EUROVISION'S 30 MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS. 
Part 22: 2011 (The Big 5).
Continues in 2 days.

THE BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES

Of the

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

(1956 - 2019)  

From its inaugural year, the Eurovision Song Contest has had more than its fair share of controversial moments. This is a special look back on 30 significant upsets in chronological order.

2011

The Big 5.

As the number of potential participants in the Eurovision Song Contest increased, Semi – Finals were introduced, requiring countries to qualify for a place in the Grand Final. All of the competing nations battle it out to be among the 10 highest scoring in either of the 2 Semi - Finals. All that is, except for: France, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany.

The reason for the 5 exceptions (known as “The Big 5”) is that these countries are the biggest financial contributors to the ESC. In 2000, France, the UK, Spain and Germany (then referred to as “The Big 4”) were granted automatic spots in the Grand Final, regardless of how they had performed the previous year. Semi – Finals were introduced in 2004 but those 4 nations were not required to complete as they were guaranteed a spot in the Grand Final.

When Italy ended its ESC boycott in 2011, it was added to the list of pre-qualifying countries. To this day, debate continues as to whether any country deserves special treatment. All countries pay to compete: some more than others.

It is worth noting that being one of the Big 5 does not necessarily give a song an advantage. An appearance in the Semi – Final offers the chance for the audience and judges to hear your song before its performance in the Grand Final. Since the rule was put in place, only 1 of the Big 5 countries has won Eurovision: Germany with Lena’s “Satellite” in 2010.