The Future of Fan Media at the Eurovision Song Contest – Opinion Piece by Songfestival.be

After the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, our editor-in-chief Jonathan looks back on his experiences as a reporter for a fan medium in this opinion piece. She is written in her own name.

I am very proud of what we achieve with a small but very fine editorial team, on our site, on social media and beyond. Since our launch in November 2015, we have established ourselves as reference point for quality Eurovision news at home and abroad. Founded as a passion project by five people, it is currently run by a dozen employees as an unpaid hobby in addition to their jobs and other activities.

We do not pretend to be a professional journalistic medium, but we always use it a serious journalistic approach in our choices and reporting. We are aware that, especially in busier periods such as the month of May, major news media and participating broadcasters read and consult us for text and explanation. All the nice reactions from our loyal followers are also energy boosts that motivate to keep going for it.

But that doesn’t change that our core task as a fan mediumreporting on the Eurovision Song Contest from the location itself is becoming increasingly difficult to implement.

Disastrous consequences

We have excellent contacts with the VRT, so this is by no means a sneer at the Flemish public broadcaster. But from the organization of the Eurovision Song Contest the possibilities of fan mediasuch as Songfestival.be, have been systematically phased out in recent years.

The EBU has usurped more and more exclusivity in recent years. That is of course her right as an organiser, but it will have disastrous consequences for us. The rehearsals that take place behind closed doors and the lucrative deals with TikTok lead to a lot less room for maneuver and unique information gathering, especially for fan mediawho, in contrast to established media, also (want to) follow all rehearsals closely.

No critical notes

Knowing that I speak partly against my own proverbial shop, I defend the decision to no longer allow press at individual rehearsals. For participants and delegations it is certainly better and safer not to have a crowded press room overanalyze every technical rehearsal. But at the same time, that makes us completely dependent on the coverage, or what passes for it, of the official portal Eurovision.tv. You will not find critical notes about incorrectly sung notes there.

There is a fine line between overly negative, toxic reporting, which fan media sometimes indulged in, and overly positive, extolling reporting, which we find within the organization itself. As Songfestival.be we always try to remain as honest and sober as possible and to keep the proverbial church in the middle. But there seems to be less and less room for that.

Less necessity

The EBU realizes it on many fronts more efficient, safer and also cheapr is to keep a tight grip on things, including when it comes to reporting. The competition has become so popular in recent years, especially with a young audience, that they have become the mainstream has reached. The need to support fan media is diminishing.

That is why I see the future of fan media at the Eurovision Song Contest bleak. The number of press accreditations has become very limited for titles like ours. The fact that we were able to get two of them this year can be called a small miracle. We felt from you, our readers, how pleased you were that we were physically present again in the place where it all happens. We sincerely hope that we can continue to do so in the years to come. But the changing behavior of the EBU towards fans and fan media suggests that our great love for the Eurovision Song Contest seems less and less mutual.

Innovate where possible

Fear not, this is far from a farewell article. As far as I’m concerned, our editorial staff remains alive, enthusiastic and motivated to inform you as well as possible through all our channels in 2024. As long as we want and can, we will continue to work on this with full dedication.

It is also an opportunity to partly reinvent ourselves as a fan medium and to innovate where possible. We consciously work on reporting that more in depth and is unique in the Dutch-language news landscape of the Eurovision Song Contest. To make even more of a difference and to explain to you as best as possible what is happening on and around our favorite song competition. Love may therefore be a little more one-sided, but for the time being it will not ebb away.

British rain

Very occasionally, such as when there was a technical problem with my press accreditation and I had to walk a mile back and forth to the accreditation center in the pouring British rain to get it fixed, I mumbled and mumbled my mind why i do it all. It’s not easy to take a week’s vacation and dig deep into your wallet to spend the majority of your days in a room without natural light, staring at a large TV screen.

But I see and admire the drive of our team to update the site until the early hours after the final. We receive grateful responses from the Belgian delegation for all the support and are showered with messages on social media from followers who appreciate what we do. Moments like these make my Eurovision heart beat faster, and I feel that the heart rate is still more than right. Whatever happens: on to Sweden, on to 2024!