If you’re a fan of the glitz, camp and sexiness of Eurovision, you may be excited to hear about the launch of Eurovision Asia, a new version of the international singing competition that will feature 20 countries from the Asian-Pacific region competing for the grand prize.
Eurovision didn’t announce a date for the first Eurovision Asia or say whether it’ll be annual, but we imagine it will be as the competition’s infrastructure setup is too complex and costly for just a one-time event.
In anticipation of the coming social media frenzy, Eurovision Asia has launched a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channel. Right now, the only things on the accounts are the video and photo below.
Here’s the promotional video for Eurovision Asia:
Why is Eurovision launching Eurovision Asia?
Eurovision originally started in 1956 as a way to unify war-torn Europe after World War II. When it first began, only seven countries participated. But in the 61 years since, at least 52 countries have participated.
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Asian countries have violent histories and tense relationships surrounding them, but the more likely reason behind the launch of Eurovision Asia is financial.
In the first half of 2012 alone, the Korean pop industry grossed nearly $3.4 billion in sales of concerts, sponsorships, merchandise and global exports. With Eurovision Asia, each country will have an incentive to groom and present up-and-coming pop stars in regional and country-wide concerts and music competitions — that’s a lot of marketing, concert tickets, merch sales and online viewing, all of which adds up to big money.
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However, the revenue will have to be offset by the cost. While Eurovision made the host countries of Azerbaijan over $9 million in revenue in 2012 and Sweden over $20 million in 2013, hosting the semi-final and final competitions can cost anywhere from $21 to $61 million.
But the international fame and warm cross-cultural relations may well be worth the cost.
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