On Saturday evening, the winner of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest will be announced in Liverpool. With favorites Sweden hoping for a seventh victory, British ministers and city officials are confident the event will be a success for the UK too.
In a reflection on the complex financial implications of hosting the International Song Contest, an episode of a popular sitcom centered on a supposed attempt by the Irish, who top the charts, to lose rather than face the cost to earn it again.
However, organizers say the event this year will bring financial and cultural benefits to Liverpool, who host last year’s winner, Ukrainedue to the Russian invasion.
“People are surprised at how big this event is for Liverpool,” said Noel Curran, chief executive of the European Broadcasting Union, the alliance of public service media groups which organizes the competition with officials from the city and the BBC, Britain’s national broadcaster. “There is huge, huge interest.”
Theresa Grant, acting chief executive of Liverpool City Council, said the city’s aim in hosting the competition was economic recovery, highlighting the 50,000 jobs linked to a visitor economy worth nearly £5 billion pounds.
“We expect Eurovision to help Liverpool return to pre-pandemic levels of visitor activity,” she said. “It really puts us on the world stage as a city.”
During the event, Liverpool could generate up to £40million in tourism revenue, according to data from NatWest Bank. Of this, around £28 million is expected to come from overseas visitors.
“If they see £40m in terms of spending in the city, it should be a lucrative business for them,” Curran said. “The fact that we continue to have so many cities wanting to compete to host means that they absolutely see the value in it.”
Liverpool City Council projected around £25million in short-term economic benefits, but Grant said the estimate seemed conservative, given the more than 100,000 visitors recorded before Saturday.
People were attracted not only by the grand finale, but also by the Eurovision “village” and the associated artistic, musical and cultural events. There were long queues this week outside the official event shop in the town centre, while even modest hotels were charging hundreds of pounds for rooms for the weekend.
The Italian city of Turin, which hosted last year’s edition, saw the number of visitors increase by 18% during the Eurovision period and a 68% increase in overnight stays, of which two-fifths were strangers. A total of 55,000 visitors came to Turin for Eurovision.
City officials said the competition had a “positive impact” of around €100m, with €23m coming from tourism and the remaining €66m considered the equivalent of the promotion of the city using traditional international advertising.
The economic value to the host country depends in part on how effectively the chosen city, local broadcaster and sponsors exploit its commercial potential.
Eurovision itself is a non-profit event, funded by a fee from participating national broadcasters, including in the host country, and additional funds from the host city.
The UK government has committed £10 million for this year’s edition, earmarked for security as well as a wider cultural festival that has included public events and installations featuring Ukrainian artists. He also helped the BBC create Ukrainian content for the show, with production efforts coordinated with the local broadcaster.
Liverpool City Council and the local Combined Authority have each pledged £2million, with further funds from the local Business Improvement District, the National Lottery and the Arts Council of England, a public body.
Most of the bill for staging and broadcasting major events is borne by the BBC as host network, alongside contributions from other national broadcasters. The company provides the global feed for Eurovision, which is expected to attract 160 million viewers this year.
Estimated costs to the BBC have not been disclosed, but it will benefit from ticket sales and local sponsorship money from the city and Eurovision-related events, although it does not allow sponsorship or advertising that European commercial broadcasters can broadcast. These will be broadcast on the Eurovision YouTube channel and other social media platforms.
Moroccanoil, a beauty brand, is the main sponsor this year; others include social media app TikTok and liquor brand Baileys, which has employed former Austrian winner Conchita Wurst as an ambassador. Local sponsors this year include technology group Google and airline easyJet.
Martin Green, who leads the BBC team responsible for Eurovision, said the event would more than justify the investment, pointing to celebrations around Liverpool and live broadcasts twice a day in the run-up to the final.
“That’s why the BBC exists,” he said, claiming the contest was one of the last “get-to-see” TV events. Alongside the coronation of King Charles, he said the event made it a “defining week for the BBC. . . and he rose to the occasion with flying colors”.
Curran also pointed out that the event has weathered the wider decline of traditional television, given the rise in younger audiences, many of whom host Eurovision parties in the UK.
“They’re going digital, but a lot of them are still watching linear TV. It’s the biggest live music event in the world,” he said.
Much of the activity in the host city this week has focused on reaffirming ties with co-host Ukraine.
UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said that “while the eyes of the world will be on Liverpool this weekend for Eurovision, our hearts will be with Ukrainians fighting for their sovereignty and survival”.
“With sold-out shows all week and a fantastic program that celebrates the best of British and Ukrainian culture, it’s sure to give the local economy a massive boost,” she said.
—————————————————-
Source link