Television in Estonia was introduced in 1955, following the Soviet government's decision to establish a television station in 1953. The National TV Channel ETV has maintained an archive since 1955 in which broadcasts of unique aspects of Estonian culture are held.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Through My Window" written by Pearu Paulus, Ilmar Laisaar, Alar Kotkas and Jana Hallas. The song was performed by Sandra Oxenryd. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV) organised the national final Eurolaul 2006 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece. Ten songs competed in the national final and "Through My Window" performed by Sandra Oxenryd was selected as the winner by a jury panel.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Let's Get Loud" written by Sven Lõhmus. The song was performed by the group Suntribe. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV) organised the national final Eurolaul 2005 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Nine songs competed in the national final and "Let's Get Loud" performed by Suntribe was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) – Estonian Public Broadcasting – is a publicly funded and owned radio and television organisation created in Estonia on 1 June 2007 to take over the functions of the formerly separate Eesti Raadio (ER) and Eesti Televisioon (ETV), under the terms of the Estonian National Broadcasting Act. The first chair of ERR is Margus Allikmaa, the former chair of Eesti Raadio. Present CEO is Erik Roose.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Runaway" written by Pearu Paulus, Ilmar Laisaar, Alar Kotkas and Jana Hallas. The song was performed by Sahlene. In addition to participating in the contest, the Estonian broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV) also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest after winning the competition in 2001 with the song "Everybody" performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. ETV organised the national final Eurolaul 2002 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2002 contest in Tallinn. Ten songs competed in the national final and "Runaway" performed by Sahlene was selected as the winner by an international jury panel.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Leto svet" written by Priit Pajusaar, Tarmo Leinatamm, Hannes Võrno, Peeter Oja and Glen Pilvre. The song was performed by the group Kreisiraadio. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eurolaul 2008 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Ten songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected over two rounds of public voting. In the first round, the top three were selected to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Leto svet" performed by Kreisiraadio was selected as the winner.
Since 1991 Estonia has changed from being a former Soviet republic to a member of the European Union and the European Monetary Union, making a rapid transformation in several fields, including the mass media, which is a vibrant and competitive sector. For many years Estonia has been among the top ten in Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Press Freedom Index. In 2017 it was ranked 12th out of 180 countries by RSF while Freedom House assigned Estonia’s press freedom a score of 16/100. A cross-media landscape that embraces traditional media as well as the Internet and digital media characterises the contemporary media system in Estonia.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Rändajad" written by Sven Lõhmus. The song was performed by the group Urban Symphony. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2009 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. Ten songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top two to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Rändajad" performed by Urban Symphony was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Kalmer Tennosaar was an Estonian singer and Eesti Televisioon journalist.
Eesti Raadio was the public service radio broadcaster of Estonia that, at the time of closure, operated five national radio stations. It was closed in 2007 as a result of a merger with Eesti Televisioon to form the Estonian Public Broadcasting service, or Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR).
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Siren" written by Robin Juhkental. The song was performed by Malcolm Lincoln and Manpower 4. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2010 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway. Ten songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top two to qualify to the super final.In the super final, "Siren" performed by Malcolm Lincoln and Manpower 4 was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Play" written by Fred Krieger, Stig Rästa and Vallo Kikas. The song was performed by Jüri Pootsmann. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2016 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and the top five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Play" performed by Jüri Pootsmann was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Verona" written by Sven Lõhmus. The song was performed by Koit Toome, who had previously represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 where he placed twelfth with the song "Mere lapsed", and Laura, who had previously represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 as part of the group Suntribe where she failed to qualify to the final with the song "Let's Get Loud". The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2017 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the super final. In the super final, "Verona" performed by Koit Toome and Laura was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Liina Tennosaar is an Estonian stage, film and television actress.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Storm" written by Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, Victor Crone and Fred Krieger. The song was performed by Victor Crone. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul2019 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Twelve songs competed in each semi-final and six from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Storm" performed by Victor Crone was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Eero Spriit, is an Estonian actor, theatre producer and director, and film and television producer. Spriit's career as an actor began in the early 1970s.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "The Lucky One" written by Uku Suviste and Sharon Vaughn. The song was performed by Uku Suviste. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2021 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Twelve songs competed in each semi-final and six from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "The Lucky One" performed by Uku Suviste was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Sirje Tennosaar was a Soviet and Estonian actress and television presenter. She had major roles in the films Jääminek (1962) and Jäljed and in the television production Maailm minuta (1974) and in the television series Kelgukoerad (2009).
Mati Talvik was an Estonian television journalist.
Henrik Kalmet is an Estonian actor, comedian, and television personality. Kalmet began his career in 2010 and has appeared as an actor on stage, television, and films. He is also a stand-up comedian and has appeared as a judge and presenter on several Estonian television series. In 2011, he was a cofounder of the theatre troupe Kinoteater.
