Chris

I actually think it’s counterproductive for us to get a free pass to the final. We already have a problem with complacency around our Eurovision entry (goodness knows why, we haven’t won it for 20 years, which means we haven’t won it at all in the modern era with expanded participation and semi finals). Guaranteeing our final spot removes one of the key incentives to produce something good. It also reduces our exposure to the voting public. For years now, this competition hasn’t been about first impressions of a song nobody’s heard until Saturday night. Many countries promote their song extensively in the months leading up to the competition and in the week itself, all bar six of the songs have been broadcast live, and voted upon, already. Not being part of one of the midweek live broadcasts is causing all of the big five (plus the host) to miss a major promotional opportunity.