The Intervision Song Contest, dubbed 'Putin's Eurovision', claimed an audience of over 4 billion, despite only 103,000 YouTube views. The event, marked by chaos and technical issues, was a response to Russia's exclusion from Eurovision. The U.S. participant withdrew due to political pressure, and Vietnam's Duc Phuc emerged as the winner.
Controversial Viewership Claims for 'Putin's Eurovision'
Controversial Viewership Claims for 'Putin's Eurovision'
On Saturday, 'Putin's own Eurovision' took place. According to Russian Tass, the final was a viewer success. The news agency claims that over four billion people watched the competition, despite the YouTube broadcast having only 103,000 views.
"A unique music program with augmented reality, 4 billion TV viewers worldwide, 500 volunteers from 5 countries, 23 participating countries, and only one winner."
This is how the final of the Intervision Song Contest is described by Russian state media. The competition was revived this year following a decision by Vladimir Putin, featuring contestants from a total of 22 non-European countries.
However, the claim about the viewership numbers puzzles many.
According to Tass, the final was watched by 4.1 billion people, which is more than the combined population of all participating countries.
But only 103,000 of them watched the program live on YouTube, writes Moscow Times.
Chaos: Wrong Country and Technical Problems
According to the exiled Russian Moscow Times, the final was shaken by great chaos.
Two of the hosts mispronounced "Kazakhstan" and "Kyrgyzstan", technical problems delayed the jury voting, and someone accidentally walked into the frame of the Saudi jury member when he was about to show his votes.
"Russia revived a competition from the Soviet era in response to being excluded from Eurovision," writes the newspaper.
According to SVT, the audience on site in Moscow was also paid to participate.
– Among younger, educated, and culturally curious Russians seeking innovative music and countercultural expressions, it is unlikely that a top-down event that openly promotes conservative values will have a strong impact, says Stephen Hutchings, professor of Russian studies at the University of Manchester, to SVT.
USA Withdraws
But the chaos began even before the competition started.
The U.S. participant, Australian-born Vassy, withdrew from the competition at the last minute. From the stage, it was explained that Vassy withdrew due to "political pressure" from Australia, writes TT.
Vassy herself was a replacement for Brandon Howard, who also withdrew from the competition a few days earlier. Vassy says she cannot comment on the decision at the moment, writes the news agency AP.
Vietnam's Duc Phuc won the competition.