Eurovision Song Contest to Add Asian Edition This Year
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- The Eurovision Song Contest will launch an Asian edition called Eurovision Song Contest Asia, scheduled for November in Bangkok, marking the European Broadcasting Union's third attempt at an Asian offshoot.
- Ten countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam—have agreed to participate, each holding televised contests to select their representatives.
- The final competition will be broadcast internationally on YouTube, and the winner will be invited to perform in the following year's main Eurovision event.
- Eurovision organizers have committed to supporting the Asian edition for a decade and hope to expand participation to more Asian countries in the future.
- Previous attempts to create an Asian version, such as the Asiavision Song Contest announced in 2008, faced delays and never materialized.
