The BBC denies Eurovision is a waste of money or too political
The corporation was responding to complaints from viewers after the UK finished bottom of the leaderboard in last week's contest.
The BBC has hit back at claims from viewers that the Eurovision Song Contest is "a waste of the license fee" and that the voting is "too political."
The UK's entry James Newman finished in last place after gaining nil points in last week's delayed contest in Rotterdam, and the result prompted many viewers to criticise the competition.
But in a statement on the corporation's Executive Complaints Unit page, the BBC dismissed the complaints and argued that the UK's participation is actually cost-effective given the consistently high viewing figures.
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The statement read, "Ever since the Eurovision Song Contest first burst onto our television screens in 1956, the competition has continued to be staple springtime viewing for BBC audiences.
"The accusation that the contest’s voting is ‘political’ is nothing new. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is strongly committed to secure the fairness of the Eurovision Song Contest and has implemented a wide range of measures to ensure this.
"Eurovision is the most watched, live non-sporting event in the world and the 2021 Contest provided BBC viewers with over eight hours of content in three shows. The Grand Final on BBC One attracted an average of 7.4 million viewers. It is extremely cost effective for a popular prime time entertainment programme."
Despite having won the contest a total of five times, the UK has fared consistently poorly at Eurovision in recent years, having failed to bag a spot in the top 10 since 2009.
This year was the second contest in a row that the British entry has finished at the very bottom of the leaderboard, after Michael Rice came dead last with his song Bigger than Us in 2019.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
