European Broadcasting Union

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European Broadcasting Union
Union européenne de radio-télévision
Predecessor International Broadcasting Union
Formation12 February 1950;73 years ago (1950-02-12)
TypeUnion of broadcasting organisations
Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland
Membership
  • 112 member organisations
  • (in 54 countries)
Official language
English, French
President
 Delphine Ernotte [1]
Director-General
 Noel Curran
Website www.ebu.ch OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; French: Union européenne de radio-télévision, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Council of Europe. As of 2022, it is made up of 112 member organizations from 54 countries, [2] and 30 associate members from a further 19 countries. [3] It was established in 1950, and had its administrative headquarters in Geneva and technical office in Brussels.

Contents

The EBU owns and operates the Eurovision and Euroradio telecommunications networks on which major television and radio broadcasts are distributed live to its members. It also operates the daily Eurovision news exchange in which members share breaking news footage.

In 2017, the EBU launched the Eurovision Social Newswire, an eyewitness and video verification service. Led by Head of Social Newsgathering, Derek Bowler, the service provides members of the EBU with verified and cleared-for-use newsworthy eyewitness media emerging on social media. [4]

The EBU, in co-operation with its members, produces programmes and organizes events in which its members can participate, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, its best known production, or the Eurovision Debates between candidates for president of the European Commission for the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections. [5] The Director-General is Noel Curran since 2017.

General description

The classic opening ident that preceded all Eurovision network transmissions until 1993. The logotypes of both the sending and receiving companies were shown in the middle. This sample shows the old logo of the BBC. Eurovision old logo.svg
The classic opening ident that preceded all Eurovision network transmissions until 1993. The logotypes of both the sending and receiving companies were shown in the middle. This sample shows the old logo of the BBC.
European Commission presidency candidates at Eurovision Debate (May 2019). Left to right: Zahradil, Cue, Keller, Vestager, Timmermans, Weber. Debate of lead candidates for the European Commission presidency (40894703423).jpg
European Commission presidency candidates at Eurovision Debate (May 2019). Left to right: Zahradil, Cué, Keller, Vestager, Timmermans, Weber.

EBU members are public service media (PSM) broadcasters whose output is made, financed, and controlled by the public, for the public. PSM broadcasters are often established by law but are non-partisan, independent and run for the benefit of society as a whole.

EBU members come from as far north as Iceland and as far south as Egypt, from Ireland in the west and Azerbaijan in the east, and almost every nation from geographical Europe in between. Associate Members are from countries and territories beyond Europe, such as Canada, Japan, India and China. Associate members from the United States include ABC, CBS, NBC, CPB, NPR, APM and the only individual station, Chicago-based classical music radio WFMT. [6]

Membership is for media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area, as defined by the International Telecommunication Union, or who are members of the Council of Europe. [7]

Members benefit from:

The EBU's highest-profile production is the Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU also organises the Eurovision Dance Contest, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the Eurovision Young Dancers competition, and other competitions which are modeled along similar lines.

Radio collaborations include Euroclassic Notturno—an overnight classical music stream, produced by BBC Radio 3 and broadcast in the United Kingdom as Through the Night—and special theme days, such as the annual Christmas music relays from around Europe. [8] The EBU is a member of the International Music Council.

Most EBU broadcasters have group deals to carry major sporting events including the FIFA World Cup and the inaugural European Championships. Another annually recurring event which is broadcast across Europe through the EBU is the Vienna New Year's Concert. [9]

Eurovision Media Services is the business arm of the EBU and provides media services for many media organisations and sports federations around the world.

The theme music played before and after every EBU broadcast is Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Prelude to Te Deum . It is well known to Europeans as it is played before and after the Eurovision Song Contest and other important events. [10]

History

EBU's previous logo used from 1994 to 17 June 2012. EBU logo.svg
EBU's previous logo used from 1994 to 17 June 2012.
Vienna New Year's Concert. The New Years Eve Concert 2013 at The Wiener Musikverein (8336464777).jpg
Vienna New Year's Concert.

The EBU was a successor to the International Broadcasting Union (IBU) that was founded in 1925 and had its administrative headquarters in Geneva and technical office in Brussels. It fostered programming exchanges between members and mediated technical disputes between members that were mostly concerned with frequency and interference issues. It was in effect taken over by Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and thereafter the Allies viewed it as a compromised organisation that they could not trust.

In the spring of 1946, representatives of the Soviet radio committee proposed forming a new organisation; however, at the same time preparations were being made for an inter-governmental "European Broadcasting Conference" in Copenhagen in 1948 to draw up a new plan for frequency use in the European Broadcasting Area. It was considered necessary to have an organisation that could implement the "Copenhagen Wavelength Plan" but there was disagreement among broadcasters and particularly a fear expressed by the BBC that a new association might be dominated by the USSR and its proposal to give each of its constituent states one vote. France proposed that it would have four votes with the inclusion of its North African colonies. The United Kingdom felt it would have little influence with just one vote.

On 27 June 1946, the alternative International Broadcasting Organisation (IBO) was founded with 26 members and without British participation. The following day the IBU met in General Assembly and an attempt was made to dissolve it but failed; though 18 of its 28 members left to join the IBO. [11] For a period of time in the late 1940s both the IBU and IBO vied for the role of organising frequencies but Britain decided to be in involved in neither. The BBC attempted but failed to find suitable working arrangements with them. However, for practical purposes, the IBO rented the IBU technical centre in Brussels and employed its staff. The BBC then proposed a new solution based on the IBO changing its constitution so there will be only one member per International Telecommunication Union (ITU) country, thus ensuring a Western majority over the USSR and its satellite states. In August 1949 a meeting took place in Stresa, Italy but it resulted in disagreement between delegates on how to resolve the problems. One proposal was for the European Broadcasting Area to be replaced by one that would exclude Eastern Europe, the Levant and North Africa.

After Stresa, a consensus emerged among the Western Europeans to form a new organisation and the BBC proposed it be based in London. Meetings in Paris on 31 October and 1 November 1949 sealed the fate of the IBU and IBO, but it was decided not to allow West Germany to be a founder of the new organisation. On 13 February 1950 the European Broadcasting Union had its first meeting with 23 members from the ITU defined European Broadcasting Area at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay, England, United Kingdom. The first president was Ian Jacob of the BBC who remained at the helm for 10 years while its operation was largely dominated by the BBC due to its financial, technical and staff input. The most important difference between the EBU and its predecessors was that EBU membership was for broadcasters and not governments. Early delegates said EBU meetings were cordial and professional and very different from the abrupt tone of its predecessors. West Germany was admitted in 1951 and a working relationship forged with the USSR's Organisation for International Radio and TV (OIRT) which existed in parallel with the EBU until its merger on 1 January 1993. [11]

In 1967, the first concert in the International Concert Season of the European Broadcasting Union was broadcast from the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. [12]

Technical activities

The objective of the EBU's technical activities is simply to assist EBU Members (see below) in this period of unprecedented technological changes. This includes the provision of technical information to Members via conferences and workshops, as well as in written form (such as the EBU Technical Review, and the EBU tech-i magazine).

The EBU also encourages active collaboration between its Members on the basis that they can freely share their knowledge and experience, thus achieving considerably more than individual Members could achieve by themselves. Much of this collaboration is achieved through Project Groups which study specific technical issues of common interest: for example, EBU Members have long been preparing for the revision of the 1961 Stockholm Plan.

The EBU places great emphasis on the use of open standards. Widespread use of open standards (such as MPEG-2, DAB, DVB, etc.) ensures interoperability between products from different vendors, as well as facilitating the exchange of programme material between EBU Members and promoting "horizontal markets" for the benefit of all consumers.

EBU Members and the EBU Technical Department have long played an important role in the development of many systems used in radio and television broadcasting, such as:

The EBU has also actively encouraged the development and implementation of:

Controversies

Greek state broadcaster (2013)

On 11 June 2013, the Greek government shut down the state broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) on short notice, citing government spending concerns related to the European debt crisis. [14] In response, the EBU set up a makeshift studio the same day near the former ERT offices in Athens in order to continue providing EBU members with the news-gathering and broadcast relay services which had formerly been provided by ERT. [15] The EBU put out a statement expressing its "profound dismay" at the shutdown, urging the Greek Prime Minister "to use all his powers to immediately reverse this decision" and offered the "advice, assistance and expertise necessary for ERT to be preserved". [16] Starting on 4 May 2014, the new state broadcaster New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT) began nationwide transmissions, taking over ERT's vacant active membership slot in the EBU. [17] On 11 June 2015, two years after ERT's closure, NERIT was renamed as Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), [18] [19] which reopened with a comprehensive program in all radio stations (with nineteen regional, two world-range and five pan-Hellenic range radio stations) and three TV channels ERT1, ERT2 and ERT3.

Belarusian state broadcaster (2021)

The Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC) has been accused of repressing its own employees, having fired more than 100 people since a wave of anti-Lukashenko protests in 2020 following alleged election fraud. Many of them have also been jailed. Many voices have been raised against the participation of Belarus and the BTRC in the otherwise unpolitical Eurovision Song Contest in 2021, the argument being that the EBU would make a political statement if it did endorse Belarus by essentially and silently saying that democracy is unimportant and so are basic human rights such as freedom of speech. [20]

On 28 May 2021, the EBU suspended the BTRC's membership as they had been "particularly alarmed by the broadcast of interviews apparently obtained under duress". BTRC was given two weeks to respond before the suspension came into effect, but did not do so publicly. [21] The broadcaster was completely expelled from the EBU on 1 July 2021 for a period of three years. [22] [23]

Russian state broadcasters (2022)

The three Russian members of the EBU, Channel One Russia, VGTRK, and Radio Dom Ostankino are all controlled by the Russian government. [24] On 21 February 2022, the Russian government recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, disputed territories that are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne called on the EBU to terminate the membership of Channel One Russia and VGTRK, and to consider preventing Russia from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, citing the Russian government's use of both outlets to spread disinformation surrounding the Russo-Ukrainian war. [25] Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, several other public broadcasters joined UA:PBC in calling for Russia's exclusion from the 2022 Contest; Finland's Yle and Estonia's ERR stated that they would not send a representative if Russia was allowed to participate. [26] [27] After initially stating that both Russia and Ukraine would be allowed to compete, [28] the EBU announced on 25 February 2022 that it would bar Russia from participating in the Contest. [29]

The three Russian broadcasters announced, via a statement released by Russian state media, that they would withdraw from the EBU on 26 February, citing increased politicization of the organisation. [30] The EBU released a statement saying that it was aware of the reports, but that it had not received any formal confirmation. [31] On 1 March, a further statement from the EBU announced that it had suspended its Russian members from its governance structures. [32] On 26 May, the EBU made effective the suspension of its Russian members indefinitely. [33] [34]

In 2023, an extensive investigation by the EBU Investigative Journalism Network uncovered proof of a Kremlin-sponsored initiative to take Ukrainian children from the war-torn country to Russia, a war crime under international law. [35]

Members

Map of EBU members in Europe (as of September 2022) European Broadcasting Union members map.svg
Map of EBU members in Europe (as of September 2022)
Countries with active EBU membership coloured in order of accession from 1950. EBU enlargement animation.gif
Countries with active EBU membership coloured in order of accession from 1950.

The Member list as of February 2022, comprises the following 66 broadcasting companies from 54 countries. [2]

Current members

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.Year
Albania Albanian Radio-Television (Radio Televizioni Shqiptar)RTSH1999
Algeria Public Establishment of Television (Établissement public de télévision)EPTV1970
National Sound Broadcasting Company (Entreprise nationale de radiodiffusion sonore)ENRS
Télédiffusion d'Algérie TDA
Andorra Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra RTVA2002
Armenia Public Television Company of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրային Հեռուստաընկերություն, Hayastani Hanrayin Herrustaynkerut’yun)ARMTV
ՀՀՀ		2005
Public Radio of Armenia ARMR
Austria Österreichischer Rundfunk ORF1953
Azerbaijan İctimai Televiziya və Radio Yayımları Şirkəti: İCTI/İTV2007
Belgium Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie VRT1950
Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française RTBF
Bosnia and Herzegovina Javni Radio Televizijski servis Bosne i Hercegovine BHRT1993
Bulgaria Balgarsko natsionalno radio
Българско национално радио		BNR
БНР		1993
Balgarska natsionalna televizia
Българска национална телевизия		BNT
БНТ
Croatia Croatian Radiotelevision
Hrvatska radiotelevizija		HRT1993
Cyprus Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (Ραδιοφωνικό Ίδρυμα Κύπρου, Radiofonikó Ídryma Kýprou, Kıbrıs Radyo Yayın Kurumu)CyBC
ΡΊΚ
RKYK		1969
Czech Republic Český rozhlas ČRo1993
Česká televize ČT
Denmark Danmarks Radio DR1950
TV2 Danmark DK/TV21989
Egypt Egyptian Radio and Television Union ERTU1985
Estonia Eesti Rahvusringhääling : ERR1993
Finland Yleisradio Yle1950
France Groupe de Radiodiffusion Française: GRF1950
Georgia Georgian Public Broadcasting (საქართველოს საზოგადოებრივი მაუწყებელი, sakartvelos sazogadoebrivi mauts'q'ebeli)GPB
სსმ		2005
Germany Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Working group of public broadcasters of the Federal Republic of Germany, ARD): ARD1952
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television)ZDF1963
Greece Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία Τηλεόραση, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi)ERT1950–2013,
2015
Hungary Médiaszolgáltatás-támogató és Vagyonkezelő Alap (Media Support and Asset Management Fund): MTVA2014
Iceland Ríkisútvarpið RÚV1956
Ireland Raidió Teilifís Éireann RTÉ1950
TG4 TG42007
Israel Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (תאגיד השידור הישראלי, Ta'agid HaShidur HaYisra'eli)KAN2017
Italy RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana RAI1950
Jordan Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (مؤسسة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الأردني)JRTV1970
Latvia Public Broadcasting of Latvia (Latvijas Sabiedriskie mediji): LSM1993
Lebanon Télé Liban (تلفزيون لبنان)TL1950
Libya Libya National Channel LNC2011
Lithuania Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija LRT1993
Luxembourg RTL Group RTL1950
Établissement de Radiodiffusion Socioculturelle du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ERSL1996
Malta Public Broadcasting Services PBS1970
Moldova Compania Națională "Teleradio-Moldova" TRM1993
Monaco Monaco Media Diffusion MMD1994
Montenegro Radio i televizija Crne Gore (Радио и телевизија Црне Горе)RTCG
РТЦГ		2006
Morocco Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision (الشركة الوطنيَة للإِذاعة والتلفزة)SNRT1950
Netherlands Nederlandse Publieke Omroep : NPO1950
North Macedonia Makedonska radio televizija (Македонска Радио Телевизиjа)MRT
МРТ		1993
Norway Norsk Rikskringkasting NRK1950
TV2 NO/TV21993
Poland Telewizja Polska TVP1993
Polskie Radio PR
Portugal Rádio e Televisão de Portugal RTP1950
Romania Societatea Română de Radiodifuziune ROR1993
Televiziunea Română RO/TVR
San Marino San Marino RTV SMRTV1995
Serbia Radiotelevizija Srbije (Радио-телевизија Србије)RTS2006
Slovakia Radio and Television of Slovakia (Rozhlas a televízia Slovenska)RTVS2011
Slovenia Radiotelevizija Slovenija RTVSLO1993
Spain Radiotelevisión Española RTVE1955
Sweden Sveriges Rundradiotjänst : SRT1950
Switzerland Swiss Broadcasting Corporation: SRG SSR1950
Tunisia Radio Tunisienne RTT2007
Télévision Tunisienne
Turkey Türkiye Radyo-Televizyon Kurumu TRT1950
Ukraine National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (Національна суспільна телерадіокомпанія України, Natsionalna Suspilna Teleradiokompaniya Ukrayiny)UA:PBC1993
United Kingdom British Broadcasting Corporation BBC1950
United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting: UKIB1981
Vatican City Vatican Radio VR1950

Suspended members

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.YearSuspension
Belarus National State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus BTRC19932021–2024 [23]
Russia Channel One Russia C1R19952022–indefinite [36]
All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company VGTRK1993
Radio Dom Ostankino: RDO1996

Past members

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.FromTo
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovak Television CST1991 [37] 1992 [lower-alpha 1]
Finland MTV3 FI/MTV19932019 [38]
France Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française RTF19501964
Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française ORTF19641975
Télédiffusion de France TDF19751982
TF1 TF119752018
Europe 1 E119782022
Organisme Français de Radiodiffusion et de TélévisionOFRT19831992 [lower-alpha 2]
Canal+ C+19842018
Greece New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television NERIT20142015 [lower-alpha 3]
Hungary Duna TV Duna20132015 [lower-alpha 4]
Magyar Rádió MR1993
Magyar Televízió MTV
Israel Israel Broadcasting Authority IBA19572017 [lower-alpha 5]
Libya Libyan Jamahiriya Broadcasting Corporation (الجماهيرية اللّيبيّة)LJBC19742011
Malta Maltese Broadcasting Authority MBA19702003
MonacoGroupement de Radiodiffuseurs Monégasques: GRMC19502021
Telemontecarlo (now La7)TMC19812001
RussiaChannel One OstankinoC1O19941995 [lower-alpha 6]
Serbia and Montenegro Udruženje javnih radija i televizija (Alliance of Public Radio and Television)UJRT20012006 [lower-alpha 7]
Slovakia Slovenský rozhlas SRo19932011 [lower-alpha 8]
Slovenská televízia STV
Spain Antena 3 Radio A3R19861993
Radio Popular SA COPE COPE19982019 [39]
Sociedad Española de Radiodifusión SER19822020
Sweden TV4 SE/TV420042019 [40]
Tunisia Établissement de la radiodiffusion-télévision tunisienne ERTT19902007 [lower-alpha 9]
United Kingdom Independent Television Authority ITA19591972
Independent Television Companies AssociationITCA19591981
Independent Broadcasting Authority IBA19721981 [lower-alpha 10]
Commercial Radio Companies Association (now Radiocentre)CRCA1981 [lower-alpha 11] 2006
Yugoslavia Yugoslav Radio Television JRT19501992

Associate members

Countries with Associate EBU Membership. EBU Associate Members.svg
Countries with Associate EBU Membership.

Any group or organisation from an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) member country, which provides a radio or television service outside of the European Broadcasting Area, is permitted to submit applications to the EBU for Associate Membership. [42]

It is also noted by the EBU that any country that is granted Associate Member status does not gain access into Eurovision events [43] with the notable exceptions of Australia, who have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest since 2015, Canada in Eurovision Young Dancers between 1987 and 1989 and Kazakhstan, who have participated in Junior Eurovision since 2018, all of which were individually invited.

The list of Associate Members of EBU comprised the following 30 broadcasting companies from 19 countries as of February 2023. [3]

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.Year
Australia Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC1950
FreeTV Australia Free1962
Special Broadcasting Service SBS1979
Bangladesh National Broadcasting Authority of Bangladesh NBAB1974
Brazil TV Cultura (Fundação Padre Anchieta)FPA2012
Canada Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/ Societé Radio Canada CBC1950
Chile Canal 13 C131971
China China Media Group CMG2010
Shanghai Media Group SMG2016
Cuba Cuban Institute of Radio and Television ICRT1992
Georgia Teleimedi TEME2004
Rustavi 2 RB2003
Hong Kong Radio Television Hong Kong RTHK1983
Japan Nippon Hoso Kyokai NHK1951
Tokyo Broadcasting System TBS2000
Kazakhstan Khabar Agency KA2016
Malaysia Radio Televisyen Malaysia RTM1970
Mauritius Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation MBC1980
New Zealand Radio New Zealand RNZ1950
Television New Zealand TVNZ1980
Oman Public Authority for Radio and TV of Oman PART1976
South Africa South African Broadcasting Corporation SABC1951
South Korea Korean Broadcasting System KBS1974
Syria General Organization of Radio and TV
(Organisme de la Radio-Télévision Arabe Syrienne, الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون – سورية)		ORTAS1978
United States American Broadcasting Company ABC1959
American Public Media APM2004
CBS CBS1956
National Public Radio NPR1971
National Broadcasting Company NBC1953
WFMT Radio Network WFMT1980

Past associate members

The list of past associate members of EBU comprises the following 30 broadcasting companies from 19 countries and 1 autonomous territory. [44] [45] [46]

CountryBroadcasting organisationAbbr.FromTo
AustraliaAustralian Fine Music NetworkAFMN20082010
Barbados Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation BB/CBC2005
Gambia Gambia Radio & Television Service GRTS2010
Greenland Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa KNR2011
Hong Kong Asia Television Limited ATV2010
Television Broadcasts Limited TVB2012/2013
India All India Radio AIR19792021
Japan TV Asahi Corporation ANB2010
Fuji Television Network Inc. FTN2012/2013
National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan NACB2012/2013
Nippon Television Network Corporation NTV2009
Tokyo FM TFM19862021
Mauritania TV de Mauritanie MR/TVM20032013
Mexico Televisa SA de CV TVA2005
Nepal Nepal Television NTVC2010
Pakistan Pakistan Television Corporation PK/PTV2010
Palestine Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (هيئة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية)PBC20022014
Qatar Al Jazeera Children's Channel JCC20082013
Qatar Radio (إذاعة قطر‎)QR20092011/2012
Senegal Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise RTS2006
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation SLBC20072010
South Korea Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation MBC2009
United Arab Emirates Emirates Media Inc.EMI2006
United Arab Emirates Radio And Television – DubaiUAERTVD2006
United States International Broadcasting Bureau IBB2007
Minnesota Public Radio MPR20042007
New York Public Radio NYPR20122012
Venezuela Radio Caracas Televisión RCTV2010
Radio Caracas Radio RCR2010
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation ZBC2010

Approved participant members

Any groups or organisations from a country with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) membership, which does not qualify for either the EBU's Active or Associate memberships, but still provide a broadcasting activity for the EBU, are granted a unique Approved Participants membership, which lasts approximately five years. An application for this status may be submitted to the EBU at any given time, providing an annual fee is paid. [47]

The following seven EBU broadcast members had status as Approved Participants in May 2022. [48]

Broadcasting OrganisationAbbr.
Arte ARTE
Catalunya Música CAT
Euronews EURONEWS
JP Makedonska RadiodifuzijaJP MRD
Cellnex CELLNEX
Radio Television of Vojvodina RTV
TV5Monde TV5

The following members previously had status as Approved Participants. [45]

Broadcasting OrganisationAbbr.
Abertis Telecom S.A. ALBERTIS
International Radio and Television Union (Université radiophonique et télévisuelle internationale)URTI
MBC Limited – Middle East Broadcasting Centre MEBC
Retevisión RETE
Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network RTRN
Sentech SNTC

Organised events

The EBU in co-operation with the respective host broadcaster organises competitions and events in which its members can participate if they wish to do so. These include:

Eurovision Song Contest

A replica of the Eurovision Song Contest trophy on display in Rotterdam, host city of the 2021 edition. Eurovision-2021-microphone-Rotterdam-Centraal.jpg
A replica of the Eurovision Song Contest trophy on display in Rotterdam, host city of the 2021 edition.

The Eurovision Song Contest (French : Concours Eurovision de la chanson) [49] is an annual international song competition between EBU members, that was first held in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956. Seven countries participated – each submitting two songs, for a total of 14. This was the only contest in which more than one song per country was performed: since 1957, all contests have allowed one entry per country. The 1956 contest was won by the host nation, Switzerland. [50] The most recent host city was Turin, in Italy, where Ukraine won the competition.

Let the Peoples Sing

Let the Peoples Sing is a biennial choir competition, the participants of which are chosen from radio recordings entered by EBU radio members. The final, encompassing three categories and around ten choirs, is offered as a live broadcast to all EBU members. The overall winner is awarded the Silver Rose Bowl.

Jeux sans frontières

Jeux sans frontières (English: Games without frontiers, or Games Without Borders) was a Europe-wide television game show. In its original conception, it was broadcast from 1965 to 1999 under the auspices of the EBU. The original series run ended in 1982 but was revived in 1988 with a different complexion of nations and was hosted by smaller broadcasters.

Eurovision Young Musicians

Eurovision Young Musicians is a competition for European musicians that are between the ages of 12 and 21 years old. It is organised by the EBU and is a member of EMCY. The first competition was held in Manchester, the United Kingdom on 11 May 1982.

The televised competition is held every two years, with some countries holding national heats. Since its foundation in 1982, the Eurovision Young Musicians competition has become one of the most important music competitions on an international level.

Eurovision Young Dancers

The Eurovision Young Dancers was a biennial dance showcase broadcast on television throughout Europe. The first competition was held in Reggio Emilia, Italy on 16 June 1985.

It uses a format similar to the Eurovision Song Contest, every country that is a member of the EBU has had the opportunity to send a dance act to compete for the title of "Eurovision Young Dancer". The competition is for solo dancers and all contestants must be between the ages of 16 and 21 years and not professionally engaged.

Euroclassic Notturno

Euroclassic Notturno is a six-hour sequence of classical music recordings assembled by BBC Radio from material supplied by members of the EBU and streamed back to those broadcasters by satellite for use in their overnight classical-music schedules. The recordings used are taken not from commercial CDs but from earlier (usually live) radio broadcasts. [51] [52]

Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Junior Eurovision Song Contest (French : Concours Eurovision de la Chanson Junior), [53] is an annual international song competition, that was first held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 15 November 2003. Sixteen countries participated – each submitting one song, for a total of 16 entries. The 2003 Contest was won by Croatia. The winner of the most recent contest, which took place in Yerevan, Armenia, is France. [54]

Eurovision Dance Contest

The Eurovision Dance Contest (not to be confused with the Eurovision Young Dancers Competition ) was an international dancing competition that was held for the first time in London, the United Kingdom on 1 September 2007. The competition was repeated in 2008 when it was held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, but has not been held since.

Eurovision Magic Circus Show

The Eurovision Magic Circus Show was an entertainment show organised by the EBU, which took place in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in Geneva. Children aged between 7–14 representing 8 countries within the EBU membership area, performed a variety of circus acts at the Geneva Christmas Circus (French : Cirque de Noël Genève). The main show was also accompanied by the Magic Circus Show Orchestra. [55]

Eurovision Choir

The inaugural Eurovision Choir featuring non-professional choirs selected by EBU Members, took place on 22 July 2017 in Riga, hosted by the Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV). 9 countries took part in the first edition. Carmen Manet from Slovenia was the first winner.

European Sports Championships

The European Sports Championships is a multi-sport event involving some of the leading sports in Europe. The European Governing Bodies for athletics, aquatics, cycling, rowing, golf, gymnastics and triathlon, will coordinate their individual championships as part of the first edition [56] in the summer of 2018, hosted by the cities of Berlin (already chosen as the host for the 2018 European Athletics Championships) and Glasgow (already chosen as the host for the 2018 European Aquatics Championships, and which will now also host the events of the other sports). [57] [58]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Succeeded by Česká televize (ČT) of the Czech Republic and Slovenská televízia (STV) of Slovakia
  2. ↑ Succeeded by Groupement des Radiodiffuseurs Français de l’UER (GRF)
  3. ↑ Succeeded again by Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT)
  4. ↑ Succeeded by Duna Media Service; operated by Media Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA)
  5. ↑ Succeeded by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN)
  6. ↑ Succeeded by Channel One (C1R)
  7. ↑ Succeeded by Radio i televizija Crne Gore (RTCG) of Montenegro and Radiotelevizija Srbije (RTS) of Serbia separately (previously these were sub-broadcasters of UJRT)
  8. ↑ Succeeded by Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS)
  9. ↑ Succeeded by Radio and Télévision Tunisienne (RTT)
  10. ↑ Succeeded by United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting (UKIB)
  11. ↑ Founded as Association of Independent Radio Contractors (AIRC) in 1973. It became CRCA in 1996 and merged with Radio Advertising Bureau in 2006 to create Radiocentre. [41]

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References

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  2. 1 2 "EBU Active Members". ebu.ch. EBU. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 "EBU Associate Members". ebu.ch. EBU. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "THE EUROVISION NEWS EXCHANGE SOCIAL NEWSWIRE: THE EBU'S FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE IN BREAKING NEWS". www.ebu.ch. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "Eurovision Debate". EBU. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Union (EBU), European Broadcasting (2 December 2021). "Our Members". www.ebu.ch. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "42 countries to take part in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest" (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Joy to the World: a guide to the European Broadcasting Union's Christmas broadcast". CBC Music.
  9. ↑ "Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra New Year's Concert". ebu.ch. European Broadcasting Union. January 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Clements, Paul. "Eurovision 2014: how much do you know about the Eurovision Song Contest?" . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  11. 1 2 (EBU), European Broadcasting Union. "50 years of Eurovision (1954–2004)" (PDF). www.ebu.ch. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "Euroradio: 50 years" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "P2P Media Portal Trial". EBU. 10 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  14. ↑ "Greek public broadcaster ERT to be shut down, reopened with fewer employees". Kathimerini . 11 June 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  15. ↑ O'Carroll, Lisa (12 June 2013). "ERT shutdown: European Broadcasting Union sets up makeshift studio". The Guardian . London.
  16. ↑ Roverelli, Michelle (11 June 2013). "EBU urges the Greek government to reverse decision on ERT". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  17. ↑ "Greece profile – Media". BBC News. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  18. ↑ "Greece's state broadcaster ERT back on air after two years". BBC News. 11 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  19. ↑ Maltezou, Renee (28 April 2015). "In symbolic move, Greece to reopen shuttered state broadcaster". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "Belarus: Protestors Call For The EBU To Remove BTRC From Eurovision". wiwibloggs. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  21. ↑ Rainford, Claire (28 May 2021). "EBU Executive Board agrees to suspension of Belarus Member BTRC" (Press release). Switzerland: EBU. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  22. ↑ "Белтэлерадыёкампанію выключылі з Еўрапейскага вяшчальнага саюза". euroradio.fm. 30 June 2021.
  23. 1 2 Granger, Anthony (27 August 2021). "Belarus: BTRC Reveals EBU Suspension Scheduled to Expire in 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  24. ↑ "Russia profile – Media". BBC News. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  25. ↑ "Суспільне вимагає припинити членство російських ЗМІ у ЄМС" [Suspilne demands the termination of the membership of the Russian media in the EBU]. suspilne.media (Press release) (in Ukrainian). UA:PBC. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  26. ↑ "Yle calls upon the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Russia from the Eurovision Song Contest". yle.fi (Press release). Yleisradio . Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  27. ↑ Kaldoja, Kerttu (25 February 2022). "Eesti osalemine Eurovisioonil sõltub Venemaa osalusest" [Estonia's participation in Eurovision depends on Russia's participation] (in Estonian). ERR . Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  28. ↑ Gonzalez, Sandra (24 February 2022). "Russia will be allowed to compete in Eurovision despite invasion, organizer says". CNN. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  29. ↑ "Russia banned from Eurovision song contest over invasion of Ukraine". Reuters. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022– via MSN News.
  30. ↑ "Rusijos televizijos traukiasi iš EBU" [Russian television stations leave the EBU]. lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 26 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
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  32. ↑ "EBU Statement on Russian Members". ebu.ch. EBU. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  33. ↑ Vidal, Fernando Nicolás (26 May 2022). "La UER hace efectiva la suspensión indefinida a sus miembros rusos". ESCplus España (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  34. ↑ "Європейська мовна спілка призупинила членство російських ЗМІ" [The European Broadcasting Union has suspended membership of the Russian media]. suspilne.media (Press release) (in Ukrainian). Suspilne . Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  35. ↑ "Where are the missing children of Ukraine?". European Broadcasting Union. 8 March 2023.
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  37. ↑ Potter, W. (24 October 1994). The implementation of satellite technology in the Eurovision network (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  38. ↑ Granger, Anthony (13 November 2019). "Finland: MTV3 Leaves European Broadcasting Union". Eurovoix. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  39. ↑ "Radio Cadena COPE abandona la UER" [Radio Cadena COPE leaves the EBU] (in Spanish). 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  40. ↑ Granger, Anthony (13 November 2019). "Sweden: TV4 Ends Membership of the European Broadcasting Union". Eurovoix. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
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  44. ↑ "Associate Members". Archived from the original on 19 October 2002.
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  54. ↑ "Maléna wins Junior Eurovision 2021 for Armenia! 🇦🇲". junioreurovision.tv. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  55. ↑ Burkhardt, Nadja (16 November 2012). "Eurovision Magic Circus Show". ebu.ch. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  56. ↑ europeansportschampionships.com ESC Press Release
  57. ↑ "European Athletics – Leading sports bring together their European championships in 2018" . Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  58. ↑ "Rowing joins the innovative European Sports Championships - worldrowing.com" . Retrieved 24 October 2016.
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