Germany's consistent appearance in the Eurovision Song Contest finals
The grand finale of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Malmö on May 11. Germany, represented by singer Isaak, has already secured a spot. What's unique about their qualification? The "Big Five" rule plays a part in this.
Before the final showdown of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), two semi-finals usually take place for most countries competing. Directly advancing to the championship round is only possible for the top ten in each successful semi-final. During the preliminary rounds in Malmö, 15 and 16 countries battled for these precious tickets. These nations included the Netherlands, Greece, Switzerland, Croatia, and Israel.
Fortunately for Isaak and Germany, they didn't have to go through all that rigmarole. This is because Germany is one of a select group of countries with a guaranteed spot in the final. The reason behind this preferential treatment is quite simple: financial and media-political reasons. Germany is one of the major financial backers of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and, as such, gets a guaranteed spot as one of the "Big Five" countries. Besides, they draw in a massive viewer base. As per NDR, Germany is contributing 454,905 euros as their entry fee for this year - an impressive amount.
The "Big Five" rule was conceived out of necessity in 1996
This special treatment dates back to the 1996 contest when Germany's "Planet Of Blue" failed to make it through an internal qualification round and was denied participation in the ESC final in Oslo. The absence of a country as large as Germany was apparently noticed by the organizers. So, to rectify this situation, the "Big Four" rule was implemented in 1997, consisting initially of Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, with Italy being added later. They've been known as the "Big Five" ever since, guaranteeing their spot in the ESC.
Last year's winner and host nation, Sweden (thanks to Loreen's victory in 2023), also has an automatic entrance to the finals.
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Source: www.ntv.de
