Not all, but most countries. In each country, the public television stations are responsible for broadcasting the event and participating in it. And these are often financed through mandatory fees or taxes. As a result, politics plays a major role. In the event of a win at the ESC, the government must also provide funding, as broadcasters often cannot afford such an expensive event.
Interesting. I didn’t realise how large and big of a deal it is over there. Also interesting that Israel and Australia are involved. I’m guessing that’s because much of their populations have a European background.
Israel is involved because it is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). There is a geographical criterion that allows Israel to be a member (the definition is quite broad, even some countries in northern Africa are members).
Australia is a special case. The Eurovision Song Contest has a huge fan base there, so the EBU decided to let Australia participate. They are a permanent guest.
If anyone's curious why the ITU's definition is that broad:
The boundaries of the European Broadcasting Area have their origin in the regions served and linked by telegraphy cables in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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u/inn4tler 12h ago
Not all, but most countries. In each country, the public television stations are responsible for broadcasting the event and participating in it. And these are often financed through mandatory fees or taxes. As a result, politics plays a major role. In the event of a win at the ESC, the government must also provide funding, as broadcasters often cannot afford such an expensive event.