While Eurovision may not have dominated the Ratings, it most certainly dominated headlines and online discussions. The 69th Eurovision song contest was held in Basel, Switzerland and saw 37 countries sing their hearts out, with Austrian singer JJ taking the win.
Austrian singer JJ toppled Israel from the top position at the very last minute. The grand final brought in a Total TV National Reach of 805,000 on Sunday and the second semi-final enticed Aussies with a Total TV National reach of 678,000 on Saturday for SBS, which has been broadcasting Eurovision to Aussie viewers since 1983.
The Contest format comprises three live shows: the First Semi-Final, the Second Semi-Final, and the Grand Final.
The 24-year-old JJ, who is a counter-tenor at the Vienna State Opera, took the title with the song ‘Wasted Love,’ an electro-ballad about unrequited love.
“Thank you so much for making my dreams come true,” he said as he accepted the glass microphone trophy. “Love is the strongest force in the world, let’s spread more love”.
The singer scored 436 points, with Israel in second place with 357 points, Estonia third with 356 points and Sweden in fourth place with 321 points. Australia’s act, Go-Jo’s ‘Milshake Man’ didn’t make it through to this year’s grand final.
Australia has been in the top ten five times, with its best result being a second-place finish with “Sound of Silence” performed by Dami Im in 2016, followed by “Tonight Again” by Guy Sebastian finishing fifth in 2015 and “Don’t Come Easy” by Isaiah, “Zero Gravity” by Kate Miller-Heidke, and “Promise” by Voyager finishing ninth in 2017, 2019, and 2023 respectively.
It is the third time Austria has won the contest, with previous victories going to Udo Jürgens’ ‘Merci, Cherie’ in 1966 and Conchita Wurst with ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ in 2014. JJ was inspired to take part in Eurovision by Conchita.
The most hotly-tipped contestants were Sweden’s KAJ – whose tongue-in-cheek ode to sauna culture, Bara Bada Bastu, ultimately took fourth place.
One of the most controversial entries in the Eurovision song contest was Espresso Macchiato by Estonia’s Tommy Cash. It mocks Italian stereotypes, and there have been calls to ban it.
Cash’s faux-operatic, broken Italian accent and use of Italian stereotypes angered Italian viewers.
Over on Nine, A Current Affair raked in a Total TV National Reach of 1,155,000 on Saturday night.
Seven‘s The Americas, nature documentary series narrated by Tom Hanks, saw a Total TV National Reach of 1,175,000 on Saturday night.
Nine’s Travel Guides brought in a Total TV National Reach of 2,211,000 on Sunday.
Seven’s The 1% Club siphoned a Total TV National Reach of 1,930,000.
Channel 10‘s Masterchef Australia enticed Aussies with a Total TV National Reach of 1,042,000 and a Total TV National Average Audience of 614,000.
