Finland – Despite not qualifying for the final with PKN in Vienna, Finnish national broadcaster, YLE, has confirmed that the country is returning to the competition in 2016 and has already decided to use its UMK competition again to select the 2016 representative.
It will be the fifth time that UMK has been used. Pernilla Karlsson in 2012 and PKN this year failed to qualify for the Eurovision grand final. in 2103 and 2014 Krista Siegfrids and Softengine qualified from the semi-finals respectively. Softengine finished a respectable 11th with ‘Something better‘.
The search for the 2016 act will start on 1st September 2015.
Has Finland done the right thing by sticking with the UMK format?
The Eurovision Times 
I’m liking this choice of video. ;) Sadly, UMK’s unlikely to give up anything that good for a while, as long as they keep their current creative director. Still, best of luck to Finland.
First day after a bank holiday and the UK moaning is on.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/25/eurovision-song-contest-time-for-brexit?CMP=fb_gu
in the “Parisien” (a very popular daily, not of great quality but not tabloid either), there was a full page named “should France boycott the contest?”
Well that can be said it is justified moaning, the UK’s may be not given the entry and the performance. They should moan last year.
I do hope and believe that France will stay in the competition since the viewing figures were good as well.
it’s an improvement on Fr2 and the song and singer both deserved at LAST the left hand side… but then the EBU hates us and we get an awful draw each time, so I sort of think we’ll “give up” à la BBC but still participate…
I don’t think the BBC has the “give up” approach, I actually believe they were serious this year with the entry they’ve chosen.
Oh lord
It was not a bad song imo. But when you see the performance on Saturday’s final, compared to the rest of the line up, it was pretty weak and amateurish. I’d say they should go back to the drawing board and find someone like Molly.
Yes I second this, they genuinely believed it was good and serious. I despair.
Did you see Ervin’s calculations on the previous voting system? UK would have come last. http://escbubble.com/2015/05/how-different-would-the-results-be-with-the-old-voting-system-a-lot/
ive seen that and wanted to do an article about it!
I just hope YLE will save themselves the embarassment this year’s UMK was and I hope they learned something from that last place in the semi : opportunism does not work like that in esc (at least with the juries). Bring back some Softengine quality please (or Siru !) :) !
off topic: I’ve noticed that the countries that picked their entries way too early: Netherlands, Switzerland, FYRO Macedonia, Albania, Malta, all did miserably this year.
Albania didn’t chose it that early. I
They changed it and that benefited them; at least they qualified.
Yep. I forgot they changed it.
Late December is kinda early. But, on the other hand, they usually pick at that time of the year (FiK).
I think it may be just a random fact.Ukraine always picks in December and they reach top-10 most of the times.Plus,Switzerland was the first country to select its’ entry last year and they did well.
Maybe; but this year there were too many of them.
I think its more because countries picking later, already know what’s been picked so can calibrate their choice to match. Also songs picked in the previous year by the time Eurovision takes place we’ve all heard them for like 5 to 7 months already and so we’re bored of them a bit more.
The Dutch selection committee heard the name Anouk and they thought they had it in the bag. Then they decided that mr. Pannecoucke would do the art direction again (he did the act of the CL) and that combination should be enough for success. They thought. But judging from what I read and hear in the media I have a feeling they know what went wrong and I can only hope they will learn this year.
Vaidas released a new song and video:
Norwegian music journalist Robert Hoftun Gjerstad says in an interview with NRK that it’s time for eurovision to move on and become Worldvision.Jon Ola Sand can’t see it happening in the near future.Meanwhile,South Korea has expressed its’ interest in the contest: http://www.nrk.no/mgp/esc-sjefen_-ikke-aktuelt-med-_worldvision_-1.12378066
They can send Big Bang and I can die happy
I second this. (What do you think of their two latest releases? And are you excited for the full album?? #finally)
Another option that ticks all the boxes is:
Amazing voice, flawless live vocals and fluent in English
Looking forward to the album but not too impressed with the latest 2 singles, I like the dancier stuff. Fantastic Baby is just epic. I saw them live the other year at Wembley, best show I’ve ever seen!
If anything. k-pop artists know how to put on a show. I mentioned South Korea in another comment, and noted their use of weekly music shows builds up their stage presence and camera contact.
Ailee would be a great choice…with the right song. R&B diva numbers are my preference, but her vocals suit ballads as well.
ooh I love the new one!
Me too!
so everyone but us esc fans think so…sigh
And here we go! Correction – World(major)markets would be a more suitable name. :(
World(majormakets)vision is even better. ESC has been privatized – let the auction beguin!
Anyway, let’s be serious for a moment (the following is not an answer to the comment I am answering to- that was begging for a non serious answer itself – I am just bored to write another comment to address this issue) : A worldvision always sounded like a very good idea to me but given the vast time differences (there is a circle of 24h around the globe) it would be extremely hard to hold it and everyone to be able to watch it and vote live. Not everyone is as commited to such a contest as the australians really. Even in Europe there were problems when the contest was held in Baku and had to start at midnight local time. So it seems unlikely that it will happen unless a succesful formula is found. For example the competition part could be taped and showed to different countries at suitable hours during which they would have a voting window opened. When all countries have broadcasted the contest and voted, a results show could be held. But it sounds like way too much work and I doubt any co ordination can be found amongst so may broadcasters. Is there even a broadcasting union to organize and monitor that as there is the EBU on a European level ? I am not aware of one.
The highest viewing figures since 2010 in Norway.In fact it was the 4th most watched final since 1993.
Good luck, Finland. :)
Undoubtedly UMK 2015 was weaker than last year’s but i do believe that if Satin Circus had been chosen, Finland would have gone through to the final … Anw , good luck!