Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Eurovision Song Contest 2008
"Confluence of Sound"
Final 24 May 2008
Semi-final 1 20 May 2008
Semi-final 2 22 May 2008
Presenter(s) Jovana Janković[1]
Željko Joksimović[1]
Director Sven Stojanovic
Host broadcaster Flag of Serbia RTS
Venue Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia[2]
Winning song Flag of Russia.svg Russia
"Believe"
Voting system
People in each country can vote by tele-vote or SMS. Each country's 10 favourite songs are awarded 12, 10, then 8 through to 1 points based on the votes of the population of each country. All participating countries in the semi-finals and final will have the right to cast points in the final.[3]
Number of entries 43: 19 in each semi-final; 25 in the final (5 prequalified and 10 from each of the semi-finals)
Debuting countries Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan
Flag of San Marino.svg San Marino[4]
Returning countries None
Withdrawing countries Flag of Austria.svg Austria[5]
Nul points None
Opening act Marija Šerifović performing Molitva(remix) (Final)
Video killed a radio star performance (SF1)
Serbia for beginners accompanied by Aleksandar Josipovic as a Master of Ceremonies (SF2)[6]
Interval act Goran Bregović performance (Final)
Metropole Orkest, Slobodan Trkulja, Balkanopolis (SF1)
National Theatre in Belgrade performance (SF2)[7]
Eurovision Song Contest
[[Eurovision Song Contest ◄2007|◄◄2007]]    Wiki Eurovision Heart (Infobox).svg    [[Eurovision Song Contest 2009►|2009►►]]

The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was hosted by Serbia. The semi-finals were held on 20 May and 22 May, and the final was held on 24 May 2008 in the capital, Belgrade. Russia was declared the winner, with Jim Beanz and Dima Bilan's song "Believe" performed by Bilan. The Belgrade Arena, venue for the Contest, is among the largest indoor arenas in Europe, with a total capacity of more than 20,000 seats. Serbia gained the right to host the Contest after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. The host broadcaster was RTS.

At a press conference in Helsinki in May 2007, Svante Stockselius, executive supervisor of the Contest for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that the competition's format may be expanded to two semi-finals in 2008 or 2009.[8] On 28 September 2007 it was announced that the EBU had approved the plan of hosting two semi-finals in 2008.[9] The 2008 contest's official website opened on 15 January 2008. For the first time ever, Eurovision.tv streamed national finals on ESCTV with broadcasters' permission.[10] On 30 January 2008, Eurovision.tv revealed the theme of the Contest: "The Confluence of Sound".[11]

On 14 September 2007, the Mayor of Helsinki handed over the "Eurovision keys" to the Deputy of Belgrade. This ceremony is meant to be a tradition from now on, and the ring contains a key from every city that has ever hosted the competition.[12]

Due to problems and riots in Belgrade following the declaration of independence by Kosovo on 22 February 2008, the EBU held a phone conference to decide if the contest should be moved to a different country. Ukraine was considered an option since they came second in Eurovision Song Contest 2007. YLE were another option, as they hosted last year's competition in Helsinki, Finland.[13] ERT also offered the EBU to host the contest in Athens, Greece again.[14] It was later decided that the contest would stay in Belgrade, with the EBU giving support. RTS would gain a guarantee of safety and security from the government of Serbia for all visitors and participants of the contest.[15] The delegations of Croatia, Israel and Albania had special security.[16] The show was hosted by Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović.[17] Jelena Tomašević represented Serbia with a song composed by Joksimović; this led to debate over his role in the contest.[18]

Contents

Visual design

RTS ran a competition that led to the creation of the 2008 Contest's branding, logo and the stage.[19] The theme of the Contest was based around the "confluence of sound". This was symbolic as Belgrade lies on the confluence of two European rivers, the Sava and Danube. The logo chosen, a treble clef, formed the graphical basis of the design created by Boris Miljković.[20]

The postcards in the first and second semi-final were based around the creation of the flag of the nation that was to perform next. Each post card had a short story related to it regarding Belgrade and its people. During each postcard a short letter written by the musician of the upcoming performing country was displayed. All were in the national language of the artist’s country, with the exception of the Serbian postcard, which consisted of "Welcome to Belgrade" and "Welcome to Serbia" in various languages. The postcards were brought to an end by a stamp with this year's Eurovision logo.

According to RTS the stage represented native identities, history and modern themes, symbols and universally recognised messages. The confluence-themed stage also contained a large number of television and LCD display screens. The stage had settings for all new electronic possibilities including some movable parts of the stage.[21] It was designed by Chicago-based David Cushing.

The first semi-final was created around a city theme. The contest opened with a panorama of the city of Belgrade forming in the stage's background with two waves sliding down the stage to meet in the centre - at the confluence, the overall theme of the contest.

The second semi-final was based around the theme of water, which was enhanced by the look of the stage during the interval act where the water formed the main colours of the stage.

The final was based on the theme of the confluence. Construction of the stage lasted several days and was carried out by various teams from across Europe. Pyrotechnics were heavily used for the entries from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The stage received positive feedback from the media and fans describing it as "one of the best looking stages in the history of the competition".[22]

Format

Presenters Željko Joksimović and Jovana Janković during the first semi-final

Based on research conducted by the EBU's tele-voting partner Digame, the semi-finalists were sorted into the two heats through the drawing of lots, which was seeded to keep countries that have a significant history of voting for each other apart. Each broadcaster had to broadcast the semi-final in which they took part, with the broadcasting of the other semi-final being optional. The draw for the semi-final allocation occurred in the Belgrade City Hall on Monday 28 January 2008 at 13:00 CET and was conducted by dancers from the National Dance Ensemble KOLO. First, two envelopes with 'Semi-Final 1' and 'Semi-Final 2' were drawn. Then, three countries from each pot were chosen randomly to take part in the first semi-final and the other three in the second one. The country left in Pot 5 took part in the first envelope that is drawn. While, the country left in Pot 6 in the second one.[23]

The automatic finalist countries chose whether they would broadcast both semi-finals or just one, but viewers from these countries could only vote in one. From the draw conducted, it was decided which of the five finalist countries would broadcast and have voting rights in either of the events. The semi-finals were webcast live through Eurovision.tv.[24] The top nine songs from the televoting qualified for the final, and a tenth was determined by the back-up juries. Twenty-five songs competed in the final.[3]

Semi-final allocation

On 24 January 2008, all 38 countries in the semi-finals were separated into the following pots based on voting history and geographical location:

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
  • Flag of Albania.svg Albania
  • Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia
  • Flag of the Republic of Macedonia FYR Macedonia
  • Flag of Montenegro.svg Montenegro
  • Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia
  • Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
  • Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia
  • Flag of Finland.svg Finland
  • Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland
  • Flag of Norway.svg Norway
  • Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
  • Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
  • Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria
  • Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus
  • Flag of Greece.svg Greece
  • Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
  • Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey
Pot 4 Pot 5 Pot 6
  • Flag of Andorra.svg Andorra
  • Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland
  • Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia
  • Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania
  • Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal
  • Flag of Romania.svg Romania
  • Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia
  • Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus
  • Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia
  • Flag of Israel.svg Israel
  • Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova
  • Flag of Russia.svg Russia
  • Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine
  • Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan
  • Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
  • Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary
  • Flag of Malta.svg Malta
  • Flag of Poland.svg Poland
  • Flag of San Marino.svg San Marino
  • Flag of Switzerland.svg Switzerland

Running order

The draw to decide the running order of the songs in each Semi-Final and the Final was conducted at the Heads of Delegation meeting on 17 March 2008.[25]

Individual Entries

Individual entries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · FYR Macedonia · France · Georgia · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Israel · Latvia · Lithuania · Malta · Moldova · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Serbia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey · Ukraine · United Kingdom
Italics indicates semi-finalists who did not advance to the final. Winner shown in bold.

Participating countries

Dima Bilan performing "Believe" for Russia

On 21 December 2007, the EBU confirmed that 43 countries would be present in Belgrade.[26] San Marino, as well as the newest EBU member, Azerbaijan, made its debut at the 2008 contest. Austria did not compete; its broadcaster, ORF, said "we've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the decision."[5] Italy, which has not competed since 1997, and which would have been an automatic finalist, was again absent. Slovakia was absent due to budget problems.

The following countries competed in two semi-finals which were broadcast live on Tuesday 20 May and Thursday 22 May 2008. In addition to this, automatic finalists Germany and Spain exercised voting rights at the first semi-final. France, the United Kingdom and Serbia exercised voting rights at the second semi-final. Spain and France each broadcast only the semi-final in which they participated; Germany, Serbia and the UK screened both semi-finals.

Final

The finalists were:

The final was held on 24 May 2008 and was won by Russia. Russia's victory was questioned by Ukraine's officials later in May, whose representative was the runner-up.[27]

Draw Country Language Artist Song English translation Place Points
01 Flag of Romania.svg Romania Romanian, Italian Nico and Vlad "Pe-o Margine de Lume" On an Edge of the World 20 45
02 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom English Andy Abraham "Even If" - 25[28] 14
03 Flag of Albania.svg Albania Albanian Olta Boka "Zemrën e lamë peng" Hearts Trapped in Time 17 55
04 Flag of Germany.svg Germany English No Angels "Disappear" - 23[29] 14
05 Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia English, Armenian Sirusho "Qélé, Qélé" Come On, Come On 4 199
06 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian Laka "Pokušaj" Try 10 110
07 Flag of Israel.svg Israel Hebrew, English Boaz "The Fire in Your Eyes" - 9 124
08 Flag of Finland.svg Finland Finnish Teräsbetoni "Missä miehet ratsastaa" Where Men Ride 22 35
09 Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia Croatian Kraljevi Ulice and 75 cents "Romanca" Romance 21 44
10 Flag of Poland.svg Poland English Isis Gee "For Life" - 24[30] 14
11 Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland English Euroband "This is My Life" - 14 64
12 Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey Turkish Mor ve Ötesi "Deli" Crazy 7 138
13 Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal Portuguese Vânia Fernandes "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)" Lady of the Sea (Dark Waters) 13 69
14 Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia English Pirates of the Sea "Wolves of the Sea" - 12 83
15 Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden English Charlotte Perrelli "Hero" - 18 47
16 Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark English Simon Mathew "All Night Long" - 15 60
17 Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia English Diana Gurtskaya "Peace Will Come" - 11 83
18 Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine English Ani Lorak "Shady Lady" - 2 230
19 Flag of France.svg France English, French Sébastien Tellier "Divine" - 19 47
20 Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan English Elnur and Samir "Day After Day" - 8 132
21 Flag of Greece.svg Greece English Kalomira "Secret Combination" - 3 218
22 Flag of Spain.svg Spain Spanish, English Rodolfo Chikilicuatre "Baila el Chiki-chiki" Dance the Chiki-chiki 16 55
23 Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia Serbian Jelena Tomašević
feat. Bora Dugić		 "Oro" (Оро) Hora 6 160
24 Flag of Russia.svg Russia English Dima Bilan "Believe" - 1 272
25 Flag of Norway.svg Norway English Maria Haukaas Storeng "Hold On Be Strong" - 5 182

Poland, the United Kingdom and Germany all received a total of 14 points. Whilst the rules of the contest describe mechanisms to break a tie should it be for first place, it is ambiguous as to whether the procedure applies to other rankings. Should the rules apply, Germany having received more twelve points than the others would be ranked 23rd, Poland having scored more ten points than the UK would be ranked 24th, leaving the UK in 25th and last place. The official table located at Eurovision.tv shows the ties as broken, however in previous years such as 2007, 2004 and 2002, the same source has shown unbroken ties. But on [1]it has the United Kingdom in 23rd place, Poland in 24th and Germany in 25th.

Semi-finals

Semi-final 1

Draw Country Language Artist Song English translation Place Points
01 Flag of Montenegro.svg Montenegro Montenegrin Stefan Filipović "Zauvijek volim te" I Love You Forever 14 23
02 Flag of Israel.svg Israel Hebrew, English Boaz "The Fire in Your Eyes" - 5 104
03 Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia Serbian, German, Finnish Kreisiraadio "Leto svet" Summer Light 18 8
04 Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova English Geta Burlacu "A Century of Love" - 12 36
05 Flag of San Marino.svg San Marino Italian Miodio "Complice" Accomplice 19 5
06 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium Imaginary[31] Ishtar "O Julissi" - 17 16
07 Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan English Elnur and Samir "Day After Day" - 6 96
08 Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia Slovene Rebeka Dremelj "Vrag naj vzame" To Hell With It 11 36
09 Flag of Norway.svg Norway English Maria Haukaas Storeng "Hold On Be Strong" - 4 106
10 Flag of Poland.svg Poland English Isis Gee "For Life" - 10 42
11 Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland English[32] Dustin the Turkey "Irelande Douze Pointe" Ireland, Twelve Points 15 22
12 Flag of Andorra.svg Andorra English, Catalan Gisela "Casanova" - 16 22
13 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian Laka "Pokušaj" Try 9 72
14 Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia English, Armenian Sirusho "Qélé, Qélé" Come On, Come On 2 139
15 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands English Hind "Your Heart Belongs to Me" - 13 27
16 Flag of Finland.svg Finland Finnish Teräsbetoni "Missä miehet ratsastaa" Where Men Ride 8 79
17 Flag of Romania.svg Romania Romanian, Italian Nico and Vlad "Pe-o Margine de Lume" On an Edge of the World 7 94
18 Flag of Russia.svg Russia English Dima Bilan "Believe" - 3 135
19 Flag of Greece.svg Greece English Kalomira "Secret Combination" - 1 156

Semi-final 2

Draw Country Language Artist Song English translation Place Points
01 Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland English Euroband "This Is My Life" - 8 68
02 Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden English Charlotte Perrelli "Hero" - 12 54
03 Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey Turkish Mor ve Ötesi "Deli" Crazy 7 85
04 Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine English Ani Lorak "Shady Lady" - 1 152
05 Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania English Jeronimas Milius "Nomads in the Night" - 16 30
06 Flag of Albania.svg Albania Albanian Olta Boka "Zemrën e lamë peng" Hearts Trapped In Time 9 67
07 Flag of Switzerland.svg Switzerland Italian Paolo Meneguzzi "Era stupendo" It Was Wonderful 13 47
08 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic English Tereza Kerndlová "Have Some Fun" - 18 9
09 Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus English[33] Ruslan Alekhno "Hasta la Vista" - 17 27
10 Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia English Pirates of the Sea "Wolves of the Sea" - 6 86
11 Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia Croatian Kraljevi Ulice and 75 cents "Romanca" Romance 4 112
12 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria English Deep Zone and Balthazar "DJ, Take Me Away" - 11 56
13 Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark English Simon Mathew "All Night Long" - 3 112
14 Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia English Diana Gurtskaya "Peace Will Come" - 5 107
15 Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary English, Hungarian Csézy "Candlelight" - 19 6
16 Flag of Malta.svg Malta English[34] Morena "Vodka" - 14 38
17 Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus Greek Evdokia Kadi "Femme Fatale" - 15 36
18 Flag of the Republic of Macedonia FYR Macedonia English Tamara, Vrčak and Adrijan "Let Me Love You" - 10 64
19 Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal Portuguese Vânia Fernandes "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)" Lady of the Sea (Dark Waters) 2 120

Scoreboards

Semi-final 1

Televoting Results
Total Score Montenegro Israel Estonia Moldova San Marino Belgium Azerbaijan Slovenia Norway Poland Ireland Andorra Bosnia and Herzegovina Armenia Netherlands Finland Romania Greece Greece Germany Spain
Contestants Montenegro 23 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Israel 104 5 0 0 2 7 10 4 10 4 0 7 5 7 6 10 6 8 5 4 4
Estonia 8 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0
Moldova 36 0 0 0 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 0 0 10 5 4 0 0
San Marino 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
Belgium 16 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0
Azerbaijan 96 3 5 4 10 0 5 0 0 10 5 8 3 2 4 5 7 10 7 8 0
Slovenia 36 10 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 10 4 0 0 1 2 2 0 0
Norway 106 4 6 8 3 7 1 7 2 7 8 10 4 8 5 12 4 7 0 1 2
Poland 42 0 0 0 0 10 0 3 0 2 12 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 1 5 3
Ireland 22 1 3 7 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1
Andorra 22 0 4 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12
Bosnia and Herzegovina 72 12 0 1 6 0 0 4 12 12 0 3 0 0 7 8 0 0 0 7 0
Armenia 139 6 10 2 5 8 12 0 5 3 12 2 3 6 12 4 5 12 12 10 10
Netherlands 27 0 1 0 0 3 8 2 0 7 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0
Finland 79 2 0 12 8 4 2 0 3 6 5 6 12 1 0 0 0 4 6 2 6
Romania 94 0 8 0 12 6 6 6 6 5 3 7 6 0 5 3 1 1 8 3 8
Russia 135 8 12 10 7 0 3 8 7 8 8 4 4 7 12 2 6 8 10 6 5
Greece 156 7 7 5 4 12 10 12 8 4 6 10 5 8 10 8 3 12 6 12 7

Semi-final 2

Televoting Results
Total Score Iceland Sweden Turkey Ukriane Lithuania Albania Switzerland Czech Republic Belarus Latvia Croatia Bulgaria Denmark Georgia Hungary Malta Cyprus FYR Macedonia Portugal France Serbia United Kingdom
Contestants Iceland 68 10 3 1 2 5 4 0 1 2 0 0 10 0 7 5 1 0 5 8 0 4
Sweden 54 8 2 0 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 1 7 4 0 3 1 3 6
Turkey 85 0 6 5 0 12 7 0 3 0 0 7 8 5 4 0 0 8 0 10 0 10
Ukraine 152 6 3 12 7 0 1 12 12 6 7 12 7 12 8 8 10 6 12 3 8 0
Lithuania 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Albania 67 1 7 8 3 0 10 1 5 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 2 5 0 3
Switzerland 47 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 5 0 5 0 0 12 7 1 0 7 0 0
Czech Republic 9 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 0 0 0
Belarus 27 0 0 0 10 6 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
Latvia 86 7 8 0 2 12 0 0 5 6 6 1 6 6 0 6 0 4 10 0 2 5
Croatia 112 4 4 5 7 5 3 6 3 7 7 6 3 8 10 0 6 10 6 2 10 0
Bulgaria 56 5 0 6 6 1 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 3 2 8 7 1 6 5 0
Denmark 112 12 12 0 4 8 4 5 10 4 8 3 2 3 12 4 5 3 8 4 0 1
Georgia 107 2 1 10 12 10 0 0 8 10 10 0 4 0 2 10 12 2 7 0 7 0
Hungary 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Malta 38 3 0 0 0 0 8 0 6 0 4 4 3 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 2
Cyprus 36 0 0 4 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 8 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 1 12
FYR Macedonia 64 0 2 7 0 0 7 8 4 0 0 12 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
Portugal 120 10 5 0 8 4 6 12 7 8 3 8 5 0 7 6 3 3 0 12 6 7

Final

Televoting Results
Total Score ESCFranceJ.svg ESCIrelandJ.svg ESCIcelandJ.svg ESCSpainJ.svg ESCUnitedKingdomJ.svg ESCDenmarkJ.svg ESCGermanyJ.svg ESCSwitzerlandJ.svg ESCBelgiumJ.svg ESCCyprusJ.svg ESCNetherlandsJ.svg ESCSwedenJ.svg ESCTurkeyJ.svg ESCIsraelJ.svg ESCGreeceJ.svg ESCPortugalJ.svg ESCNorwayJ.svg ESCFinlandJ.svg ESCSloveniaJ.svg ESCBosniaJ.svg ESCCroatiaJ.svg ESCEstoniaJ.svg ESCMacedoniaJ.svg ESCHungaryJ.svg ESCLatviaJ.svg ESCLithuaniaJ.svg ESCMaltaJ.svg ESCPolandJ.svg ESCRomaniaJ.svg ESCRussiaJ.svg ESCAzerbaijanJ.svg ESCUkraineJ.svg ESCAlbaniaJ.svg ESCAndorraJ.svg ESCBelarusJ.svg ESCBulgariaJ.svg ESCMoldovaJ.svg ESCCzechRepublicJ.svg ESCArmeniaJ.svg ESCGeorgiaJ.svg ESCSerbia-J.svg ESCMontenegroJ.svg ESCSan MarinoJ.svg
Contestants Romania 45 4 3 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 6 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 1
United Kingdom 14 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
Albania 55 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 10 0 0 0 4 1 8 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 3
Germany 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Armenia 199 12 0 1 10 0 0 6 0 12 10 12 2 10 8 12 0 0 0 5 6 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 12 4 12 0 7 2 0 7 8 2 12 12 5 1 8
Bosnia and Herzegovina 110 2 2 0 0 0 2 5 7 0 0 7 10 6 0 0 0 10 6 10 12 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 12 10 0
Israel 124 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 5 2 3 0 0 1 0 3 8 3 5 2 0 0 3 0 3 0 5 6 6 7 5 4 0 4 2 6 0 6 3 7 5 10
Finland 35 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 10 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Croatia 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 8 10 0 2 0 5 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 2 0
Poland 14 0 10 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Iceland 64 0 0 4 6 12 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 4 0 7 8 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Turkey 138 10 0 0 0 8 4 10 6 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 8 0 0 7 5 0 0 0 0 8 2 12 4 10 0 3 5 0 0 0 6 0 0 4
Portugal 69 8 0 6 8 0 0 4 10 6 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5
Latvia 83 0 12 4 2 10 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 4 7 0 0 10 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 3 0
Sweden 47 0 0 3 1 0 8 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 7 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Denmark 60 0 1 12 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 12 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 7 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Georgia 83 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 4 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 8 5 5 0 0 7 4 8 0 0 6 0 3 4 10 0 0 0
Ukraine 230 0 6 5 7 5 7 0 0 1 6 0 0 8 10 6 12 0 3 2 3 7 4 4 6 10 6 10 10 3 8 10 8 6 10 7 7 8 5 10 6 4 0
France 47 0 8 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 3 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
Azerbaijan 132 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 0 2 0 12 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 12 4 7 0 7 2 10 10 0 7 8 3 8 10 0 7 0 0 0
Greece 218 3 4 0 3 12 3 12 5 8 12 6 1 7 5 0 0 0 6 7 5 1 3 8 0 0 2 3 12 3 6 2 12 8 2 10 4 5 8 4 8 6 12
Spain 55 5 0 0 1 1 0 4 4 4 0 0 3 0 8 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Serbia 160 7 0 2 0 0 0 8 12 0 5 8 6 0 0 5 0 6 0 12 12 10 0 10 7 0 0 1 4 7 4 2 0 5 0 1 4 1 6 3 0 12 0
Russia 272 1 5 0 5 0 0 7 0 3 8 1 0 5 12 7 6 5 10 7 4 6 12 6 10 12 12 8 6 10 8 12 6 5 12 6 10 7 12 8 10 8 0
Norway 182 0 7 10 6 7 10 0 0 2 0 4 12 2 7 2 2 12 0 2 1 8 0 4 6 4 3 8 5 5 5 6 7 1 5 1 5 0 7 5 4 0 7

12 points

Below is a summary of all 12 points in the final:

N. Recipient nation Voting nation
8 Armenia Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Russia
7 Russia Armenia, Belarus, Estonia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine
6 Greece Albania, Cyprus, Germany, Romania, San Marino, United Kingdom
4 Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland
2 Azerbaijan Hungary, Turkey
Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia, Serbia
Denmark Iceland, Norway
Norway Finland, Sweden
Romania Moldova, Spain
1 Albania FYR Macedonia
Germany Bulgaria
Iceland Denmark
Latvia Ireland
Spain Andorra
Sweden Malta
Turkey Azerbaijan
Ukraine Portugal

Broadcasting

Semi-finals broadcasts

Belgrade Arena, the 2008 venue.

As stated above, a country only has to broadcast the final and the semi-final when it is one of the competitors. The United Kingdom,[35] San Marino, Greece, Croatia,[36] Ireland, Germany,[37] the Netherlands,[38] Norway,[39] Malta,[40] Serbia,[41] Finland,[42] Bosnia and Herzegovina,[43] Denmark,[44] Portugal,[45] Cyprus,[46] Israel,[47] Estonia,[48] Turkey,[49] Latvia,[50] Slovenia,[51] Russia,[52] Ukraine,[53] Lithuania, the Czech Republic,[54] Andorra,[55] Albania,[56] Bulgaria, Iceland,[57] Sweden,[58] Romania[59] and Australia confirmed they would broadcast both semi-finals.

International broadcasts

Flag of Australia.svg Australia
Although Australia is not eligible to enter, the contest was broadcast on SBS. The first semi-final was broadcast on Friday 23 May at 7:30 p.m. local time, with the second semi-final on Saturday 24 May 2008 at 7:30 p.m. local time, and the Final on Sunday 25 May 2008 at 7:30 p.m. local time[60], amongst a weekend of Eurovision-themed programming.[61] SBS local host, Julia Zemiro, provided introductory and concluding segments with SBS otherwise broadcasting the BBC's coverage and commentary.[62] In recent years the contest has been one of SBS's highest-rating programmes in terms of viewer numbers.[63] The final rated well for SBS with 427,000 viewers tuning in for the final with 421,000 for the second semi-final and 272,000 for the first semi-final.[64]
Flag of Austria.svg Austria 
In Austria, ORF broadcast the contest live and received extremely high TV ratings, despite its withdrawal. However, it did not broadcast the semifinals on 20 and 22 May, though Austrians were able to watch these on German television via ARD.[65]
Flag of Italy.svg Italy 
San Marino RTV, which broadcast the full event, is available in some parts of Italy: Romagna (and a small part of Emilia, including Bologna), northern Marche, and southern Veneto, including Venice.[66]
Newworldmap.svg Worldwide 
A live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest was available worldwide via satellite through European streams such as TVRi, ERT World, Armtv, TVE Internacional, TRT International, TVP Polonia, RTP Internacional, RTS Sat and SVT Europa. The official Eurovision Song Contest website also provided a live stream without commentary via the peer to peer medium Octoshape.

High-definition broadcasts

RTS broadcast the event in 1080i high-definition (HD) and 5.1 Surround Sound. The new high-definition television system was in place at the Belgrade Arena by April 2008.[67] This is the second year that the event was broadcast live in HD. BBC HD broadcast the contest in High Definition in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Swedish broadcaster SVT broadcast both the semi-final and the final on their HD-channel SVT HD. Lithuanian broadcaster LRT broadcast both the semi-final and the final in 1080i high-definition (HD) on their channel LTV. The same occurred on Swiss HD channel HD suisse; on this channel viewers were able to choose the language of the commentary while viewing a semi-final or final of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, all other countries broadcast the show only in standard definition, and the event will only be available to buy on a standard-definition DVD; it will not be released on Blu-ray Disc.

Maps

Eurovision 2008 map.svg
     1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10      11      12      13      14      15      16      17      18      19      20      21      22      23      24      25

     Did not qualify for the final      Did not participate      Ineligible to participate

Gallery

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Jovana Janković & Željko Joksimović the hosts". Oikotimes.com (2008-03-04). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to Belgrade Arena.". Eurovision.tv (2007-05-13). Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Eurovision 2008 - format confirmed!", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. 
  4. ↑ "San Marino in Belgrade confirmed", ESCToday.com (21 November 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-21. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Austria will not go to Belgrade", ESCToday.com (2007-11-20). Retrieved on 2007-11-20. 
  6. ↑ "Ukrajinka digla Arenu na noge".
  7. ↑ "ŠERIFOVIĆEVA I BREGOVIĆ U FINALU EVROVIZIJE". evropesma.org (2008-04-21). Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  8. ↑ "Two semi finals in 2008". ESCToday.com (2007-07-31). Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  9. ↑ "Eurovision: 2 semi finals confirmed!". ESCToday.com (2007-07-31). Retrieved on 2007-07-31.
  10. ↑ "Revamped eurovision.tv site launched!". ESCToday.com (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  11. ↑ "Belgrade 2008: The Confluence Of Sound". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  12. ↑ "Belgrade received Helsinki city keys". Eurovision.tv (2007-09-14). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  13. ↑ "'Helsinki could host Eurovision again'". ESCToday.com (2008-02-22). Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  14. ↑ "WEBU holds phone conference to decide host city". Oikotimes.com (2008-02-2]). Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  15. ↑ "Eurovision 2008: Set to stay in Belgrade". esctoday.com (2008-02-22). Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  16. ↑ "ЕВРОВИЗИЈА ПОД СИЛНО ОБЕЗБЕДУВАЊЕ: Во Белград ќе се пее со страв". vreme.com.mk (2008-02-22). Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  17. ↑ "Jovana Janković & Željko Joksimović the hosts". Oikotimes.com (2008-03-04). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  18. ↑ "Serbia: Zeljiko's double role in question". ESCtoday.com (2008-03-13). Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  19. ↑ "Serbia 2008: THE WINNER OF THE LOCAL OPEN COMPETITION FOR THE SUBLOGO – CODE MAMA 2008". RTS.co.yu (2007-07-05). Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  20. ↑ "Izabran novi logo za „Evrosong“ u Beogradu". blic.co.yu (2007-07-05). Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
  21. ↑ "Eurovision 2008: Full stage image - The Sava, the Danube & Kalemegdan". ESCToday.com (2007-10-10). Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
  22. ↑ "Eurovision 2008 Stage". lyricstranslations.com (2008-05-18). Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  23. ↑ "All you need to know for Monday's draw!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
  24. ↑ "Svante Stockselius explains the new format", Oikotimes.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. 
  25. ↑ Sietse Bakker (2008-03-17). "Belgrade 2008: The running order!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  26. ↑ "43 Countries for Eurovision 2008", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  27. ↑ Украина заявляет о фальсификации результатов "Евровидения-2008" NEWSru.com May 29 2008.
  28. ↑ http://www.esctoday.com/annual/2008/participants.php
  29. ↑ http://www.esctoday.com/annual/2008/participants.php
  30. ↑ http://www.esctoday.com/annual/2008/participants.php
  31. ↑ "www.eurovision.tv/page/news/belgrade-2008?id=785".
  32. ↑ The song is mostly in English, but includes words and phrases in French, German, Italian and Spanish.
  33. ↑ Song is in English, but contains three words in Spanish.
  34. ↑ Song is in English, but also includes 2 Russian words excluding 'vodka': На здоровье/Na zdorovye (Cheers).
  35. ↑ During the UK national final (Eurovision: Your Decision), Terry Wogan confirmed both semi-finals would be broadcast on BBC Three.
  36. ↑ "Croatia: We will broadcast both semi finals". 
  37. ↑ "Supporters of German finalists and broadcast details revealed", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-26. 
  38. ↑ "Netherlands: We will broadcast live both semi-finals", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-07. 
  39. ↑ VG Nett - TV-guiden, VG, May 22, 2008
  40. ↑ "exclusive PBSmalta to air both semifinals", ogaemalta.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07. 
  41. ↑ "Oba polufinala u direktnom prenosu", evropesma.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. 
  42. ↑ "Finland: YLE to broadcast both semi finals", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-29. 
  43. ↑ "BHRT goes Euromaniac", oikotimes.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-29. 
  44. ↑ "Denmark: DR to broadcast both semi finals", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-04. 
  45. ↑ "RTP to broadcast both Eurovision semi-finals", oikotimes.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-16. 
  46. ↑ "Cyprus: CyBC to air both semis and preview shows", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-24. 
  47. ↑ "OGAE Israel: 12 points to Sweden!", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-07. 
  48. ↑ "Estonia: Sahlene to be ETV's spokeperson". esctoday.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  49. ↑ "Turkey: TRT will broadcast both semi-finals live", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. 
  50. ↑ "Latvia: Wolves of the Sea release first CD", ESCToday.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 
  51. ↑ "Slovenia: Rebeka danes na poti v Beograd (Rebeka will today go to Belgrade)", RTVSLO.SI. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 
  52. ↑ "Eurovision: Rossija", Rossija. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 
  53. ↑ "Eurovision: fair play", NTU. Retrieved on 2008-05-17. 
  54. ↑ "Czech Republic: Broadcasting both semi finals", esctoday.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-20. 
  55. ↑ "RTVA Official Schedule for Thursday has slot marked for Semi Final 2 as well", RTVA. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  56. ↑ "TVSH Official Schedule for Tuesday has slot marked for Semi Final 1 as well", TVSH. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  57. ↑ "RUV Official Schedule for Tuesday has slot marked for Semi Final 1 as well", RUV. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  58. ↑ "SVT Official Schedule for Tuesday has slot marked for Semi Final 1 as well", SVT. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  59. ↑ "TVR1/29 May 2008 - 30 May 2008".
  60. ↑ "Australia: SBS to air both Eurovision semi finals". TVtonight.com.au (2008-04-26). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  61. ↑ Mitchell, Simone (2008-05-23). "Eurovision 2008". The Vine. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
  62. ↑ Nicholson, Sarah (2008-05-21). "Top of the Euro pops", Courier Mail, news.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-26. 
  63. ↑ "Broadcasting of Eurovision in Australia". OZEurovision (2008-02-07). Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
  64. ↑ "The Who We Are update: week 24". smh.com.au (2008-05-26). Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
  65. ↑ "ORF to broadcast the Eurovision final live". oikotimes.com (2008-03-16). Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
  66. ↑ "San Marino to air both Eurovision semi finals". ESCtoday.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  67. ↑ "Tijanić: Sa RTS-a proterane španske serije". MTS Mondo. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.

External links

Eurovision Song Contest
History · Rules · Host cities · Winners · Hosts · Voting · Participation · Top ranking countries · OGAE · Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

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Portal
Songs of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Final
(by final results)
1. "Believe" · 2. "Shady Lady" · 3. "Secret Combination" · 4. "Qélé, Qélé" · 5. "Hold On Be Strong" · 6. "Oro" · 7. "Deli" · 8. "Day After Day" · 9. "The Fire in Your Eyes" · 10. "Pokušaj" · 11. "Peace Will Come" · 12. "Wolves of the Sea" · 13. "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)" · 14. "This Is My Life" · 15. "All Night Long" · 16. "Baila el Chiki Chiki" · 17. "Zemrën e lamë peng" · 18. "Hero" · 19. "Divine" · 20. "Pe-o margine de lume" · 21. "Romanca" · 22. "Missä miehet ratsastaa" · 23. "Disappear" · 24. "For Life" · 25. "Even If"
Semi-final only
(did not qualify
for the final)
Semi 1
"A Century of Love" · "Casanova" · "Complice" · "Irelande Douze Pointe" · "Leto svet" · "O Julissi" · "Vrag naj vzame" · "Your Heart Belongs To Me" · "Zauvijek volim te"
Semi 2
"Candlelight" · "DJ, Take Me Away" · "Era stupendo" · "Femme Fatale" · "Hasta La Vista" · "Have Some Fun" · "Let Me Love You" · "Nomads in the Night" · "Vodka"