UK: BBC Spent 425,000 € on Eurovision 2012

Posted: July 23, 2012 by eurovisiontimes in United Kingdom

  United Kingdom – Several newspapers and websites in the United Kingdom report today, that the British national broadcaster BBC has spent 330,000 £ (~ 425,000 €) on the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Considering the 7 hours of entertainment Eurovision provided this year, that makes roughly 45,000 £ (58,000 €) an hour. However, these costs only cover the participation fees of the BBC, hotel and promotion costs for the delegation in Baku are not included.

The BBC said: “As other broadcasters contribute to the contest, the BBC is able to deliver a massive, live spectacle for a small fraction of the overall cost. The contest provides BBC viewers with over seven hours of programming across BBC1 and BBC3, making it extremely cost-effective for a prime-time entertainment programme.” Indeed, the 45k per hour is one of the lowest production costs for any comparable programme (f.ex The Voice) on BBC.

This year 7,5 million Brits watched the Final, in which crooner Engelbert Humperdinck only came second to last. The disappointment was followed by an outcry of some viewers and many tabloids about the alleged political nature of the voting at the Eurovision Song Contest. Many asked the BBC to withdraw from the competition.

Source = DailyRecord.co.uk

Comments
  1. bobopickle says:

    That is a measly amount. No wonder we keep entering rubbish if that’s all that’s being spent.

    • Anthony says:

      This year’s is actually much CHEAPER than the BBC spending £20-25 MILLION on The Voice UK, a show which even got trounced by Eurovision when it comes to ratings on the 26th May (the day of the Grand Final).

  2. J says:

    Political what??
    Send a better song!

  3. Bradley says:

    This why UK never withdraw because its cheep and it dont cost much is it Political ? well there is some questions need answering by the EBU im not saying yes and im not saying no

  4. Karl Downey says:

    So the BBC spends a ‘measly’ £33, 000 just to send Englebert. Could you imagine the amount of money the BBC would pay to host the Eurovision! :)

    All I’m saying is if Europe votes for the UK to win the Eurovision, the BBC will host the best, most expensive contest ever! :)

    All I’m saying is EVERYONE IN EUROPE watch the Summer Olympics: London 2012 Opening Ceremony… it will be amazing, and we could have it at next years Eurovision! … I mean who knows, maybe the London 2012 Olympic Stadium will become a Eurovision venue one day? :)

    • bobopickle says:

      This is true. The UK would probably go all out with the hosting of Eurovision. I’d imagine something similar to Germany 2011 in Wembley or the O2. I would love that to happen.

      • Christian says:

        BBC may try to host in Wales. I think that Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is actually the biggest arena that could host eurovision. But i´m not sure if Cardiff would be able to handle so much people from across Europe. They were planning to host the Champions League finale here, but realized that it was a logistical challenge.

    • The reports about the enthusiasm of Londoners about the Olympics make me a bit sceptical about that ^^ Especially with Eurovision, which many Brits in general do not really respect..
      But still… I hope our prediction is true and the UK will win with a great modern song next year! And then everyone can see that Eurovision is better than everybody thought ^^

  5. mike says:

    Well BBC is biggest boradcaster in the world, this amount of money is nothing to them. Also is United kingdom did win an could easily see a eurovision production by BBC being the most extravagant ever.
    o2 arena london please…

  6. xxmichaelxx says:

    not everyone in the uk hates eurovision just in case people think they do :) eurovision in the uk is something which you either love or hate. i think the reason SOME people dont take eurovision as a serious contest is because of the bbc and the way they betray the competition example terry wogan and the crap singers the bbc pick. i think either the bbc need to try harder or give it to a other channel like itv which imo would try alot harder and come up with a good national final.

  7. xxmichaelxx says:

    i actually did a tarot prediction last year and it said that sweeden would win followed by russia and i also got that france would come last so two out of three is not bad :) did a other tarot prediction yesterday and it came out that the uk would win next year followed by denmark and also the netherlands would make it to the final :) but i can’t see it comeing true i dont think the uk will ever win eurovision again thanks to the bbc and the crap singers they always pick :(

  8. xxmichaelxx says:

    well never say never :) i think i would have a heart attack if the uk did actully win next year lol

  9. EMC says:

    The Eurosong Music Contest is back!! After a few months break, the EMC has returned and is looking for participants from all over Europe!

    Should you wish to participate, just send the European country that you wish to compete with (available countries can be found here), the artist, the song and youtube link, to eurosongmusiccontest@gmail.com

    The deadline for submissions is the 28th July.

    I look forward to hearing from you!

    http://www.eurosongmusiccontest.blogspot.com

  10. Beatle says:

    This is beyond unbelievable! I feel really sorry for the U.K. and what they have to go through.

    They should just withdraw from being part of the Big Five. Its pointless to be getting this number of votes and they pay so much.

  11. xxmichaelxx says:

    @mike so how come itv showed junior eurovision? i don’t think itv is that trashy. itv beats the bbc in vewing figures most of the time and also eurovision in france has changed tv channels about six times unless france has six national broadcasters????

  12. Anthony says:

    When the BBC ended getting flooded with complaints and the UK should withdraw, this is clearly why I’ve turned my back on the UK and supported Slovenia – permanently and since 2006.

    Every year, both the UK media AND the public moan when the UK does badly, and say the same old “Lets pull out of Eurovision, We’ll never win, Its too political, They all vote for their neighbours” rant. Don’t they all ever get bored saying the same old thing over and over and over again? It’s certainly boring me rigid and I’m already fed up of it. If all the other countries that finished near the bottom of the scoreboard had the same negative and childish attitude as the UK, then there wouldnt be any countries left in the contest. They clearly don’t appreciate the 5 Eurovision titles the UK won and have actually done BETTER than the England football team, who haven’t won anything since that “1966 World Cup final”.

    The BBC could’ve just pull the plug on Wimbledon and save money in the process. The UK haven’t won that since 1936 (mens) or 1977 (ladies), let alone waiting for 74 YEARS to see the UK reach the Wimbledon men’s singles final!

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