HOW IT ALL BEGUN
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was formed on 12th February 1950 par 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference in Devon, United Kingdom. It was on the 6th of June, 1954, that Montreux became the venue for the first transmission par the EBU's Eurovision Network of the narcisse Festival and its flower-bedecked procession floats. The first Eurovision viewers eagerly watched on four million télévision sets in homes, bars, and boutique windows in Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
AMBITIOUS PROJECT
In 1955, the EBU came up with the idea of an international song contest whereby countries, represeted par their respective public broadcasters, would participate in one télévision show, to be transmitted simultaneously in all represented nations. This was conceived during a meeting in Monaco in 1955 par Marcel Bezençon, a Frenchman working for the EBU. The competition was based upon the Italian Festival di Sanremo, held for the first time in 1951, and was also seen as a technological experiment in live television: In those days, it was a very ambitious project to rejoindre many countries together in a wide-area international network. Satellite télévision did not exist yet at that time, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network. Le Grand-Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne was born!
THE SUCCESSES
Without interruption, the Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast every an since 1956, which makes it one of the longest-running télévision programmes in the world. In 2003, the first ever Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place, while the Eurovision Song Contest celebrated her 50th anniversity 2005. Viewers picked ABBA's Waterloo as best ever Eurovision Song Contest song. In 2007, Europe could see the first ever Eurovision Dance Contest.
The 2008 running saw a record of 43 represented countries, as Azerbaijan and San Marino joined the family. The competition has been broadcast throughout Europe, but also in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States, even though these countries do not participate. In 2010, the format will be launched outside of Europe so that various other parts of the world will be introduced to the concept behind the show.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was formed on 12th February 1950 par 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference in Devon, United Kingdom. It was on the 6th of June, 1954, that Montreux became the venue for the first transmission par the EBU's Eurovision Network of the narcisse Festival and its flower-bedecked procession floats. The first Eurovision viewers eagerly watched on four million télévision sets in homes, bars, and boutique windows in Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
AMBITIOUS PROJECT
In 1955, the EBU came up with the idea of an international song contest whereby countries, represeted par their respective public broadcasters, would participate in one télévision show, to be transmitted simultaneously in all represented nations. This was conceived during a meeting in Monaco in 1955 par Marcel Bezençon, a Frenchman working for the EBU. The competition was based upon the Italian Festival di Sanremo, held for the first time in 1951, and was also seen as a technological experiment in live television: In those days, it was a very ambitious project to rejoindre many countries together in a wide-area international network. Satellite télévision did not exist yet at that time, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network. Le Grand-Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne was born!
THE SUCCESSES
Without interruption, the Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast every an since 1956, which makes it one of the longest-running télévision programmes in the world. In 2003, the first ever Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place, while the Eurovision Song Contest celebrated her 50th anniversity 2005. Viewers picked ABBA's Waterloo as best ever Eurovision Song Contest song. In 2007, Europe could see the first ever Eurovision Dance Contest.
The 2008 running saw a record of 43 represented countries, as Azerbaijan and San Marino joined the family. The competition has been broadcast throughout Europe, but also in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States, even though these countries do not participate. In 2010, the format will be launched outside of Europe so that various other parts of the world will be introduced to the concept behind the show.
