The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC are pleased to confirm that the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in the UK on behalf of UA:PBC, the winning Ukrainian public broadcaster. 2022.
Having come to the conclusion that unfortunately the Competition cannot be held in Ukraine next year for security reasons, the EBU has undertaken to study with the UA:PBC other possible scenarios.
Following these consultations, the BBC, runners-up in the final of the 2022 Competition, has been invited by the EBU to host the 67th edition.
“We are very grateful to the BBC for agreeing to host the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK in 2023,” said Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Contest.
“In the past, the BBC has already taken on the role of host four times on behalf of other winning countries. Continuing this tradition of solidarity, the creativity and skills of one of the most experienced public media from Europe will be put to the service of the 2023 Competition. We are sure that the BBC will ensure that Ukraine, this year’s winner, is duly saluted and represented throughout the show.”
Mykola Chernotytskyi, Chairman of the UA:PBC Board, adds: “The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will not take place in Ukraine but in support of Ukraine. We are grateful to our partners at the BBC for show their solidarity with us. I am convinced that together, we will be able to shine the Ukrainian spirit during the demonstration, while bringing together once more all of Europe around our common values of peace, support and celebration of diversity and talent.”
Representatives from AU:PBC will work with the BBC to develop and implement the Ukrainian elements of next year’s show. Ukraine, as the winning country of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, will automatically qualify for the grand final of the next edition.
Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, said: “It is very unfortunate that our Ukrainian colleagues and friends are unable to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. Against this backdrop, it is a great privilege to be invited to organize the largest and most complex musical competition in the world. The BBC is committed to making this event a true reflection of Ukrainian culture, while showcasing British musical and creative diversity The BBC will now set out to find the host city with which it will partner to organize in the United Kingdom one of the most unifying shows of the 2023 music calendar.
No other European media has organized the Competition as many times as the BBC. Public media hosted the protest in London in 1960, 1963, 1968 and 1977, Edinburgh in 1972, Brighton in 1974, Harrogate in 1982 and Birmingham in 1998.
The host city for the 2023 edition will be designated following an application review procedure launched this week. The dates of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will then be announced.
The logo for the 2023 event will also be revealed at a later date. It will reflect the special circumstances of next year’s Competition and the cooperation between the host country and the winners in 2022.
The Eurovision Song Contest is the world’s largest live musical spectacle, organized each year since 1956 by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), representing the public service media of 56 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The 2022 Competition was followed by more than 180 million spectators, on television and on digital platforms.
