EXCLUSIVE: As the organizers put the final touches to this year’s 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, complete with a jaw-dropping 350m² set featuring Switzerland‘s iconic peaks, its new director tells Deadline he is already plotting the expansion of the world’s biggest live music event – including deals for versions of the show in other locales.
Martin Green joined last year in a new Director role at Eurovision. Appointed by the European Broadcasting Union, the body representing pubcasters throughout Europe and which organizes the Contest, he has worked on the London Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and the 2023 Eurovision in Liverpool.
“My job is absolutely to look after the jewel in the crown that is the big show in May,” Green says of a production that has a 250-strong crew, and that runs 24/7 over 45 days, with performances in 20 languages.
“The rest of my time is asking some questions… we have a great thing here, 170 million people watch the show, we engage hundreds of millions more online, a lot of them young. If we’ve got this great thing about music and bringing people together and this fan base, what more can we do with that?”
There has been chatter for some time about versions of Eurovision in other parts of the world. Deadline hears Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and India are possibilities. With large youth demos in both, the prospect of a wholesome family-friendly music competition makes a lot of sense on paper. Canada’s Insight productions recently told Deadline it continues to work on a long-rumored local version of the show.
New editions would represent, in TV industry terms, format deals.
“I’m fascinated by the fact that 69 years ago they came up with this format, which is perfect for the modern age,” Green says. “We remain one of the few appointment-to-view linear television events in the world, but also, we’re a gift to digital platforms.” He adds: “You can see how that is eminently repeatable around the world.”
The Eurovision boss won’t divulge geographies – but says format conversations are underway, and that he hopes there are more to come. “If we gather Europe every year, is there any other place in the world, continentally, we could do that as well?”
The recent appointment of seasoned partnerships and brands exec Jurian Van Der Meer as Commercial Director is a clear sign the expansion plans are taking shape. The former ITV Studios and Banijay exec has overseen the global commercial strategy for shows including Love Island and The Voice and worked on deals for IP including Big Brother and Peaky Blinders.
The team is also looking at opportunities for people to see the acts perform outside of the realms of the competition given the demand to see them. This year’s venue can welcome 6,500 people and there is always a clamor for tickets that far outstrips supply.
A Pubcaster Moment
The Eurovision Song Contest is a Europe-wide appointment viewing moment at a time when many of the EBU’s members are feeling the pinch – in terms of funding and in terms of political pressure. EBU President Delphine Ernotte Cunci was frank about the challenges in her recent Deadline interview.
Green acknowledges many of the EBU’s members are under pressure. “The way we support them with this event becomes really important as they as they maintain their place in society,” he says. “We don’t make any money at Eurovision. The money goes to either fund the show or to support public service broadcasting across Europe, and public service broadcasting is broadly seen as a space for the truth in a contested world. So, there’s a lot to love about the joy and spectacle of Eurovision, but also what it does behind the scenes.”
Swiss Peaks
Kanton Basel-Stadt
This year, the Eurovision Song Contest returns to where it all began 69 years ago, Switzerland. Liverpool and Malmo are the two most recent cities to host. What will Basel offer up? “They’ve closed streets. They’ve got a brilliant [Eurovison] village. I think there’s going to be a real party atmosphere – they’ve really lent into Switzerland being where the first Eurovision Song Contest was staged. So, it’s come home,” says Green.
They will also have mountains as befits a country with the Jura mountain range and, of course the Alps and its iconic Edelweiss flora. The set where the artists perform will feature the iconic Swiss peaks.
“It’s a really interesting idea. Hopefully, when people look back in years to come will be more of an interesting sign of: Oh, yes that was Basel,” Green says.
“In a way, you’ve sort of been through this explosion of lights LEDs and things that move. We’re seeing a bit more old-fashioned set design coming back. You’re seeing that in a lot of rock and roll as well. Taylor Swift had a whole house [on the set of her Eras tour]”.
Celine Dion famously won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland with ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’. Will the Canadian songstress be back? “You know, you always call everyone. It depends on who’s available and who’s free. Soon, you’ll know who picked up the phone and said yes,” is all Green will reveal.
United By Music
“United by music” is the Eurovision motto, and in many ways, a huge and colorful singing competition is a salve during troubled times. But gathering so many different countries will always bring a political dimension to proceedings. This year, Irish pubcaster RTÉ has called for a discussion on Israel’s participation while dozens of ex-Eurovision performers signed an open letter urging organizers to ban Israel. Elsewhere, Ukrainian contestant Khrystyna Starykova shared pictures of her home after it was destroyed by Russian shelling.
“We’re not immune to what’s going on in the world, and neither should we be,” Green says. “But I do think there is a place, particularly in sport and entertainment, for major events that seek, momentarily, to sit to one side. There has to be a space where we can come together and just enjoy ourselves, but also, more seriously, to paint a picture of a world as it could be, rather than as it is.
“If we see people gathered on stage through song, perhaps it is a reminder that it is possible to get along. That may be a romantic vision, but it’s one I believe. I’ve worked on Olympics and major sporting events, and I do believe that there needs to be that space to show that another way is possible.”
From Europe To The World
(L-R) Michelle Hunziker, Sandra Studer Hazel Brugger will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel
SRG/SSR, Mirjam Kluka
Ahead of Basel, Green is already looking ahead to next year’s 70th anniversary and beyond. That future looks set to include all-singing competitions that bring together people in other parts of the world, as Green posits: “I think that in 70 years’ time, another continent will be celebrating its anniversary.”
“173 million people watch it, and half a billion people connected with us online last year,” he adds. “That’s a good indicator. People are engaging all over the world. We were shown on Peacock in America and that audience is growing, and we find new places every year. All that means to me is there’s an appetite and let’s grow it.
“We have a strong heritage brand where we know we can bring fans and people with us. It’s also making sure you get it right and that you’re building it to last. I don’t want to do this at all costs, I want to do this because it’s right.”
