Asiavision Song Contest

:"This article is about the Asiavision Song Contest, not to be confused with the Eurovision Song Contest".The Asiavision Song Contest is an annual song contest based on the Eurovision Song Contest. The concept was first announced in 2007 when the European Broadcasting Union, producer of the Eurovision Song Contest, announced that it was selling the format to an Asian company which would hold a similar contest in Asia. Unlike in the Eurovision Song Contest which is produced by state-owned and public broadcasters, Asiavision is a commercial venture, run by Asiavision Pte Ltd. [cite web|url=http://asiavision.tv/about.htm|title=About the Asiavision Song Contest|publisher="Asiavision Pte Ltd"|accessdate=2008-09-18]

Each participating country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition.

Format and general information

Andreas Gerlach, CEO of Asiavision Pte. Ltd, stated that "the format is highly suited to the Asia region and its people who love popular music and have a strong national pride. Asia today is all about competition, economically and politically. The Song Contest is a friendly competition between cultures. Like in Europe, the universal language of music will help to bring people closer together and nurture mutual understanding in the region." [cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=1369|title=Asiavision Song Congtest announced for mid-2009|last=Bakker|first=Sietse|date=2008-09-18|publisher="Eurovision.tv (EBU"|accessdate=2008-09-18]

Asiavision has been planned to be a six-month musical event consisting of national and regional tournaments and a grand final. The contest will be seen in a total of 15 countries/regions in its first year: China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. These areas comprise over 3 billion people (half of Earth's population) and a potential audience of over 500 million viewers. [cite web|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/12301|title=Asiavision Song Contest to be held by mid-2009!|last=Hondal|first=Victor|date=2008-09-18|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-09-18]

Participation

15 countries will participate in the first Asiavision Song Contest. [cite web|url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/india-to-feature-in-eurovision-song-contests-asian-avatar_10097498.html|title=India to feature in Eurovision Song Contests Asian avatar|date=2008-09-19|publisher="Thaindian News"|accessdate=2008-09-19]

Contests

2009

References