What is the Eurovision Song Contest?
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the longest continuously running television shows in the world, and has been held yearly since 1956. Since its inaugural pageant in the 1950s, the Eurovision contest has become one of the most widely watched television programs in the world, and, despite continual criticism over the quality of music, is believed to have an audience of between 100 and 600 million viewers per year. In the aftermath of World War II, members of the European Broadcasting Union thought it would be a fun and community-building experience to hold a music competition for the best new song from one of the member nations. From its inception, it was meant to be a television broadcast, utilizing the new TV technology that was sweeping the globe. The first Eurovision Song Contest had participants from seven countries: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Since then, more than 50 countries have competed at least once, including the new 20
