Australia’s Delta Goodrem the Eurovision Audience Poll 2026 favourite as clear top two emerges

A grand total of 25 acts will be competing to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna tonight. The all important jury rehearsal took place on Friday night and, like on Monday and Wednesday, the team of the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll was present outside the arena to ask the general public attending the show the burning question: Who was your favourite? The answer was a clear victory for Australia’s Delta Goodrem.

Last night we held the fourth edition of the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll, run by a collective of six fan media platforms (ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, ESC Gabe, Merci Chérie Podcast and That Eurovision Site).

Demonstrating its rise up the odds, Delta Goodrem topped the poll with 562 votes, (15.5%). Further back in second is Bulgaria. DARA backing up her victory in the Semi-Final 2 poll with 417 votes, (11.5%). Completing the podium is bookies favourite Finland, who amassed a total of 365 votes, (10.1%). Despite winning the Semi-Final 1 poll on Monday by over 300 votes, Moldova’s Satoshi is now adrift in only fourth place with 296 votes, (8.2%).

Following on, we see Moldova’s fellow televote contender, Greece two votes behind (8.1%). Next, we see the crowd pleasers of the show, Denmark (5.9%), Austria (5.7%), Norway (5%) and Sweden (3.8%). Taking tenth spot is the memorable showcase from Romania (3.3%). The latter decisively ahead of Italy in eleventh. For the second year in a row, the lowest placement of an automatic qualifier was the United Kingdom in twenty-second place (0.9%).

As is typical for a crowd that wants to party, the ballads underperformed with the voting audience. At the bottom of the table are, Albania (0.7%) and Lithuania (0.4%) and Poland (0.7%). Another shock result is Poland with 49 votes, (1.4%). Back in the Semi-Final 1 poll they were voted through as a safe qualifier in fourth spot. Overall, the poll received a total of 3620 responses from the attending guests.

Analysing the Grand Final Audience Poll results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Comparing the two polls against the odds and social media trends tells us that the pathway to victory is still uncertain. There are three obvious challengers – Australia, Bulgaria and Finland.

Finland and the Eurovision bubble

Finland, who are currently leading the odds, has shown in both the Semi-Final and Final audience polls that it can hold its own against the televote heavy weights of Moldova and Greece. Many pundits have cast doubt on Finland’s ability to compete in the public vote. However, most of the voting audiences on Saturday night will be seeing the eye-catching staging for the first time compared to those of us inside the bubble who have followed the journey of many acts since their national selections. Also worth noting is its running order position. During the live Grand Final, Finland will perform in seventeenth – Lordi won from this position twenty years ago in 2006.

Australia’s chances

Another that many have raised televote questions over is Australia. Yet, if we take the Audience Poll as a snapshot sample of the televote, then it is clear Delta Goodrem has to be in the winner conversation. So far Australia has placed runner-up in the Semi-Final 2 Audience Poll, won the Grand Final poll and achieved identical results in the equivalent Press Polls for each show. It is rare for a pop-ballad to have this level of success among these polls. Easily showing its potential to impress audiences and jurors alike with its professional styling and of course, Delta’s vocals to elevate the performance.

With the right components in place, locals will go for vocals. Especially with the experience and fame Delta brings to the table. Although we should be mindful that the ticketed members are predominantly from the German-speaking nations of our hosts Austria, as well as neighbouring Switzerland and Germany. Not forgetting the United Kingdom either, who remain one of the leading ticket purchases of every contest. All markets that Delta has achieved chart success in.

The Bangaranga dark horse

The success story of every Press Poll and Audience Poll this week is undoubtedly Bulgaria. The returning nation has picked up where it left off. After winning the Semi-Final 2 Press Poll and placing runner-up in last night’s Grand Final poll, DARA will be hoping that success continues tonight. The show producers have given Bulgaria a favourable position, as late in the first half as possible in twelfth. A position that also provides contrast to the many ballads placed before and after. The highly expressive performance and sharp staging package that blends choreography, camera work and a modern composition so seamlessly cannot be ruled out of the winner conversations. Over the course of the previous week, Bulgaria has now firmly settled inside the live top ten odds.

Underestimating Greece?

Another contender to consider is Greece. Akylas placed fifth in the Audience Poll and the Press Poll. Following the success of Käärijä, Baby Lasagna and Tommy Cash in our previous polls, underestimate Greece at your peril. Clearly there is televote and jury appeal in the innovative and immersive experience Akylas and his team have crafted. Vienna is currently a sea of knitted hats. At the time of writing, Greece is third in the winner odds. Yes, it has an early position in the order, much like Bulgaria, it also has been placed favourably among the lower tempo entries around it to stand out. In recent years we have seen Greece have good diaspora support with Marina Satti and Klavdia. The diaspora strongly support stage presentations they feel motivated for. Tonight will likely see that continue.

A fall for Denmark?

Early on in the Eurovision 2026 Denmark was one of the main contenders. Now it has slipped down to seventh in the live winner odds. Partly due to its opening position in the Grand Final running order. Still, it placed well in sixth in the Audience Poll. Suggesting the music video quality of the production can ensure people remember Søren. Opening is not the death knell many consider it to be. Marcus and Martinus in 2024 achieved top ten from this position.

Hosts and close countries

As we see every edition, there is strong home support for our hosts Austria. However it remains to be seen if the viral dance routine will catch on beyond the German-speaking nations, and its low result in the Press Poll (23rd) could predict a low jury result too.

Although not as strong, there is also some support for Germany (16th in the Audience Poll but 19th in the Press Poll), with a lot of German spectators attending the shows in the arena. This is less strong than in Basel though, where Germany was firmly in the top 10 of the audience, and much lower with the press.

Closing the top 10: Norway, Sweden and Romania

The Audience Poll closes its top 10 with Norway, Sweden and Romania, in line with previous results and with a late running order for all three countries, which are also strong crowd pleasers.

There is some variation here with the Press Poll: Sweden and Romania are also in its low top 10, but Norway is placed much lower. One must however remember that during the first dress rehearsal of the Grand Final (after which the poll was taken) JONAS LOVV made very little vocal effort in order to save himself for the jury show, and did not sing a lot of sections of his song.

Below the top 10: cutting through the bias

Below the top 10 of the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll and the Press Poll, point differences can be minimal (there are only 8 votes between the entries ranked 17th and 21st for example). But there are still a few elements that can be useful for analysis.

As an article from our partners at ESCInsight shows, the Audience Poll suffers from a western/nordic bias, noticeably visible with the low scores of countries like Ukraine. Once again, Ukraine finished low (21st, and 16th in the Press Poll), probably lower than its eventual result. Lithuania could also suffer from the same bias, finishing last in the Audience Poll with only 14 votes: we know that Lithuania can generally count on a strong diaspora support from the United Kingdom, and will also be the only Baltic country in the Final, possibly gaining additional support from its non-qualified neighbours.

Another bias, that is very natural, is that the audience prefers uptempo songs and songs that can be enjoyed live: the low results of Albania, Malta and Czechia, for example, are also the result of slower entries who rely a lot on camerawork (for the latter two) or on screen experience (with Albania’s subtitles), although Malta was 24th in the Press Poll and 20th in the Audience one. Lithuania and Ukraine also suffer from this are they are far from being dance tracks.

Outside of these classic biases, some songs like Serbia are more appealing to specific segments of the audience, which votes en masse for it but which are only small groups.

As for the other countries we have not yet mentionned, their results are not particularly surprising: Italy sits just outside the top 10 in both polls with a funny, efficient and memorable staging that may end up doing better than most people think, but that is not as memorable as the rest. France does better in the Press Poll (8th) than in the Audience One (12th) which reflects the current expectations on its result (a possibly strong jury score, with a lower public vote in its favour).

As for Cyprus and Germany, they are the lowest-placed uptempo songs: less memorable than “Bangaranga”, with a very early running order for the Automatic qualifier, and less than ideal vocals from the island nation. Israel also ends up quite low (the lowest it has been so far in Grand Final Audience Polls), 18th with 44 votes, which is perhaps a more unbiased result, considering this is a mid-tempo song placed early in the running order. As for the United Kingdom and Belgium, there is little surprise there too, considering the latter’s running order and crowd appeal, and the former’s reliance on TV performance (although LOOK MOM NO COMPUTER does have quite a strong presence in the arena).

The Eurovision Audience Poll thanks you!

The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Twenty-five acts will battle for Eurovision glory. Make sure you tune in to find out who will take the trophy home and to see where we’ll be travelling for Eurovision next year!

On behalf of the six partaking fan media platforms ESC Insight,12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, ESC Gabe, Merci Cherie Podcast and That Eurovision Site, we would like to thank you all for your interest and engagement with the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll. It is safe to say: We will be back next year!

Bulgaria and Australia dominate second Audience Poll

The second evening dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is complete. After the dust and pyrotechnics, settled on the Wiener Stadthalle the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was.

In this fourth edition of the Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of six fan media platforms (ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, ESC Gabe, Merci Cheri Podcast and That Eurovision Site), it was the battle of the banger versus the ballad. Bulgaria’s DARA won tonight’s poll by only five votes! ‘Bangaranga’ received 472 votes, (16.7%) compared to Australia’s Delta Goodrem who received 467 votes, (16.5%).

Following them by some distance, Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund rounds out the podium with 328 votes, (11.6%). Also in touching distance of the top three is Norway who received 313 votes, (11.1%) for its closing showpiece. The crowd pleasing performance from Cyprus appealed to the audience members to complete the top five. ‘Jalla’ received 295 votes, (10.4%).

Below in the midfield contenders we have Romania in sixth place, (7.4%). After this there is clear divide between the audience reaction and the current live odds. Despite the bookmakers considering Luxembourg a certain non-qualifier, the audience disagreed. Placing them in seventh, (5.3%). Closing out the remainder of the top ten are Albania in eighth, (4.4%) and Malta twenty votes behind, (3.7%). Just squeezing into tenth spot is our 2025 host Switzerland, (3.4%). Another performance that the bookies have place in non-qualification territory.

Just outside the top ten is Czechia. Missing out by eleven votes, (3%). At the bottom of the table are, Ukraine (2.9%), Latvia (1.6%), Armenia (1.3%) and Azerbaijan (0.5%). The last place in the poll received only fifteen votes. This is the third year in a row that Azerbaijan has achieved last place.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Both the Press Poll and the Audience Poll had Bulgaria as its winner. Suggesting crossover appeal for the jury and televoters. Interestingly the people polled were clear in their answer. During the first evening of polling, many simply said, “the first one”, in reference to Moldova. Last night, this response reduced. Most were direct in saying, “Bulgaria” or, “the Bangaranga!” Another point to note is that the responses for Bulgaria came from a broad range of ages and backgrounds. To have the opening act win both nights of the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll is quite the achievement. Showcasing the importance of having the complete package in terms of staging and song.

For the most part, there is good agreement between the polls. Both share the same eight countries in their respective top tens. As well sharing an identical top three in the exact order. Only being five votes behind Bulgaria is great news for Australia. Typically known for struggling in the televote, this year the nation has left nothing to chance. The star power and vocals of Delta Goodrem ensured a predominantly German-speaking public paid attention. Again following the narrative set in the first poll with Poland’s high placement that, ‘locals go for vocals’. The pathway for Australia to attain its best result since Dami Im is very much open.

In the case of Norway, the benefit of being the closing entry to the Semi-Final broadcasts is clear. A lot of people still chanting, “YA YA YA YA!” As they left the building. Again, young and old alike were keen to make their votes known for Norway. However, quite a few responses came from the British fans travelling to Vienna. Perhaps the Harry Styles-esque showmanship of Jonas Lovv breaking through?

In the Press Poll, the voters from the media centre able to see Czechia down the camera and absorb the performance of Daniel, led to an impressive fourth place. Yet in the Audience Poll it could only manage eleventh. It is worth understanding that Czechia is heavily reliant on the TV version for the full effect of the mirror structures used on stage. It is a song for the jury, and the viewers at home that will appreciate the visuals that Daniel creates.

Once more, Ukraine finds itself struggling to find traction with the voting audience. Most of the responses coming from Ukrainians attending the evening preview. Understandably it is a performance made to stir the televoting diaspora. Although it will also hold the attention of the jury for the infamous 40-second note.

Of course, it comes as no surprise that Luxembourg and Switzerland overachieved in the poll compared to the expectations of the bookmakers and voting press members. A large proportion of the ticket sales come from Austria and Switzerland. Naturally they will support their own entries and those of their fellow German-speaking nations. Austria’s 288 votes last night being a prime example. Although, a lot of the respondents took a long time to remember, “the ‘Mother Nature’ one.” Even with picture guidance, more time was spent engaging with these audience members than for any other entry.

The Eurovision Audience Poll concludes on Friday

The second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Fifteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.

On Friday, the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll will return for its final outing. Our team will once again hit the streets of Basel to ask the audience about their favourites. Members of ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, ESC Gabe, Merci Cherie Podcast and That Eurovision Site will join forces again to make sure we will all know what the audience thought of the Grand Final after watching the evening dress rehearsal.

Moldova is on duty in first Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll

The first evening dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is complete. After the glitter and pyrotechnics wore off, the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was. This resulted in a resounding victory for Moldova’s Satoshi, receiving over a quarter of the votes for ‘Viva Moldova!’. (28.2%)   This year we bring you fourth edition of the Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of six fan media platforms (ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, ESC Gabe, Merci Cherie Podcast and That Eurovision Site). Although the winner was not too shocking, it was the dominant manner of the poll victory over the established bookies favourites.

Following Moldova, of course it was the two rival leading contenders for the crystal microphone. Behind Moldova by a distance was Finland with 432 votes, (15.7%). Rounding out the podium was the expected televote magnate Greece with 327 votes, (11.9%).   Below the top three, it is proving to be a hotly contested battle for the remaining top ten spots. As shown when one looks at the chances bookmakers give each act to qualify. In a surprising turn of events, Lithuania, who are seen as a safe qualifier in the current odds, only placed fourteenth, (1.1%). Another interesting result in the evening is Poland. Leaning towards borderline qualification in the live odds, the live audience chose Poland as their go-to ballad to rally behind. A strong showing, placing fourth, (10.1).

Also showing the struggle pollsters and bookmakers are having this year, Senhit’s latest Eurovision comeback for San Marino saw the audience members place her and Boy George 9th in the poll with 83 votes, (3.0%). Meanwhile the odds rate San Marino as a certain non-qualifier. Likewise, Estonia placed tenth (2.1%) just six votes ahead of Belgium, while also being seen as unlikely to get over the qualification line.

Elsewhere in the top ten, Sweden (7.8%), Croatia (5.1%), Serbia (4.7%) and Israel (4.8%) were safe qualifiers with the audience at Monday night’s dress rehearsal. At the bottom of the scoreboard, we see Belgium (1.9%), Montenegro (1.7%), Portugal (1.5%), Lithuania (1.1%) and Georgia (0.9%), with Bzikebi receiving just 24 votes.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Across both the Press Poll and the Audience Poll there is a wild variation in the rankings. Although each of them do share the same eight acts in their respective top 10s.  

However, one thing the polls can agree on is the uphill battle Georgia faces. Being a small nation with a limited diaspora is already a disadvantage. Combine that with an unfavourable running order position, after many high energy performances, it is then unsurprising it finished last in both polls.  

During the previous editions of the Audience Poll we learned of its power to predict the televote magnates and surprise success stories of the year. In Liverpool, it was clear from the second Audience Poll that Belgium’s, ‘Because of You’ had strong televote potential. So it proved, with Gustaph’s eventual seventh place in the Grand Final. Two years ago, Ireland recaptured their Eurovision glory days of the 1990s. Bambie Thug became the surprise hit of the Malmö audience polls. They placed sixth place in the Malmö Grand Final. Last year it was the turn of Tommy Cash to engage the audiences of Basel before his eventual third place finish.

Viva Moldova!

So we say ‘Welcome to Moldova!’ As the returning nation to the Eurovision family gets the strongest of receptions from the voting audience members. Being one of the strongest opening acts to a Semi-Final, with eye-catching staging worked in Moldova’s favour to stay in people’s minds long after the show had ended. Many people when asked, simply responded, “The first one.” Which is something to think about when it comes to Moldova’s position in the Grand Final.

Over-achieving compared to odds expectations is Poland. It is unusual for a ballad to place as high as fourth in a poll typically dominated by the party anthems that rouse an audience. This result is indicative of the old Eurovision proverb that, ‘locals go for vocals’. A lot people just stated the country name of their favourite act and moved along. Not for Poland. Many wanted to add further comment. “Her vocals were so good!” “She’s a great singer!”

One country doing less well than anticipated beforehand is Lithuania. Adrift of the audience poll top ten in fourteenth place. There are numerous reasons for this. Mainly, it is a performance heavily reliant on the camera feed and the audience at home being able to connect with Lion Ceccah’s striking performance and emotion. Not something the arena audience would be able to engage with as easily. Also it is not uncommon for the acts reliant on their diaspora vote to struggle in the Audience Poll.

Also surprising is the good result for San Marino. Senhit’s, ‘Superstar’ has been seen as an unlikely qualifier to the Grand Final with bookmakers for a while now, yet find themselves in ninth place in the Audience Poll. Could San Marino defy the odds? Or is it good faith towards Senhit from more loyalist fans that tend to attend the evening preview shows? Maybe the guest appearance and ‘superstar’ power of Boy George who still has a considerable following? Quite a few of the respondents were of an advanced age compared to the other acts receiving good will from audience members of all ages.

The Eurovision Audience Poll returns on Wednesday

The first Semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Fifteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.  

On Wednesday, the Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll will return for its second outing. Our team will once again hit the streets of Vienna to ask the audience about their favourites after watching the second dress rehearsal of the second Semifinal. Members of ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, ESC Gabe, Merci Cherie Podcast and That Eurovision Site will join forces to reveal the results of the Vienna public!

The Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll launches Monday 11th May

For Eurovision fans, the most important week of the year is approaching rapidly. On Saturday, 16th May, a new winner of the Eurovision Song Contest will be crowned in Vienna. The question everyone is eager to answer, is of course; who will win the contest this year? To try and provide some insight into the potential outcome of Eurovision 2026, a collective of fan media has joined forces to bring you The Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll!

History of the Eurovision Audience Poll

During the inaugural year in Liverpool, ESC Insight, BetEurovision, ESCXTRA.com and The Euro Trip Podcast collaborated to produce the first ever Eurovision Audience Poll. Our teamwork during the week highlighted that Finland’s ‘Cha Cha Cha’ would storm the televote. Moreover, it correctly predicted Belgium’s ‘Because of You’ as a surprise hit with the viewers.

In our return to Malmö, ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA.com, OGAE Sweden, The Euro Trip Podcast and That Eurovision Site conducted the The Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll. Once again, the verdict of the live audience reflected the viewers at home. Most notably, predicting the success of ‘Doomsday Blue’. Which achieved Ireland’s best result since 2000. As well as accurately predicting the finishing positions of Switzerland (1st) and Croatia (2nd).

Last year in Basel, ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA.com, Eurovoix and That Eurovision Site conducted The Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll. Although a more mixed bag of results, the audience predicted Austria’s fourth place in the televote. Outside of this, the poll noted the potential of Albania and Estonia to do well.

What is the idea behind the Audience Poll?

The idea behind this Eurovision initiative is simple. We all want the answers as to who’s qualifying and who’s winning. By asking audience members on each of the evening preview shows who their favourite of the night was, we hope to help formulate their predictions for the big shows. Therefore, getting analysis into audience patterns that may be reflected in the televoting results.

This year, the platforms collaborating are – ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESC Gabe, ESCXTRA.com, Merci, Chérie Podcast and That Eurovision Site. They will be approaching audience members leaving the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna. To ask the audience members one question. “Who was your favourite of the night?”. Before the contest, we reached an agreement with event security for the locations to collect votes. On Monday (Semi-Final 1), Wednesday (Semi-Final 2) and Friday (Grand Final), we will publish the results of The Eurovision 2026 Audience Poll on our website www.eurovisionaudiencepoll.com. We will also post the results on the social media accounts of each of the six partaking Eurovision fan communities. We aim to publish the results before the press centre closes.

In case you have any questions regarding the Eurovision Audience Poll, please reach out to any of the six platforms taking part in organising this event. Their contact details are available on our website. You can also contact the project co-ordinator, Ben Robertson (ESC Insight) through ben@escinsight.com.

Sweden’s KAJ the Eurovision 2025 favourite as clear top two emerges

A grand total of 26 acts will be competing to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel tonight. The all important jury rehearsal took place on Friday night and, like on Monday and Wednesday, the team of the Eurovision Audience Poll was present outside the arena to ask the general public attending the show the burning question: Who was your favourite? The answer was a clear victory for Sweden’s KAJ.

In this third edition of the Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of five fan media platforms (ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, Eurovoix and That Eurovision Site), KAJ topped the poll with 245 votes, (11.8%). Once again showing why it’s top of the odds after also winning the Semifinal One poll on Monday. Not far behind is Finland in second place. Erika Vikman backing up her victory in the Semifinal Two poll on Wednesday with 221 votes, (10.6%). Completing the podium is the Big Five country Spain, who amassed a total of 181 votes, (8.7%).

Despite only being three votes behind Erika on Wednesday, Austria’s JJ now finds himself sinking to a distant fourth in the Grand Final Poll. A surprising result for a country tipped for overall victory. Wasted Love received 161 votes, (7.7%).

Following on, we see fellow jury contender, France one vote behind (7.7%). Next, we see the crowd pleasers of the show, Germany (5.3^%), Netherlands (4.5%) and Albania (4.3%). The remainder of the top ten consisted of the televote magnates, Malta (4.1%) and Estonia (3.9%). The latter only narrowing making the top ten on countback ahead of San Marino. The lowest placement for an automatic qualifier was the United Kingdom in nineteenth place with 1.6%).

As is typical for a crowd that wants to party, the ballads underperformed with the voting audience. At the bottom of the table are, Portugal (1.0%), Ukraine (0.7%) and Poland (0.7%). In a shock last place with 13 votes is Armenia (0.6%). Back in the Semifinal Two poll they were voted through as a safe qualifier.

Overall, the poll received 2085 votes. This equates to roughly a third of the overall audience in attendance at the show.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Comparing the two polls against the odds and social media trends tells us that the pathway to victory is still uncertain. There are three obvious challengers – Sweden, Austria and France, with Finland also lurking as an outside contender.

Sweden who are currently leading the odds, have topped both Audience Polls and shown its hand as the main competitor from the first Semifinal. Meanwhile the runner-up in the odds, Austria found itself narrowly losing out in the second Semifinal poll. Last night, JJ had to settle for fourth place in the poll for the Grand Final. The earlier slot in the running order may play a part in this.

The success story of every Press Poll and Audience Poll this week is undoubtedly, Finland. Tonight, Erika Vikman will be hoping that Finland’s recent history as a Eurovision power-house continues. So far, Finland has topped the Semifinal Two Press Poll and Audience Poll. Backing that up with a runner-up spot in both Grand Final polls. Thus, it is as an outsider due to its placement in the ‘Käärijä slot’ in the running order. The producers will always place a strong staging package and odds contender as late in the first half that they have drawn, as possible.

Another contender to consider is France. Louane who placed fifth in the Audience Poll and first in the Press Poll. The highest placing traditional ballad. If you take the Audience Poll as an indicator of the televote, it suggests there is an opportunity for a well performed and heartfelt ballad to cut through the noise and appeal to the voting viewers. Whilst the Press Poll shows Louane is very much in contention to win the jury vote. However, as a cautionary note. That long wait while waiting for France’s staging to be prepared, allows enough time for both jurors and televoters to dwell on their votes.

Although there’s a lot of variation between the results of the Press Poll and Audience Poll, one act they do both agree on is The Netherlands. Claude placed seventh in both. Even though he precedes Finland’s bold presentation, he remains consistent and has space to breathe in that mid-pack of the running order. Usually the jury candidates benefit from that not too early, not too late section of the running order around sixth to twelfth. Therefore Claude’s results this week show a very solid top ten is on the cards to make up for the disappointment The Netherlands face last year with the shock disqualification from the Grand Final.

One interesting discrepancy is Germany’s result. In the Audience Poll they placed sixth. However in the Press Poll it was almost last in 22nd place. Of course, it’s worth noting that German’s rank second in the ticket sales by country. Much of its audience success can be attributed to that data and its crowd pleasing nature. It will likely have a stronger showing in its televote compared to its jury score based on this.

Once again Spain dominate the poll. Last year, Nebulossa came sixth. This time around it’s a stronger showing for Melody, who placed third. Many pollsters on the ground reported that a large number of the respondents were Spanish. Spain are number five in the ticket purchase rankings. Meanwhile the bookies currently have Spain in contention for last place in the Grand Final. Are Spain destined for their usual polling and OGAE curse? Or are the bookies underestimating Spain somewhat. Especially given that is surrounded by multiple lower tempo songs before and after it.

Yet again, Ukraine struggles to find any impact in the Audience Poll, after their last place in the Press Poll. It is clear the diaspora are being put to the test here and Ukraine could have their lowest result since Under The Ladder which placed 17th in 2018.

Next we look at the battle of Balkans. With only Albania and Greece left standing they place Eighth and 17th respectively in the poll. Meanwhile they had a more impressive showing the Press Poll. Albania came fourth and Greece placed ninth. Perhaps outlining their jury ability. Moreover, Albania achieves this despite performing last when many in the crowd would have been preparing to leave early to get to Euroclub. Many consider last on to be a poisoned chalice, especially now voting opens from the start of the show. However, top ten results for Armenia 2016 and Italy 2018 show that if the song is strong enough, it can resonate with the jury and televote.

In regards to Greece. Based on the odds boost and streaming stats the diaspora is alerted. The top ten ticket countries are all of Western origin, with the UK and Australia being the two standouts with Greek diaspora. With the Ex-Yugo wipeout in the Semifinals, this vote will galvanise towards Greece and Albania. In 2013 this resulted in a sixth place result in the Grand Final for Greece.

Finally, we turn to the host nation Switzerland. The hosts are performing 19th in the running order with Voyage. In the last four contest, this position in the running order has achieved top ten results. However, the home crowd only managed to place Zoë Më in 12th. A surprise, when Swiss fans rank in first place for overall ticket sales, with France in fourth. Maybe this can attributed to Switzerland needing to be seen down the camera for its camera trickery. It is also a slower tempo entry for a party crowd to engage with.

The Eurovision Audience Poll thanks you!

The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Twenty-six acts will battle for Eurovision glory. Make sure you tune in to find out who will take the trophy home and to see where we’ll be travelling for Eurovision next year!

On behalf of the five partaking fan media platforms ESC Insight,12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, Eurovix and That Eurovision Site, we would like to thank you all for your interest and engagement with the third edition of the Eurovision Audience Polls. It is safe to say: We will be back next year!

Erika Vikman and JJ separated by three votes in second Audience Poll

The second evening dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is complete. After the dust, or should that be sand, settled on the St. Jakobshalle the Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was.

In this third edition of the Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of five fan media platforms (ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, Eurovoix and That Eurovision Site), it was the battle of the big staging. Finland’s Erika Vikman won tonight’s poll by just three votes! Ich Komme received 336 votes, (20.2%) compared to Austria’s JJ who received 333 votess, (20%).

Following them by some distance, Australia’s Go-Jo rounds out the podium with 124 votes, (7.5%). Not far away from the podium spots is Malta in fourth place who received 121 votes, (7.3%). Also chasing towards the top spots is Israel in fifth place (6.7%) – two spots higher than its seventh place in the SF2 poll last year.

Within the midfield pack it is proving to be a close fight among the nations known for their chequered qualifying history. From fifth place down to eighth place, they are separated by only 12 votes. This correlates to the difficulty the bookmakers are facing. At the time of writing, thirteenth place in the odds is still rated as having a 47% chance of qualifying. Despite the bookmakers considering Ireland a non-qualifier, Emmy managed to win over the Basel audience and place a credible sixth in the poll, (6.4%). Following closely behind is Luxembourg, (6.0%). Below are two more bookmaker non-qualifiers in Armenia, (5.7%) and Denmark, (4.9%). Closing out the top ten, only one vote further back is Greece, 4.9%).

Just outside the top ten is Latvia. Missing out by ten votes, (4.3%). At the bottom of the table are, Serbia (2.0%), Lithuania (1.6%), Czechia (1.4%), Georgia (0.8%) and Montenegro (0.5%). The last place in the poll received only eight votes.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. In both the Press Poll and the Audience Poll it is Czechia that is struggling. Overnight the bookmakers have reacted accordingly, moving Czechia from a safe qualifier, to only borderline. Perhaps another shock like Belgium is to come? Certainly this Semifinal shows the vulnerability faced for the acts without big stage props or novelty factor.

For the most part, there is good agreement between the polls. Both share the same eight countries in their respective top tens. Finland’s Erika Vikman rocketed on her mic stand to the top of both polls. Showing the advantage of being the climax of the Semifinal shows in many ways! Outlining Finland’s potential to do well in both the televote and jury vote. Meanwhile, Austria only being three votes behind the winner indicates its power to captivate an audience. Many expect it to be a jury winner and perhaps, the overall winner. Being able to do damage in the televote will definitely help towards that. Especially, as noted by the members undertaking the poll, the wide range of ages choosing Austria as their favourite.

Conversely, it was Armenia that proved to be popular with younger voters. Not surprising, given the modern rock anthem vibes of the performance and Parg’s youthful, shirtless look to win over voters with. Perhaps this showmanship is going a long way to explain its success in the poll compared to its certain non-qualifier status with the bookmakers.

In the Press Poll, the Baltic duo of Latvia and Lithuania place fifth and sixth. Yet in the Audience Poll both missed out. It is worth noting that these are two nations that rely heavily on diaspora voting. Switzerland, Germany, UK and France are the source of the bulk of ticket sales this year. Other than Germany and the UK, you would not typically expect the Baltic nations to feature highly in the televote of these countries.

Also surprising is the good result for Ireland. Emmy’s Laika Party has been seen as an unlikely qualifier to the Grand Final with bookmakers for a while now, yet find themselves in sixth place in the Audience Poll. Of course a live crowd always respond to the party songs. But are we seeing signs of another San Marino moment? Or are we seeing the work of UK and Irish ticket buyers? The Irish delegation will be hoping this poll translates to votes from the strong pool of friendly neighbours that can pick up the phones tonight.

Another curious point of interest to note, is Malta. Despite a disastrous showing in the Press Poll, Malta regained ground with fourth place in the Audience Poll. There is a lot to unpack here. Long gone are the playful, cheeky nods to The Sound of Music in the MESC staging. Now, Serving is Kant-less, but fierce and sexy. Did that put off the press and how it looks down the camera? Are the live crowd feeding off the club anthem nature of the song? Most of Malta’s USP was hinged on a word that is now muted from the lyrics and also muted from the mic feeds. If the audience are yelling it, the TV audio feed is not capturing it.

The Eurovision Audience Poll concludes on Friday

The second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Fifteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.

On Friday, the Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll will return for its final outing. Our team will once again hit the streets of Basel to ask the audience about their favourites. Members of ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, Eurovoix and That Eurovision Site will join forces again to make sure we will all know what the audience thought of the Grand Final after watching the second dress rehearsal.

Sweden’s KAJ leads the pack in first Audience Poll

The first evening dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is complete. After the glitter and pyrotechnics wore off, the Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was. This resulted in a resounding victory for Sweden’s KAJ, receiving almost a quarter of the votes for Bara Bada Bastu. (23.1%)

In this third edition of the Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of five fan media platforms (ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, Eurovoix and That Eurovision Site), the podium revealed an interesting surprise. Following Sweden, it was Claude’s charming pop song, C’est La Vie that earned second place with 197 votes, (13.2%). Rounding out the top three was Estonia’s Tommy Cash with 138 votes, (9.2%).

Below the top three, it is proving to be a hotly contested battle for the remaining top ten spots. As shown when one looks at the chances bookmakers give each act to qualify. In a surprising turn of events, Ukraine, who are seen as a safe qualifier, only placed thirteenth, (1.5%). Another shock to many is San Marino’s result in the Eurovision Audience Poll. Despite the bookmakers considering their chances to be borderline, they finished in fourth place, (9.0%). Only three votes behind Estonia. Also showing the struggle pollsters and bookmakers are having this year, is Slovenia. Currently a non-qualifier in the odds. They sneak into the tenth spot in the audience poll on running order count-back ahead of Cyprus. Both sharing 39 votes (2.6%).

Elsewhere in the top ten, Albania (8.8%), Belgium (7.4%), Norway (7.4%) and Iceland (7.1%) were safe qualifiers with the audience at Monday night’s dress rehearsal. Trailing a bit further back in ninth was Poland (4.1%). At the bottom of the scoreboard, we see Portugal (1.9%), Ukraine (1.5%), Croatia (1.2%) and Azerbaijan (0.9%), with Mamagama receiving just 13 votes. The second year in a row that Azerbaijan has placed last.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. In both the Press Poll and the Audience Poll it is Ukraine that is struggling to find momentum. As a Eurovision powerhouse with strong diaspora across Europe, they may still have enough support to qualify. However, it is clear from the reaction of the live audience, that Bird of Pray will be a test of that support for the first Ukrainian entry since Under The Ladder to showcase very little in Ukrainian identity and culture in its musicality or staging. Of course, Under The Ladder only managed to place 17th in the Final of its contest.

For the most part, there is good agreement between the polls. Both share the same eight countries in their respective top tens. The clear favourite in the polls being Sweden. Showing the sauna that sizzled in Melodifestivalen, still has plenty of heat left for Basel to prove why it’s currently the favourite of the betting community.

During the previous editions of the Audience Poll we learned of its power to predict the televote magnates and surprise success stories of the year. In Liverpool, it was clear from the second Audience Poll that Belgium’s, ‘Because of You’ had strong televote potential. So it proved, with Gustaph’s eventual seventh place in the Grand Final. Last year, it was the turn of Ireland to recapture their Eurovision glory days of the 1990s. Bambie Thug became the surprise hit of the Malmö audience polls. They placed sixth place in the Malmö Grand Final .

This time around we have early indications that Estonia’s Tommy Cash is winning audiences over with his playful choreography and ear-worm lyrics. In contrast to that is the radio-friendly nature of Netherlands’ Claude. Offering a bit of sanctuary for viewers away from all the novelty and crazy. Although Basel has a lot of native French speakers, the popularity of Claude is clearly wider reaching.

One country doing less well than anticipated beforehand is Cyprus. Out of the audience poll top ten on a tie-break despite closing the show and looking like a competitive male pop performance. One reason for this may be that it is a made-for-television performance. The cameras follow Theo and showcase his choreography as its meant to be seen. For those watching in the arena, most of the routine is blocked by the scaffolding on stage and makes the performance look very busy and hard to follow as a result.

Also surprising is the good result for San Marino. Gabry Ponte’s Tutta l’Italia has been seen as an unlikely qualifier to the Grand Final with bookmakers for a while now, yet find themselves in fourth place in the Audience Poll. Could San Marino buck the trend of DJ anthems doing poorly at Eurovision? Usually it is Italy that send the big Italian energy songs to Eurovision. So, it will be interesting to see if San Marino can capture some of their televote market this year.

The Eurovision Audience Poll returns on Wednesday

The first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Fifteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.

On Wednesday, the Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll will return for its second outing. Our team will once again hit the streets of Basel to ask the audience about their favourites after watching the second dress rehearsal of the second semifinal. Members of ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA, Eurovoix and That Eurovision Site will join forces again to make sure we will all know what the audience thought of the second semi.

The Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll launches this Monday

For Eurovision fans, the most important week of the year is approaching rapidly. Next Saturday, 17th May, a new winner of the Eurovision Song Contest will be crowned in Basel. The question everyone is eager to answer, is of course; who will win the contest this year? To try and provide some insight into the potential outcome of Eurovision 2025, a collective of fan media has joined forces to bring you The Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll!

During the inaugural year in Liverpool, ESC Insight, BetEurovision, ESCXTRA.com and The Euro Trip Podcast collaborated to produce the first ever Eurovision Audience Poll. Our teamwork during the week highlighted that Finland’s ‘Cha Cha Cha’ would storm the televote. Moreover, it correctly predicted Belgium’s ‘Because of You’ as a surprise hit with the viewers.

In our return to Malmö, ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA.com, OGAE Sweden, The Euro Trip Podcast and That Eurovision Site conducted the The Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll. Once again, the verdict of the live audience reflected the viewers at home. Most notably, predicting the success of ‘Doomsday Blue’ that went onto achieve Ireland’s best result since 2000. As well as accurately predicting the finishing positions of Switzerland (1st) and Croatia (2nd).

This year, members of the participating platforms – ESC Insight, 12 Points From America, ESCXTRA.com, Eurovoix and That Eurovision Site will be approaching audience members leaving the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, to ask them who their favourite of the night was. Before the contest, we reached an agreement with event security for the locations to collect votes. On Monday (Semi-Final 1), Wednesday (Semi-Final 2) and Friday (Grand Final), we will publish the results of The Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll on our website www.eurovisionaudiencepoll.com. We will also post the results on the social media accounts of each of the five partaking Eurovision fan communities. We aim to publish the results before the press centre closes.

What is the idea behind the Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll?

The idea behind this Eurovision initiative is simple. We all want the answers as to who’s qualifying and who’s winning. By asking audience members on each of the evening preview shows who their favourite of the night was, we hope to help formulate their predictions for the big shows. Therefore, getting analysis into audience patterns that may be reflected in the televoting results.

The Eurovision 2025 Audience Poll is working in collaboration with ESCXTRA.com and the annual Press Poll. ESCXTRA.com has been the home of the Press Poll for many years now and that will continue this year. With the Press Poll, only accredited members of the press may vote. Whereas the Audience Poll will involve members of the general public who will be attending the first public viewing of each Eurovision show in Basel.

In case you have any questions regarding the Eurovision Audience Poll, please reach out to any of the five platforms taking part in organising this event. Their contact details are available on our website. You can also contact the project co-ordinator, Ben Robertson (ESC Insight) through ben@escinsight.com.

Switzerland’s Nemo the Eurovision 2024 favourite as clear top two emerges

A grand total of 26 acts will be competing to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö tonight. The all important jury rehearsal took place on Friday night and, like on Monday and Wednesday, the team of the Eurovision Audience Poll was present outside the arena to ask the general public attending the show the all important question: Who was your favourite? The answer was a clear victory for Switzerland’s Nemo.

In this year’s final Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of six fan media platforms (ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast, That Eurovision Site, 12 Points From America and OGAE Sweden), Nemo claimed a resounding victory after narrowly topping the poll for semifinal two on Wednesday. In the Malmö Arena, the audience resonated with Switzerland’s The Code. This turned into 716 votes, (21.73%). At the top of the chasing pack, by some distance, is Croatia in second place. Baby Lasagna amassed 637 votes, (19.33%). A good result for the winner of the first Audience Poll on Monday.

Meanwhile, in third place is The Netherlands. Holding its solid Audience Poll position throughout the week with 279 votes, (8.74%). However, the surprise package of the week, Ireland was not far off the podium. After shocking everyone with second place in the first Audience Poll, Bambie Thug’s Doomsday Blue bewitched the crowd again to earn 266 votes, (8.07%).

Following behind, we see the jury favourite, France with 6.10%. Next, we see the crowd pleasers of the show, Spain (5.40%) and Austria (4.55%). The remainder of the top ten consisted of, Italy (3%), Ukraine (2.61%) and Israel (2.49%). Only two votes clear of Greece in eleventh with 2.43%. The lowest placement for an automatic qualifier was Germany in twentieth place with 0.94%.

As is typical for a crowd that wants to party, the ballads underperformed with the voting audience. At the bottom of the table are, Portugal (0.67%), Latvia (0.58%) and Serbia (0.27%). In last place with 5 votes is Slovenia (0.15%).

In total, 3295 votes were cast outside the Malmö Arena yesterday.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Comparing the two polls tells us that the battle between Switzerland and Croatia seems to be on. Yet, throughout the week this gap has narrowed. Croatia dominated the first Audience Poll of the week, with Switzerland only beating The Netherlands by one vote in the second Audience Poll. Last night, the tables turned once again. Switzerland ended the night with a clear 79 vote margin over Croatia. Outlining the volatile nature of trying to predict the outcome of this contest for fans and pundits alike.

Of course, it must be noted that yesterday due to an ongoing incident, The Netherlands were unable to perform live in the evening jury rehearsal. Instead, the semifinal two performance was shown on screens throughout the arena and to the voting jury members. Today, the EBU has confirmed that Joost has been disqualified from tonight’s Grand Final.

The success story of every Press Poll and Audience Poll this week is undoubtedly, Ireland. Tonight, Bambie Thug and the delegation will be hoping the luck of the Irish is with them to turn these podium challenging results into a good result in the grand final following many difficult years for the nation with the joint most Eurovision victories tied with Sweden on seven.

Another contender to consider is France. Slimane placed fifth in both of yesterday’s polls. The highest placing traditional ballad. If you take the Audience Poll as an indicator of the televote, it suggests there is an opportunity for a ballad to cut through the noise and appeal to the voting viewers.

There’s a big difference between the Press Poll and the Audience Poll when we look at Spain. Nebulossa scored a solid sixth place with the audience in Malmö, but had to settle for 16th with the accredited press. Likewise, Austria placed seventh with the audience and only 15th with the press. It’s looking the other way around for both Portugal and the Lithuania: Iolanda came 23rd with the Audience Poll, but tenth with the Press Poll. For Silvester Belt, it’s 18th and eighth. Highlighting their likelihood to receive appreciation from the voting jury.

Finally, we turn to the host nation Sweden. The hosts are opening the show later tonight with Unforgettable. However, the home crowd only managed to place Marcus & Martinus in 15th. A surprise, when Swedish fans rank in second place for overall ticket sales. Often we see low placements for host entries, will that trend continue tonight?

The Eurovision Audience Poll thanks you!

The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Twenty-six acts will battle for Eurovision glory. Make sure you tune in to find out who will take the trophy home and to see where we’ll be travelling for Eurovision next year!

On behalf of the six partaking fan media platforms ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast, That Eurovision Site, 12 Points From America and OGAE Sweden, we would like to thank you all for your interest and engagement with the second edition of the Eurovision Audience Polls. It is safe to say: We will be back next year!

Nemo and Joost separated by one vote in the latest Audience Poll

Yesterday, sixteen acts took to the stage to complete their first and second dress rehearsals for semifinal two of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. As the dust settled on the Malmö Arena, the Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was. Before we begin, we should clarify that disruptions along the Øresund Bridge, led to many fans staying in Copenhagen, arriving late to the evening show. Thus, many fans missed several performances at the start. Also, technical issues during Belgium’s initial performance allowed Belgium an opportunity to perform again after the remaining acts had finished.

The Netherlands and Switzerland dominate second Audience Poll

In this second edition of the Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of six fan media platforms (ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast, That Eurovision Site, 12 Points From America and OGAE Sweden), two clear standouts emerged. Only one vote separated Switzerland’s Nemo and Netherlands’ Joost, who received 624 (25.74%) and 623 (25.7%), respectively.

Following the leaders at a considerable distance to round out the podium, is Greece with 184 votes, (7.59%). Perhaps a surprise to some, is Estonia leading the charge for the podium, sitting in fourth place with 144 votes, (5.94%). Despite the bookmakers currently predicting Estonia to be a borderline qualifier Saturday’s Grand Final.

Elsewhere we see a competitive battle in the midfield pack. Just four votes separate Belgium in sixth, (4.62%) Israel in seventh, (4.58%) and Norway in eighth, (4.46%). Demonstrating the fine margins in play for those looking at the chances to qualify and trying to make predictions on the outcome.

Rounding off the top ten, we see Ladaniva for Armenia, (3.47%) and Denmark’s Saba, (3.18%). In a shock result, it is Georgia who just miss out by five votes, (2.97%). At the bottom of the scoreboard, we see Czechia, (1.90%) San Marino, (1.65%) Malta, (1.44%) Albania, (0.83%) and Latvia, (0.41%) with Dons receiving just 10 votes from the public.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Both the Press Poll and the Audience Poll, produced vastly different results. Indicating the volatile nature of trying to predict this semifinal. Yet, at the top of the polls, one act remained consistent. Switzerland’s Nemo won both and with that, outlined their credentials as a serious contender to challenge Baby Lasagna: the star of the first round of polling. Many had predicted The Netherlands to be a runaway winner of the semifinal, due to it being public voting only in this show and performing last in the running order. But, with just one vote between the top two in the Audience Poll, perhaps the battle is closer than we and the bookmakers believe.

Elsewhere we see a strong showing for Greece, who came third in both polls. Suggesting that jury and televoting potential is there for the Balkan nation to get a good return following their non-qualification in Liverpool. It also indicates that the unique concept of the social media style stage performance will translate through the camera.

One country performing well above expectations, is Estonia. Despite a poor reaction from those watching in the press centre, the evening show guests gave Estonia 144 votes. Only 40 votes off the podium spots. Is this favouritism from the Swedish and Danish fans towards a near neighbour? Or is this a sign that we have underestimated the Baltic nation? Could Estonia’s charming performance recreate the love Turin viewers had for Moldova’s, ‘Trenulețul’?

Although, if neighbour favouritism is a factor, then the friendship of Sweden and Denmark to their Scandinavian sister, Norway needs a lot of work! During last night’s polling, Norway only placed eighth with the voters. Somewhat surprising after they stormed the Press Poll with second place. Perhaps then, this underlines the jury appeal nature of the performance. The stage show elements clearly hold enough interest for the viewers. Meanwhile Denmark who are predicted by the bookmakers to not qualify, managed to sneak through in tenth place above Georgia. However, only five votes separated the pair. Of course, it is worth noting that Danish fans are sixth on the semifinal two list for tickets sales, and are fourth for overall sales. Both Denmark and Georgia leave the remaining acts trailing by a distance. Suggesting how close the margin between qualifying or not, may be tonight.

The Eurovision Audience Poll returns on Friday

The second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Sixteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.

On Friday, the Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll will return for its third outing. Our team will once again hit the streets of Malmö to ask the audience about their favourites after watching the second dress rehearsal of the Grand Final. Members of ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast, That Eurovision Site, 12 Points From America and OGAE Sweden will join forces again to make sure we will all know what the audience thought of the Grand Final.

Croatia’s Baby Lasagna dominates first Audience Poll

The first evening dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is complete. As the dust settled on the Malmö Arena, the Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was. This resulted in a resounding victory for Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, collecting a whopping 37.9% of the vote with Rim Tim Tagi Dim.

In this second edition of the Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of four fan media platforms (ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast, That Eurovision Site, 12 Points From America and OGAE Sweden), the podium was a clean sweep for the most outrageous stage shows. Following Croatia at a distance, we see Ireland as the surprise hit of the night as Bambie Thug placed second with 445 votes, (16.09%). Finland’s Windows95Man took third place with 210 votes, (7.59%).

Below the top three, it is proving to be a hotly contested battle for the remaining top ten spots. As shown when one looks at the chances bookmakers give each act to qualify. In a surprising turn of events, Ukraine, who many consider to be one of the overall favourites, only placed fifth, (6.76%). Another shock to many, is Australia’s result in the Eurovision Audience Poll. Despite the bookmakers considering their chances to be borderline, they finished in sixth place, (5.53%).

Both Cyprus (4.81%) and Portugal (3.33%) were safe qualifiers with the audience at Monday night’s dress rehearsal. Rounding off the top ten, we see Tali for Luxembourg (2.82%) and Poland’s Luna (2.75%). Just missing out are Slovenia (1.48%). At the bottom of the scoreboard, we see Serbia (1.16%), Iceland (1.01%), Moldova (0.90%) and Azerbaijan (0.65%), with FAHREE ft. Ilkin Dovlatov receiving just 18 votes from the public.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. In both the Press Poll and the Audience Poll, it’s Slovenia who narrowly miss out on the top ten. Yet neither poll could agree on the winner, with Ireland taking the Press Poll, while Croatia stormed the Audience Poll. Perhaps reflecting the unpredictable nature of this years’ contest compared to previous years.

Last year in Liverpool, it was clear from the second Audience Poll that Belgium’s, ‘Because of You’ had strong televote potential. So it proved, with Gustaph’s eventual seventh place in the Grand Final. This year, early indications are that Ireland may have found their Eurovision mojo again and are heading towards their best result for many years, after placing second in the poll.

One country doing less well than anticipated beforehand is Poland. After struggling to grab the attention of those watching in the press centre, the evening show guests could only manage to find 76 votes for Luna. While tenth place is still qualification, that will be a concern. It raises the question of whether diaspora alone will pull Poland through, if viewers are disengaged from the performance.

Also surprising is the good result for Australia. Electric Fields’ One Milkali (One Blood) has been seen as an unlikely qualifier to the Grand Final with bookmakers for a while now, but they now find themselves in sixth place. Does Australian fans being the fourth biggest ticket purchasers for semi-final one have something to do with this or have bookmakers been underestimating Electric Fields’ chances to progress to the Grand Final?

The Eurovision Audience Poll returns on Wednesday

The first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Fifteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.

On Wednesday, the Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll will return for its second outing. Our team will once again hit the streets of Malmö to ask the audience about their favourites after watching the second dress rehearsal of the second semifinal. Members of ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast, That Eurovision Site, 12 Points From America and OGAE Sweden will join forces again to make sure we will all know what the audience thought of the second semi.

The Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll launches this Monday

For Eurovision fans, the most important week of the year is approaching rapidly. Next Saturday, 11th May, a new winner of the Eurovision Song Contest will be crowned in Malmö. The question on everybody’s lips is, of course, who will win the contest this year? To try and provide some insight into the potential outcome of Eurovision 2024, a collective of fan media has joined forces to bring you The Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll!

Last year in Liverpool, ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and BetEurovision collaborated to produce the first ever Eurovision Audience Poll. Our teamwork during the week highlighted that Finland’s ‘Cha Cha Cha’ would storm the televote. Moreover, it correctly predicted Belgium’s ‘Because of You’ as a surprise hit with the viewers.

In our return to Malmö, ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and OGAE Sweden will collaborate to conduct The Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll. Members of the four participating platforms will be approaching audience members leaving the Malmö Arena to ask them who their favourite of the night was. Before the contest, we reached an agreement with event security for the locations to collect votes. On Monday (Semi-Final 1), Wednesday (Semi-Final 2) and Friday (Grand Final), we will publish the results of The Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll on our website www.eurovisionaudiencepoll.com. We will also post the results on the social media accounts of each of the four partaking Eurovision fan communities. We aim to publish the results before the press centre closes.

What is the idea behind the Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll?

The idea behind this Eurovision initiative is simple. We all want the answers as to who’s qualifying and who’s winning. By asking audience members on each of the evening preview shows who their favourite of the night was, we hope to help formulate their predictions for the big shows. Therefore, getting analysis into audience patterns that may be reflected in the televoting results.

The Eurovision 2024 Audience Poll is working in collaboration with ESCXTRA.com and the annual Press Poll. ESCXTRA.com has been the home of the Press Poll for many years now and that will continue this year. With the Press Poll, only accredited members of the press may vote. Whereas the Audience Poll will involve members of the general public who will be attending the first public viewing of each Eurovision show in Malmö.

In case you have any questions regarding the Eurovision Audience Poll, please reach out to any of the four platforms taking part in organising this event. Their contact details are available on our website. You can also contact the project co-ordinator, Ben Robertson (ESC Insight) through ben@escinsight.com.

Finland’s Käärijä the runaway favourite as Gustaph hits the podium

A grand total of 26 acts will be competing to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool tonight. The all important jury rehearsal took place on Friday night and, like on Monday and Wednesday, the team of the Eurovision Audience Poll was present outside the arena to ask the general public attending the show the all important question: Who was your favourite? The answer was a clear victory for Finland’s Käärijä.

In this year’s final Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of four fan media platforms (ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and BetEurovision), Käärijä took another landslide victory after already doing so for the first semifinal on Monday. In the M&S Bank Arena, the audience once again lost it for Finland’s Cha Cha Cha. It brought him victory with 29.2%. Runaway favourite for victory tonight Sweden finished in second place. Loreen gathered 11.5% of the votes.

Completing the podium was the most surprising frontrunner of the week: Gustaph from Belgium. His Because Of You took a bronze medal home from the Audience Poll with 7.9% of the vote, just ahead of Norway (7.0%) and Austria (6.6%).

The remainder of the top ten consisted of Australia (5.3%) and three automatic qualifiers, with France (5.2%), United Kingdom (4.1%) and Spain (2.8%). Fellow Big Five country Germany collected an eleventh place with 2.1% – a result the German delegation would be delighted with for Lord of the Lost and Blood & Glitter. Italy (#13 with 1.6%) and Ukraine (#16 with 1.5%) were the remaining automatic qualifiers.

Surprisingly, the bottom three of last night’s scoreboard started with Armenia. Brunette scored a mere 0.6% of the vote. That was, however, still more than Portugal (0.4%) and Albania (also 0.4%).

In total, 3704 votes were cast outside the M&S Bank Arena yesterday. For the first semifinal, Finland also emerged victorious. In the second semi, that honour went to yesterday’s fifth placers from Austria. For Teya & Salena, that is not a bad result, considering they had to open the show in Liverpool.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Comparing the two polls tells us that the battle between Finland and Sweden seems to be on. Many fans and pundits are predicting Finland to take the televoting, with Sweden potentially outscoring them on a jury vote. If we look at the Audience Poll as a public vote, those signs do indeed look good for Käärijä.

Momentum has definitely been on the side of Belgium these past days. Attendees of the shows have said Gustaph really gets the audience going during his performance – something which might explain his phenomenal result in the Audience Poll.

There’s a big difference between the Press Poll and the Audience Poll when we look at Armenia. Brunette scored a solid sixth place with the accredited press in Liverpool, but had to settle for 24th in the Audience Poll. It’s looking the other way around for both Norway and the United Kingdom: Alessandra came fourth with the Audience Poll, but nineteenth with the Press Poll. For Mae Muller, it’s eighth and twentieth.

The Eurovision Audience Poll thanks you!

The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Twenty-six acts will battle for Eurovision glory. Make sure you tune in to find out who will take the trophy home and to see where we’ll be travelling for Eurovision next year!

On behalf of the four partaking fan media platforms ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and Bet Eurovision, we would like to thank you all for your interest and engagement with these first ever Eurovision Audience Polls. It is safe to say: We will be back next year!

Austria’s Teya & Salena storm ahead in Audience Poll, Gustaph close behind

Sixteen acts took to the stage yesterday in the first and second dress rehearsal of the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. When peace returned to the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, the Eurovision Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was. This resulted in a very clear top two, with Austria’s Teya & Salena taking the crown with 27.90% of the total vote.

In this year’s second Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of four fan media platforms (ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and BetEurovision), it was a surprising silver medal for Gustaph from Belgium. After a massive cheer in the audience, the feeling may have been that he was going to do well in the Audience Poll. It brought him second place with 24.50%. Completing the podium was another act receiving a loud cheer: Voyager. Australia gathered exactly 17% of the votes.

Perhaps surprising when looking at the pre-season, it’s Blanka from Poland in fourth. The bejba of the year followed our top three at a distance with 7%. However, that means she was still quite a bit ahead of our number five Armenia (3.9%).

Just 21 votes eventually separated sixth place Estonia (3.2%) from their Baltic sister in eleventh: Lithuania (2.3%). That means it was extremely close in the midfield. For last night, Cyprus and Slovenia (2.7%) still finished on the left hand side of the scoreboard. Iceland’s Diljá was also a somewhat surprising qualifier, scoring 2.6% and a ninth place in total. With that, she was one vote ahead of our last qualifier – Reiley from Denmark.

After Lithuania, the next Audience Poll non-qualifiers were Greece (1.3%) and San Marino (0.8%). To our surprise, Georgia then followed with a mere 0.5% of the vote. With that, they scored the same result as Albania’s Albina & Familja Kelmendi. Finishing bottom of the scoreboard was Theodor Andrei from Romania, collecting just 0.4% of the vote. A total of 2525 votes was cast last night.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Comparing the two polls tells us that only San Marino and Romania were non-qualifiers in both. The other four countries who wouldn’t progress are different between the two, which tells us how wide open this semi actually is. The only countries qualifying in both polls are Austria, Belgium, Australia, Armenia, Cyprus and Slovenia. Are they the six sure qualifiers?

Austria has been named a potential winner of this all televote semi more often before, but the biggest surprise is Belgium’s second place. When Gustaph won Eurosong back in January, the Belgian delegation could hardly have expected the narrative on their entry taking such a positive turn. Because Of You has developed into a possible safe qualifier and a potential televote dark horse. Can Flanders get their first top ten since 2016 – or maybe even their first ever top five?

Also surprising is the major difference for Poland and Albania with the Audience Poll and the Press Poll. Where Albania came fifth in the Press Poll, they now find themselves in fifteenth. Blanka turns that around, with an eleventh place in the Press Poll and a solid fourth place in the Audience Poll.

The Eurovision Audience Poll returns on Friday

The second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Sixteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday, joining the six autoqualifiers and the ten qualified from the first semi. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.

On Friday, the Eurovision Audience Poll will return for its final outing of the year. Our team will once again hit the streets of Liverpool to ask the audience about their favourites after watching the jury rehearsal of the Grand Final. Members of ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and BetEurovision will join forces again to make sure we will all know what the audience thought of the second semi.

Finland’s Käärijä dominates first Audience Poll

The first dress rehearsals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 are done and dusted. As the dust settled on the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, the Eurovision Audience Poll team asked members of the audience who their favourite act of the night was. This resulted in a resounding victory for Finland’s Käärijä, collecting a whopping 41.7% of the vote with his Cha Cha Cha.

In this first ever Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of four fan media platforms (ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and BetEurovision), the podium was a Nordic clean sweep. Following Finland at a distance, we see former Eurovision winner Loreen for Sweden. Her 381 votes result in a score of 15.4%. Norway’s Alessandra took third place with 241 votes and 9.7% of the total vote.

Scoring surprisingly well when one looks at the chances bookmakers give each act to qualify are the numbers five and six from the Eurovision Audience Poll. The Busker from Malta received 5.5% of the vote, taking fifth place. Perhaps an even bigger surprise can be found in sixth place, where Ireland received 124 votes (5.0%).

Both Czechia (3.8%) and Croatia (3.3%) were safe qualifiers with the audience at Monday night’s dress rehearsal. Rounding off the top ten, we see Mimicat for Portugal (2.1%) and Swiss hopeful Remo Forrer (1.9%). Just missing out are Moldova (1.3%) and the Netherlands (1.3%). The difference between Pasha Parfeni and Mia Nicolai&Dion Cooper was just a single vote. At the bottom of the scoreboard, we see Latvia (1.0%), Azerbaijan (1.0%) and Serbia (0.9%). Luke Black received just 23 votes tonight from the public.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. In both the Press Poll and the Audience Poll, it’s Moldova who narrowly miss out on the top ten. Many will have considered Soarele Si Luna a sure qualifier, but does this bring doubt to that conversation?

Another country doing less well than anticipated beforehand is Serbia. Samo Mi Se Spava finished in last place tonight, receiving less than one percent of the vote. It’s worth wondering whether this may be reflected in the televotes tonight as well. From its selection onwards, the question has been whether televoters will understand the concept. A valid question when one looks at tonight’s result?

Also surprising is the good result for Ireland. Wild Youth’s We Are One has been seen as the least likely qualifier to the Grand Final with bookmakers for a while now, but they now find themselves in sixth place. Does the proximity of Ireland to the United Kingdom have something to do with this or have bookmakers been underestimating Wild Youth’s chances to progress to the Grand Final?

The Eurovision Audience Poll returns on Wednesday

The first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Fifteen acts will battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final on Saturday. Make sure you tune in to find out who will make it through.

On Wednesday, the Eurovision Audience Poll will return for its second outing. Our team will once again hit the streets of Liverpool to ask the audience about their favourites after watching the second dress rehearsal of the second semifinal. Members of ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and BetEurovision will join forces again to make sure we will all know what the audience thought of the second semi.

The Eurovision Audience Poll launches this Monday!

For Eurovision fans, the most important week of the year is approaching rapidly. Next Saturday, 13th May, a new winner of the Eurovision Song Contest will be crowned in Liverpool. The question on everybody’s lips is of course who will win the contest this year? To try and provide some insight into the potential outcome of Eurovision 2023, a collective of Eurovision community media have joined forces to bring you The Eurovision Audience Poll!

Together ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The EuroTrip Podcast and BetEurovision will collaborate to conduct The Eurovision Audience Poll. Members of the four participating platforms will be approaching audience members leaving the Liverpool Arena to ask them who their favourite of the night was. The locations where our team will be collecting votes have been agreed with event security beforehand. On Monday (for Semi Final 1), Wednesday (for Semi Final 2) and Friday (for the Grand Final), we will publish the results of The Eurovision Audience Poll on our brand new website www.eurovisionaudiencepoll.com. We will also post the results on the social media accounts of each of the four partaking Eurovision fan communities. We aim to publish the results before the press centre closes.

The idea behind the creation of this brand new Eurovision initiative is simple: We all want the answers as to who’s qualifying and who’s winning. By asking audience members on each of the evening preview shows who their favourite of the night was, we hope to help formulate their predictions for the big shows.

The Eurovision Audience Poll is working alongside that ESCXTRA.com runs their annual Press Poll. ESCXTRA.com has been the home of the Press Poll for a couple of years now and that will continue this year. With the Press Poll, only accredited press is allowed to vote, whereas The Eurovision Audience Poll will involve members of the general public who will be attending the first public viewing of each Eurovision show in Liverpool. The aim is that with enough volunteers on site we can get 1000 votes each night for the Eurovision Audience Poll.

In case you have any questions regarding the Eurovision Audience Poll, please reach out to any of the four platforms taking part in organising this event, and their contact details are available on our website. You can also contact the project co-ordinator, Ben Robertson (ESC Insight) through ben@escinsight.com.