy of the Eurovision Song Contest. The trophy is a handmade piece of sandblasted glass in the shape of a 1950s microphone.
Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) gained the right to host the contest after "Molitva" performed by Marija Šerifović won the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. On 15 May 2007, one day following the final of the 2007 contest, RTS reported that it would host the 2008 contest in Belgrade. The broadcaster chose the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade as the venue for the contest, one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe, with a total capacity of 25,000 seats.
On 14 September 2007, the Mayor of Helsinki handed over the "Eurovision keys" to the Deputy of Belgrade. This ceremony was meant to be a tradition from the 2008 contest and onward, and the ring contains a key from every city that has ever hosted the competition. This tradition continued until 2024.
Following the unilateral Kosovo declaration of independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008, which has resulted in protests and unrest across the country, the host of the event was considered to be changed. The National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) was considered an option since they came second in 2007. Yleisradio (YLE) were another option, as they hosted the previous year's competition in Helsinki, Finland. Greece's Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT) also offered the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to host the contest in Athens, Greece again. It was later decided that the contest would stay in Belgrade, with the EBU giving support. RTS would gain a guarantee of safety and security from the government of Serbia for all visitors and participants. The delegations of Albania, Croatia, and Israel had special security. In the end, the contest was held without any incidents.
Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting it live nationwide. The EBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members.