“Eurovision – Australia Decides” will not form part of the country’s Eurovision participation and programming in 2023, SBS has confirmed.
The show was previously hosted by Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst and enabled the Australian public to vote and choose the country’s representative for Eurovision. It selected Kate Miller-Heidke, Montaigne and Sheldon Riley in recent years, however Montaigne’s efforts were scuppered by the main event’s cancellation in 2020.
SBS will now revert to internal processes to choosing Australia’s Eurovision contestant, telling Variety Australia a variety of factors contributed to the decision.
“We are thrilled to confirm that Australia will once again compete in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest next year, with hosts Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey at the helm. However, after three years of celebrating and working with local music artists through our Eurovision selection show “Eurovision – Australia Decides”, we’ve made the difficult decision not to go ahead with the program in 2023,” an SBS spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added: “We are proud to continue to be the home of the Eurovision Song Contest and we look forward to celebrating 40 years of broadcasting Eurovision to all Australians in the coming year.”
TV Tonight reported recent contract negotiations had prevented the event’s inclusion at the SBS Upfronts two weeks ago.
The 2022 iteration of Eurovision was won by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra.
Traditionally, this would mean Ukraine would host the 2023 event, however due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of the country, the contest has shifted to the U.K..
