Eurovision: It’s Not Just Europe, and Here’s Why

Eurovision loves a bit of drama, doesn’t it? Between politics creeping into the voting, surprise results, and social media going into meltdown after every semi-final, there’s always something to talk about. Lately, the contest has had its fair share of controversy — but let’s park that for a second and look at one of the questions that pops up every single year:

“Why on earth is Australia in Eurovision?”

Or Israel. Or Azerbaijan. Or, depending on who’s beside you on the couch, “that’s not Europe — what are they doing there?”

Well, here’s the thing: Eurovision isn’t really about geography at all.

Eurovision Was Born From TV, Not Maps

The name “Eurovision” actually comes from the Eurovision Network, set up by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) back in the 1950's. It wasn’t about drawing borders — it was about linking TV stations so people in different countries could watch the same programmes live.

When the first song contest kicked off in 1956, it wasn’t some political statement. It was a TV experiment — one massive live broadcast that could be shared right across Europe.

So here’s the kicker: if your country’s broadcaster is a member of the EBU, you can enter the contest. Geography doesn’t come into it.

Who Gets In (and Why)

• Israel joined way back in 1973 because its broadcaster is part of the EBU club.

• Australia was invited in 2015 as a one-off 60th anniversary guest. But viewers loved them (and let’s be honest, there’s something charming about Aussies getting up at 4am to sing their hearts out), so they’ve stayed ever since.

• Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia? Same story — their broadcasters are in the EBU, even if they’re more Asia than Europe.

  
  

And while countries like the US and Canada can’t compete, they can still air the show live thanks to being associate EBU members.

The Heart of Eurovision

So when you see an Australian act sharing the scoreboard with Ireland, Sweden, and Serbia, it’s not Eurovision losing the plot — it’s Eurovision doing exactly what it was built to do: bring people together through music and television.

Stage at Eurovision 2023, by Michael Doherty

At the end of the day, it’s not about borders, flags, or who lives on what continent. It’s about a great tune, a few sequins, and millions of us shouting at our TVs insisting “that song was robbed!”

A Little Irish Note 🎤🇮🇪

Of course, no Eurovision chat is complete without a nod to the Irish legacy. We’ve still got the record — seven wins, thank you very much — and we’ll happily remind anyone who’ll listen that Johnny Logan carried us to glory not once but twice (and wrote a third winner, because why not).

Sure, it’s been a while since our last victory, but the magic’s still there. Maybe next year we’ll dust off the shoulder pads, bring out the key change, and remind everyone why Ireland once owned the Eurovision stage.

Until then, we’ll keep tuning in — for the music, the madness, and that unbeatable feeling of watching Europe (and beyond) come together for one gloriously over-the-top night of TV.

Slán go fóill