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Eurovision Song Contest 2008

International song competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eurovision Song Contest 2008
"Eurovision 2008" redirects here. For other uses, see Eurovision 2008 (disambiguation).

The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia, following the country's victory at the 2007 contest with the song "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), the contest was held at the Belgrade Arena, and (for the first time) consisted of two semi-finals on 20 and 22 May, and a final on 24 May 2008. The three live shows were presented by Serbian television presenter Jovana Janković and musician Željko Joksimović.

Quick Facts Dates, Semi-final 1 ...
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Confluence of Sound
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Dates
Semi-final 120 May 2008 (2008-05-20)
Semi-final 222 May 2008 (2008-05-22)
Final24 May 2008 (2008-05-24)
Host
VenueBelgrade Arena
Belgrade, Serbia
Presenter(s)
Executive producerSandra Šuša
DirectorSven Stojanović
Executive supervisorSvante Stockselius
Host broadcasterRadio Television of Serbia (RTS)
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/belgrade-2008
Participants
Number of entries43
Number of finalists25
Debuting countries
Returning countriesNone
Non-returning countries Austria
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         Finalist countries     Countries eliminated in the semi-finals     Countries that participated in the past but not in 2008
Vote
Voting systemEach country awarded 12, 10, 8–1 points to their 10 favourite songs.
Winning song
2007 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 2009
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Forty-three countries participated in the contest, the highest ever number of participants in the contest[1] beating the record of forty-two set the year before.[2] Azerbaijan and San Marino[3] participated for the first time, while Austria did not participate, mainly due to questions on the semi-final organisation as well as the politicization of the contest.[4]

The winner was Russia with the song "Believe", performed by Dima Bilan who wrote it with Jim Beanz. Ukraine, Greece, Armenia, and Norway rounded out the top five. Armenia achieved their best result to date this year. Of the "Big Four" countries Spain placed the highest, finishing sixteenth, while the United Kingdom ended up in last place for the second time in their Eurovision history, after 2003.

The official website, eurovision.tv, streamed national finals for this year's contest live on ESCTV for the first time.[5] Furthermore, for the first time the winner has been awarded the perpetual glass microphone trophy of the Eurovision Song Contest. The trophy is a handmade piece of sandblasted glass in the shape of a 1950s microphone.[6][7]

Location

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Belgrade Arena, Belgrade – host venue of the 2008 contest

Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) gained the right to host the contest after "Molitva" performed by Marija Šerifović won the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. On 15 May 2007, one day following the final of the 2007 contest, RTS reported that it would host the 2008 contest in Belgrade.[8] The broadcaster chose the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade as the venue for the contest,[9] one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe, with a total capacity of 25,000 seats.

On 14 September 2007, the Mayor of Helsinki handed over the "Eurovision keys" to the Deputy of Belgrade. This ceremony is meant to be a tradition from the 2008 contest and onward, and the ring contains a key from every city that has ever hosted the competition.[10]

Potential change of location

Following the unilateral Kosovo declaration of independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008, which has resulted in protests and unrest across the country, the host of the event was considered to be changed.[11] The National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) was considered an option since they came second in 2007. Yleisradio (YLE) were another option, as they hosted the previous year's competition in Helsinki, Finland.[12] Greece's Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT) also offered the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to host the contest in Athens, Greece again. It was later decided that the contest would stay in Belgrade, with the EBU giving support. RTS would gain a guarantee of safety and security from the government of Serbia for all visitors and participants.[11] The delegations of Albania, Croatia, and Israel had special security.[13] In the end, the contest was held without any incidents.[11][13]

Participants

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Further information: List of countries in the Eurovision Song Contest
Quick Facts – Participation summaries by country ...
Eurovision Song Contest 2008 – Participation summaries by country
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Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting it live nationwide. The EBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members.

On 21 December 2007, the EBU confirmed that 43 countries would be present in Belgrade.[14] San Marino, as well as the newest EBU member, Azerbaijan, made its debut at the 2008 contest. Austria did not compete; its broadcaster, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), said "we've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the decision."[4]

Automatic grand finalists Germany and Spain exercised voting rights at the first semi-final. France, the United Kingdom and Serbia exercised voting rights at the second semi-final. Spain and France each broadcast only the semi-final in which they participated; Germany, Serbia, and the United Kingdom screened both semi-finals (with Germany broadcasting on a delay).

Several of the performing artists had previously competed as lead artists representing the same country in past editions: Charlotte Perrelli had won the contest for Sweden in 1999; Dima Bilan had represented Russia in 2006; and Roberto Meloni, a member of Pirates of the Sea, had represented Latvia in 2007 as part of Bonaparti.lv. In addition, Gisela representing Andorra, had provided backing vocals for Spain in 2002.

More information Country, Broadcaster ...
Eurovision Song Contest 2008 participants[15][16]
Country Broadcaster Artist Song Language Songwriter(s)
 Albania RTSH Olta Boka "Zemrën e lamë peng" Albanian
 Andorra RTVA Gisela "Casanova" English Jordi Cubino
 Armenia AMPTV Sirusho "Qélé, Qélé" (Քելե Քելե) English, Armenian
 Azerbaijan İTV Elnur and Samir "Day After Day" English
  • Zahra Badalbeyli
  • Govhar Hasanzadeh
 Belarus BTRC Ruslan Alehno "Hasta la vista" English
  • Taras Demchuk
  • Eleonora Melnik
 Belgium VRT Ishtar "O Julissi" Imaginary Michel Vangheluwe
 Bosnia and Herzegovina BHRT Laka "Pokušaj" Bosnian Elvir Laković "Laka"
 Bulgaria BNT Deep Zone and Balthazar "DJ, Take Me Away" English Dian Savov
 Croatia HRT Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents "Romanca" Croatian Miran "Hadži" Veljković
 Cyprus CyBC Evdokia Kadi "Femme Fatale" Greek
  • Nicos Evangelou
  • Vangelis Evangelou
 Czech Republic ČT Tereza Kerndlová "Have Some Fun" English
 Denmark DR Simon Mathew "All Night Long" English
  • Nis Bøgvad
  • Svend Gudiksen
  • Jacob Launbjerg
 Estonia ERR Kreisiraadio "Leto svet" (Лето свет) Serbian, German, Finnish
 Finland YLE Teräsbetoni "Missä miehet ratsastaa" Finnish J. Ahola
 France France Télévisions Sébastien Tellier "Divine" English
 Georgia GPB Diana Gurtskaya "Peace Will Come" English
 Germany NDR[a] No Angels "Disappear" English
 Greece ERT Kalomira "Secret Combination" English
  • Konstantinos Pantzis
  • Poseidonas Yiannopoulos
 Hungary MTV Csézy "Candlelight" English, Hungarian
  • Jánosi
  • Imre Mózsik
  • Viktor Rakonczai
 Iceland RÚV Euroband "This Is My Life" English
 Ireland RTÉ Dustin the Turkey "Irelande Douze Pointe" English
 Israel IBA Boaz "The Fire in Your Eyes" Hebrew
 Latvia LTV Pirates of the Sea "Wolves of the Sea" English
  • Claes Andreasson
  • Jonas Liberg
  • Johan Sahlén
  • Torbjörn Wassenius
 Lithuania LRT Jeronimas Milius "Nomads in the Night" English
 Macedonia MRT Tamara, Vrčak and Adrijan "Let Me Love You" English Rade Vrčakovski "Vrčak"
 Malta PBS Morena "Vodka" English
 Moldova TRM Geta Burlacu "A Century of Love" English
  • Oleg Baraliuc
  • Viorica Demici
 Montenegro RTCG Stefan Filipović "Zauvijek volim te" (Заувијек волим те) Montenegrin
 Netherlands NOS Hind "Your Heart Belongs to Me" English
 Norway NRK Maria "Hold On Be Strong" English Mira Craig
 Poland TVP Isis Gee "For Life" English Isis Gee
 Portugal RTP Vânia Fernandes "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)" Portuguese
  • Andrej Babić
  • Carlos Coelho
 Romania TVR Nico and Vlad "Pe-o margine de lume" Romanian, Italian
  • Andreea Andrei
  • Adina Șuteu
  • Andrei Tudor
 Russia RTR Dima Bilan "Believe" English
 San Marino SMRTV Miodio "Complice" Italian
 Serbia RTS Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugić "Oro" (Оро) Serbian
 Slovenia RTVSLO Rebeka Dremelj "Vrag naj vzame" Slovene
  • Josip Miani-Pipi
  • Igor "Amon" Mazul
 Spain RTVE Rodolfo Chikilicuatre "Baila el Chiki Chiki" Spanish, English Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and friends
 Sweden SVT Charlotte Perrelli "Hero" English
  Switzerland SRG SSR Paolo Meneguzzi "Era stupendo" Italian
 Turkey TRT Mor ve Ötesi "Deli" Turkish Mor ve Ötesi
 Ukraine NTU Ani Lorak "Shady Lady" English
 United Kingdom BBC Andy Abraham "Even If" English
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Other countries

Active EBU members

Active EBU member broadcasters in Austria, Monaco, Slovakia, and Tunisia confirmed non-participation prior to the announcement of the participants list by the EBU.[4][18][19][20]

Production

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Presenters

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Presenters Željko Joksimović and Jovana Janković during the first semi-final

On 4 March 2008, RTS revealed that Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović would be the presenters of the contest. Janković served as an anchor of the RTS morning show and hosted the allocation draw ceremony held earlier that year, while Joksimović represented Serbia and Montenegro in 2004 and hosted the allocation draw with Janković in January.[21][22]

Visual design

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The first logo, called "Mama 2008", was announced in October 2007. It was subsequently replaced in January 2008, after negative responses

RTS ran a competition that led to the creation of the 2008 contest's branding, logo and the stage.[23] On 1 October 2007, the logo titled "Mama 2008" was announced as the winner among 455 submissions.[24] The stage design, titled "Confluence" was also declared as the winner among 70 submissions.[25] However, due to the negative responses to the design, the logo was subsequently changed, and the new logo was presented in January 2008.[26] The stage design was also eventually changed.[27][28]

The theme of the contest was based around the "confluence of sound". This was symbolic as Belgrade lies on the confluence of two European rivers, the Sava and Danube. The replacement logo, a treble clef, formed the graphical basis of the design created by Boris Miljković.[29]

The postcards in the first and second semi-final were based around the creation of the flag of the nation that was to perform next. Each post card had a short story related to each country and its people. During each postcard a short letter was displayed. All were in the national language of the artist's country, with the exception of the Serbian postcard, which consisted of "Welcome to Belgrade" and "Welcome to Serbia" in various languages. The postcards were brought to an end by a stamp with this year's Eurovision logo.

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Stage of the contest during the First Semi-final

According to RTS the stage represented native identities, history and modern themes, symbols and universally recognised messages. The confluence-themed stage also contained a large number of television and LCD display screens. The stage had settings for all new electronic possibilities including some movable parts of the stage.[30] It was designed by Chicago-based David Cushing.

The first semi-final was created around a city theme. The contest opened with a panorama of the city of Belgrade forming in the stage's background with two waves sliding down the stage to meet in the centre – at the confluence, the overall theme of the contest.

The second semi-final was based around the theme of water, which was enhanced by the look of the stage during the interval act where the water formed the main colours of the stage.

The grand final was based on the theme of the confluence. Construction of the stage lasted several days and was carried out by various teams from across Europe. Pyrotechnics were heavily used for the entries from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Finland, Germany, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Switzerland. The stage received positive feedback from the media and fans describing it as "one of the best looking stages in the history of the competition".[citation needed]

Format

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Expansion to two semi-finals

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Aleksandar Josipović as part of the opening act of the second semi-final

At a press conference in Helsinki in May 2007, Svante Stockselius, executive supervisor of the contest for the EBU, announced that the competition's format may be expanded to two semi-finals in 2008 or 2009.[31] On 28 September 2007 it was announced that the EBU had approved the plan of hosting two semi-finals in 2008.[32]

According to Stockselius, there were multiple ideas on how the two semi-finals would be organized, such as prerecording both semi-finals and airing them simultaneously on Thursday 22 May, with each broadcaster airing the semi-final their country competes or votes in; or prerecording one semi-final, while the other one is held live, and airing them simultaneously on Thursday 22 May, with each broadcaster airing the semi-final their country votes in. In both cases, the results sequences would be held live.[33]

Although originally this option was not being considered due to the additional costs to such a production,[33] it was later decided that the two semi-finals would be held on different days, both live, on Tuesday 20 May and 22 May 2008.[34]

Semi-final allocation draw

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Results of the semi-final allocation draw
  Participating countries in the first semi-final
  Pre-qualified for the final but also voting in the first semi-final
  Participating countries in the second semi-final
  Pre-qualified for the final but also voting in the second semi-final

Based on research conducted by the EBU's tele-voting partner Digame, the semi-finalists were sorted into the two heats through the drawing of lots, which was seeded to keep countries that have a significant history of voting for each other apart.[citation needed] Each broadcaster had to broadcast the semi-final in which they took part, with the broadcasting of the other semi-final being optional. The draw for the semi-final allocation occurred in the City Assembly of Belgrade on Monday 28 January 2008 at 13:00 CET and was conducted by the hosts of the contest Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović.

First, two envelopes with 'Semi-Final 1' and 'Semi-Final 2' were drawn. Then, three countries from each pot were chosen randomly to take part in the first semi-final and the other three in the second one. The country left in Pot 5 took part in the first envelope that is drawn. While, the country left in Pot 6 in the second one.[35]

The automatic grand finalist countries chose whether they would broadcast both semi-finals or just one, but viewers from these countries could only vote in one. From the draw conducted, it was decided which of the five grand finalist countries would broadcast and have voting rights in either of the events. The semi-finals were webcast live through Eurovision.tv. The top nine songs from the televoting qualified for the grand final, and a tenth was determined by the back-up juries. Twenty-five songs competed in the grand final.[36]

On 24 January 2008, all 38 countries in the semi-finals were separated into the following pots based on voting history and geographical location:

More information Pot 1, Pot 2 ...
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5 Pot 6
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Running order

The draw to decide the running order of the songs in each semi-final and the grand final was conducted at the Heads of Delegation meeting on 17 March 2008.[37]

Contest overview

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Semi-final 1

The first semi-final was held on 20 May 2008. Germany and Spain voted in this semi-final.

Azerbaijan, Greece and Russia were drawn to decide their own running order positions, while the rest were decided randomly.[37]

Key
  Televoting qualifiers
‡ Back-up jury qualifier
More information R/O, Country ...
Results of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008[38]
R/O Country Artist Song Points Place
1  Montenegro Stefan Filipović "Zauvijek volim te" 23 14
2  Israel Boaz "The Fire in Your Eyes" 104 5
3  Estonia Kreisiraadio "Leto svet" 8 18
4  Moldova Geta Burlacu "A Century of Love" 36 12
5  San Marino Miodio "Complice" 5 19
6  Belgium Ishtar "O Julissi" 16 17
7  Azerbaijan Elnur and Samir "Day After Day" 96 6
8  Slovenia Rebeka Dremelj "Vrag naj vzame" 36 11
9  Norway Maria "Hold On Be Strong" 106 4
10  Poland Isis Gee "For Life" 42 10 ‡
11  Ireland Dustin the Turkey "Irelande Douze Pointe" 22 15
12  Andorra Gisela "Casanova" 22 16
13  Bosnia and Herzegovina Laka "Pokušaj" 72 9
14  Armenia Sirusho "Qélé, Qélé" 139 2
15  Netherlands Hind "Your Heart Belongs to Me" 27 13
16  Finland Teräsbetoni "Missä miehet ratsastaa" 79 8
17  Romania Nico and Vlad "Pe-o margine de lume" 94 7
18  Russia Dima Bilan "Believe" 135 3
19  Greece Kalomira "Secret Combination" 156 1
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Semi-final 2

The second semi-final was held on 22 May 2008. The United Kingdom, France and Serbia voted in this semi-final.

Macedonia, Portugal and Denmark were drawn to decide their own running order positions, while the rest were decided randomly.[37]

Key
  Televoting qualifiers
‡ Back-up jury qualifier
More information R/O, Country ...
Results of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008[39]
R/O Country Artist Song Points Place
1  Iceland Euroband "This Is My Life" 68 8
2  Sweden Charlotte Perrelli "Hero" 54 12 ‡
3  Turkey Mor ve Ötesi "Deli" 85 7
4  Ukraine Ani Lorak "Shady Lady" 152 1
5  Lithuania Jeronimas Milius "Nomads in the Night" 30 16
6  Albania Olta Boka "Zemrën e lamë peng" 67 9
7   Switzerland Paolo Meneguzzi "Era stupendo" 47 13
8  Czech Republic Tereza Kerndlová "Have Some Fun" 9 18
9  Belarus Ruslan Alehno "Hasta la vista" 27 17
10  Latvia Pirates of the Sea "Wolves of the Sea" 86 6
11  Croatia Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents "Romanca" 112 4
12  Bulgaria Deep Zone and Balthazar "DJ, Take Me Away" 56 11
13  Denmark Simon Mathew "All Night Long" 112 3
14  Georgia Diana Gurtskaya "Peace Will Come" 107 5
15  Hungary Csézy "Candlelight" 6 19
16  Malta Morena "Vodka" 38 14
17  Cyprus Evdokia Kadi "Femme Fatale" 36 15
18  Macedonia Tamara, Vrčak and Adrijan "Let Me Love You" 64 10
19  Portugal Vânia Fernandes "Senhora do mar (negras águas)" 120 2
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Final

The grand finalists were:

  • the "Big Four" countries (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom);
  • the host country (Serbia);
  • the top nine countries from the first semi-final plus one wildcard from the juries;
  • the top nine countries from the second semi-final plus one wildcard from the juries.

The grand final was held on 24 May 2008 and was won by Russia.

Serbia was drawn to decide its own running order position, while the rest were decided randomly.[37]

Key
  Winner
More information R/O, Country ...
Results of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008[40]
R/O Country Artist Song Points Place
1  Romania Nico and Vlad "Pe-o margine de lume" 45 20
2  United Kingdom Andy Abraham "Even If" 14 25
3  Albania Olta Boka "Zemrën e lamë peng" 55 17
4  Germany No Angels "Disappear" 14 23
5  Armenia Sirusho "Qélé, Qélé" 199 4
6  Bosnia and Herzegovina Laka "Pokušaj" 110 10
7  Israel Boaz "The Fire in Your Eyes" 124 9
8  Finland Teräsbetoni "Missä miehet ratsastaa" 35 22
9  Croatia Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents "Romanca" 44 21
10  Poland Isis Gee "For Life" 14 24
11  Iceland Euroband "This Is My Life" 64 14
12  Turkey Mor ve Ötesi "Deli" 138 7
13  Portugal Vânia Fernandes "Senhora do mar (negras águas)" 69 13
14  Latvia Pirates of the Sea "Wolves of the Sea" 83 12
15  Sweden Charlotte Perrelli "Hero" 47 18
16  Denmark Simon Mathew "All Night Long" 60 15
17  Georgia Diana Gurtskaya "Peace Will Come" 83 11
18  Ukraine Ani Lorak "Shady Lady" 230 2
19  France Sébastien Tellier "Divine" 47 19
20  Azerbaijan Elnur and Samir "Day After Day" 132 8
21  Greece Kalomira "Secret Combination" 218 3
22  Spain Rodolfo Chikilicuatre "Baila el Chiki Chiki" 55 16
23  Serbia Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugić "Oro" 160 6
24  Russia Dima Bilan "Believe" 272 1
25  Norway Maria "Hold On Be Strong" 182 5
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Spokespersons

Each participating broadcaster appointed a spokesperson who was responsible for announcing the votes for its respective country. The voting order and spokespersons during the grand final were as follows:[41]

  1.  United Kingdom – Carrie Grant[42]
  2.  Macedonia – Ognen Janeski
  3.  Ukraine – Marysya Horobets
  4.  Germany – Thomas Hermanns[43]
  5.  Estonia – Anna Sahlene[44]
  6.  Bosnia and Herzegovina – Melina Garibović[45]
  7.  Albania – Leon Menkshi
  8.  Belgium – Sandrine Van Handenhoven [nl][46]
  9.  San Marino – Roberto Moretti
  10.  Latvia – Kristīne Virsnīte[47]
  11.  Bulgaria – Valentina Voykova
  12.  Serbia – Dušica Spasić [sr]
  13.  Israel – Noa Barak-Weshler
  14.  Cyprus – Hristina Marouhou
  15.  Moldova – Vitalie Rotaru
  16.  Iceland – Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir [is][48]
  17.  France – Cyril Hanouna
  18.  Romania – Alina Sorescu
  19.  Portugal – Sabrina
  20.  Norway – Stian Barsnes-Simonsen
  21.  Hungary – Éva Novodomszky
  22.  Andorra – Alfred Llahí [ca]
  23.  Poland – Radek Brzózka [pl][49]
  24.  Slovenia – Peter Poles[50]
  25.  Armenia – Hrachuhi Utmazyan
  26.  Czech Republic – Petra Šubrtová
  27.  Spain – Ainhoa Arbizu [es][51]
  28.  Netherlands – Esther Hart[52]
  29.  Turkey – Meltem Ersan Yazgan[53]
  30.  Malta – Moira Delia
  31.  Ireland – Niamh Kavanagh
  32.   Switzerland – Cécile Bähler [de][54]
  33.  Azerbaijan – Leyla Aliyeva[55]
  34.  Greece – Alexis Kostalas [el]
  35.  Finland – Mikko Leppilampi[56]
  36.  Croatia – Barbara Kolar
  37.  Sweden – Björn Gustafsson
  38.  Belarus – Olga Barabanschikova
  39.  Lithuania – Rolandas Vilkončius [lt]
  40.  Russia – Oxana Fedorova
  41.  Montenegro – Nina Radulović
  42.  Georgia – Tika Patsatsia[57]
  43.  Denmark – Maria Montell [da]

Detailed voting results

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Semi-final 1

  Televoting qualifiers
‡ Back-up jury qualifier
More information Total score, Montenegro ...
Detailed voting results of semi-final 1[58][59]
Voting procedure used:
  100% televoting
  100% jury vote
Total score
Montenegro
Israel
Estonia
Moldova
San Marino
Belgium
Azerbaijan
Slovenia
Norway
Poland
Ireland
Andorra
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Armenia
Netherlands
Finland
Romania
Russia
Greece
Germany
Spain
Contestants
 Montenegro 2311012
Israel 10452710410475761068544
Estonia 817
Moldova 3655161054
San Marino 523
Belgium 16610
Azerbaijan 963541051058324571078
Slovenia 36102212104122
Norway 106468371727810485124712
Poland ‡ 42103212123153
Ireland 22137412121
Andorra 224311112
Bosnia and Herzegovina 721216412123787
Armenia 139610258125312236124512121010
Netherlands 271382733
Finland 7921284236561214626
Romania 94812666653765311838
Russia 13581210738788447122681065
Greece 156775412101284610581083126127
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12 points

Below is a summary of all 12 points in the first semi-final:

More information N., Contestant ...
N. Contestant Nation(s) giving 12 points
5  Armenia Belgium,  Greece,  Netherlands,  Poland,  Russia
4  Greece Azerbaijan,  Germany,  Romania,  San Marino
3  Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro,  Norway,  Slovenia
2  Russia Armenia,  Israel
 Finland Andorra,  Estonia
1  Andorra Spain
 Montenegro Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Norway Finland
 Poland Ireland
 Romania Moldova
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Semi-final 2

  Televoting qualifiers
‡ Back-up jury qualifier
More information Total score, Iceland ...
Detailed voting results of semi-final 2[60][61]
Voting procedure used:
  100% televoting
Total score
Iceland
Sweden
Turkey
Ukraine
Lithuania
Albania
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Belarus
Latvia
Croatia
Bulgaria
Denmark
Georgia
Hungary
Malta
Cyprus
Macedonia
Portugal
France
Serbia
United Kingdom
Contestants
 Iceland 6810312541210751584
Sweden ‡ 5482313121743136
Turkey 85651273785481010
Ukraine 15263127112126712712881061238
Lithuania 3012108
Albania 67178310151012253
Switzerland 47105512717
Czech Republic 91215
Belarus 27106542
Latvia 8678212566166641025
Croatia 1124457536377638106106210
Bulgaria 56566122113287165
Denmark 11212124845104832312453841
Georgia 1072110121081010421012277
Hungary 6114
Malta 38386443442
Cyprus 36422825112
Macedonia 64277841210212
Portugal 120105846127838576331267
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12 points

Below is a summary of all 12 points in the second semi-final:

More information N., Contestant ...
N. Contestant Nation(s) giving 12 points
6  Ukraine Belarus,  Bulgaria,  Czech Republic,  Georgia,  Portugal,  Turkey
3  Denmark Hungary,  Iceland,  Sweden
2  Georgia Cyprus,  Ukraine
 Macedonia Croatia,  Serbia
 Portugal France,   Switzerland
1  Albania Macedonia
 Cyprus United Kingdom
 Latvia Lithuania
 Lithuania Latvia
 Sweden Denmark
  Switzerland Malta
 Turkey Albania
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Final

  Winner
More information Total score, United Kingdom ...
Detailed voting results of the final[62][63]
Voting procedure used:
  100% televoting
  100% jury vote
Total score
United Kingdom
Macedonia
Ukraine
Germany
Estonia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Albania
Belgium
San Marino
Latvia
Bulgaria
Serbia
Israel
Cyprus
Moldova
Iceland
France
Romania
Portugal
Norway
Hungary
Andorra
Poland
Slovenia
Armenia
Czech Republic
Spain
Netherlands
Turkey
Malta
Ireland
Switzerland
Azerbaijan
Greece
Finland
Croatia
Sweden
Belarus
Lithuania
Russia
Montenegro
Georgia
Denmark
Contestants
 Romania 451631244123
United Kingdom 1468
Albania 55121341811087
Germany 14122
Armenia 19917662128858102112412512101210122712112
Bosnia and Herzegovina 11055122101017627361210102
Israel 12453545102726663353631718243653
Finland 3510174427
Croatia 44212105313823121
Poland 14410
Iceland 6462478467812
Turkey 138874108101045108251061243264
Portugal 6934651681085103
Latvia 83107482327124310326
Sweden 4723211371112518
Denmark 60332712512224152
Georgia 8385827311044544657
Ukraine 2305443811076106753126610258781061063710684107
France 47263813142485
Azerbaijan 13281017433821277110212387107
Greece 2181232121712812108512431288368536724565123643
Spain 55114451012134811
Serbia 16010812545127767412368112251061412
Russia 272612712463126101281011065105671275158587106121288
Norway 18276827276147510524187642375212112545510
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12 points

Below is a summary of all 12 points in the grand final:

More information N., Contestant ...
N. Contestant Nation(s) giving 12 points
8  Armenia Belgium,  Czech Republic,  France,  Georgia,  Greece,  Netherlands,  Poland,  Russia
7  Russia Armenia,  Belarus,  Estonia,  Israel,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Ukraine
6  Greece Albania,  Cyprus,  Germany,  Romania,  San Marino,  United Kingdom
4  Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Montenegro,  Slovenia,   Switzerland
2  Azerbaijan Hungary,  Turkey
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia,  Serbia
 Denmark Iceland,  Norway
 Norway Finland,  Sweden
 Romania Moldova,  Spain
1  Albania Macedonia
 Germany Bulgaria
 Iceland Denmark
 Latvia Ireland
 Spain Andorra
 Sweden Malta
 Turkey Azerbaijan
 Ukraine Portugal
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Broadcasts

Summarize
Perspective

Most countries sent commentators to Belgrade or commentated from their own country, in order to add insight to the participants and, if necessary, provide voting information.

More information Country, Broadcaster ...
Broadcasters and commentators in participating countries[16]
Country Broadcaster Channel(s) Show(s) Commentator(s) Ref(s)
 Albania RTSH
 Andorra RTVA ATV Meri Picart [ca] and Josep Lluís Trabal [64][65]
 Armenia AMPTV
 Azerbaijan İTV All shows [66]
 Belarus BTRC Belarus-1, Belarus-TV All shows Denis Kurian [67]
 Belgium VRT Eén SF1/Final Bart Peeters and André Vermeulen [68][69]
Eén+ [nl][b] SF2
RTBF La Une SF1/Final Jean-Pierre Hautier and Jean-Louis Lahaye [fr] [70][71]
 Bosnia and Herzegovina BHRT BHT 1 All shows Dejan Kukrić [72][73]
 Bulgaria BNT Elena Rosberg and Georgi Kushvaliev [74]
 Croatia HRT HRT 2 Semi-final Duško Ćurlić [75][76][77]
HRT 1 Final
 Cyprus CyBC RIK 1 All shows Melina Karageorgiou [78][79]
 Czech Republic ČT ČT2[c] SF1 Kateřina Kristelová [cs] [80]
ČT1 SF2/Final
 Denmark DR DR1[d] All shows Nicolai Molbech [81][82][83]
 Estonia ERR ETV All shows Marko Reikop [84][85][86]
Raadio 2 SF1/Final Mart Juur and Andrus Kivirähk [87]
 Finland YLE YLE TV2 All shows Jaana Pelkonen and Mikko Peltola [fi] [88][89][90]
YLE FST5 Thomas Lundin [sv] [91][92][93]
YLE Radio Suomi Sanna Kojo and Jorma Hietamäki [94][95]
YLE Radio Vega
 France France Télévisions France 4 SF2 Peggy Olmi [fr] and Yann Renoard [96][97]
France 3 Final Jean Paul Gaultier and Julien Lepers [98][99]
 Georgia GPB
 Germany ARD NDR Fernsehen[e] Semi-finals Peter Urban [100]
Das Erste Final
 Greece ERT NET All shows Betty and Mathildi Maggira [78][79][101]
Maria Kozakou [102]
 Hungary MTV m1 SF2/Final Gábor Gundel Takács [hu] [103][104][105]
 Iceland RÚV Sjónvarpið All shows Sigmar Guðmundsson [106]
 Ireland RTÉ RTÉ Two Semi-finals Marty Whelan [107][108]
RTÉ One Final
RTÉ Radio 1 SF1/Final Larry Gogan
 Israel IBA All shows [109]
 Latvia LTV All shows Kārlis Streips [lv] [110][111]
 Lithuania LRT
 Macedonia MRT
 Malta PBS TVM All shows [112]
 Moldova TRM
 Montenegro RTCG TVCG 2 Semi-finals Dražen Bauković and Tamara Ivanković [113][114]
TVCG 1 Final [115]
TVCG MNE All shows [116][117][118]
 Netherlands NPO Nederland 1 All shows Cornald Maas [119][120][121][122]
 Norway NRK NRK1 SF1/Final Hanne Hoftun [no] [123][124][125][126]
NRK3 SF2
 Poland TVP TVP1, TVP Polonia SF1/Final Artur Orzech [127][128][129][130]
 Portugal RTP RTP1[f] All shows Isabel Angelino [pt] [131][132]
 Romania TVR TVR 1, TVRi All shows Leonard Miron [133][134]
 Russia RTR Telekanal Rossiya, RTR Planeta All shows Dmitry Guberniev and Olga Shelest [ru] [135][136][137]
 San Marino SMRTV SMRTV All shows Gigi Restivo and Lia Fiorio [138][139]
Radio San Marino [it] Emilia Romagna
 Serbia RTS RTS1, RTS Sat All shows Dragan Ilić and Mladen Popović[citation needed] [140][141][142][143]
 Slovenia RTVSLO SLO 2 [sl] Semi-finals Andrej Hofer [sl] [144]
SLO 1 [sl] Final
Val 202 All shows Aida Kurtović
 Spain RTVE La 2 SF1 José Luis Uribarri [145][146][147]
La 1 Final
 Sweden SVT SVT1 All shows Kristian Luuk and Josef Sterzenbach [sv] [123][124][125][148][149]
Final Carl Bildt
SR SR P4 SF2/Final Carolina Norén [150][151][152]
  Switzerland SRG SSR SF zwei SF2/Final Sven Epiney [153][54]
HD suisse Final
TSR 2 SF2/Final Jean-Marc Richard and Nicolas Tanner [96][98]
TSI 2 SF2 Sandy Altermatt [it] [154][155][156]
TSI 1 Final
 Turkey TRT TRT 1, TRT Int All shows [157][158]
TRT Türk Final Bülend Özveren
 Ukraine NTU Pershyi Natsionalnyi All shows Timur Miroshnychenko [159][160]
 United Kingdom BBC BBC Three Semi-finals Paddy O'Connell and Caroline Flack [161][162]
BBC One, BBC HD Final Terry Wogan
BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce
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More information Country, Broadcaster ...
Broadcasters and commentators in non-participating countries
Country Broadcaster Channel(s) Show(s) Commentator(s) Ref(s)
 Australia SBS SBS TV[g] Semi-finals Julia Zemiro, Paddy O'Connell and Caroline Flack [163][164]
Final Julia Zemiro and Terry Wogan
 Austria ORF ORF 1 Final Andi Knoll [98][165]
 Gibraltar GBC GBC TV Final [166]
 New Zealand Triangle Television Triangle Stratos[h] All shows [167]
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High-definition broadcasts

RTS broadcast the event in 1080i high-definition (HD) and 5.1 surround sound. The new high-definition television system was in place at the Belgrade Arena by April 2008.[168] This is the second year that the event was broadcast live in HD. BBC HD broadcast the contest in High Definition in the United Kingdom.[162] Swedish broadcaster SVT broadcast both the semi-final and the grand final on SVT HD.[citation needed] Lithuanian broadcaster LRT broadcast both the semi-final and the grand final in 1080i high-definition (HD) on their channel LTV.[citation needed] The same occurred on Swiss HD channel HD suisse; on this channel viewers were able to choose the language of the commentary while viewing a semi-final or grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest.[citation needed] However, all other countries broadcast the show only in standard definition, and the event will only be available to buy on a standard-definition DVD; it will not be released on HD-DVD or Blu-ray.

International broadcasts

  •  Australia – Although Australia was not eligible to enter, the contest was broadcast on SBS. The first semi-final was broadcast on Friday 23 May at 19:30 local time, with the second semi-final on Saturday 24 May 2008 at 19:30 local time, and the Final on Sunday 25 May 2008 at 19:30 local time,[163][164] amongst a weekend of Eurovision-themed programming.[169] SBS local host Julia Zemiro provided introductory and concluding segments with SBS otherwise broadcasting the BBC's coverage and commentary.[170] In recent years the contest has been one of SBS's highest-rating programmes in terms of viewer numbers. The grand final rated well for SBS with 427,000 viewers tuning in for the grand final with 421,000 for the second semi-final and 272,000 for the first semi-final.[171]
  •  Austria – In Austria, ORF broadcast the contest live and received high TV ratings. However, it did not broadcast the semi-finals on 20 and 22 May.
  •  Gibraltar – Gibraltar screened only the final on GBC.[166]
  •  Italy – No Italian broadcaster proper showed the contest, but San Marinese SMRTV, which broadcast live the full event on both TV and radio, is available in some parts of Italy: Romagna (and a small part of Emilia, including Bologna), northern Marche, and southern Veneto, including Venice.[139]

A live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest was available worldwide via satellite through European streams such as TVRi, ERT World, ARMTV, TVE Internacional, TRT International, TVP Polonia, RTP Internacional, RTS Sat and SVT Europa.[citation needed] The official Eurovision Song Contest website also provided a live stream without commentary via the peer-to-peer medium Octoshape.

Other awards

Summarize
Perspective

In addition to the main winner's trophy, the Marcel Bezençon Awards and the Barbara Dex Award were contested during the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. The OGAE, "General Organisation of Eurovision Fans" voting poll also took place before the contest.

Marcel Bezençon Awards

The Marcel Bezençon Awards, organised since 2002 by Sweden's then-Head of Delegation and 1992 representative Christer Björkman, and 1984 winner Richard Herrey, honours songs in the contest's final.[172] For the only time, the awards were divided into four categories: Artistic Award which was voted by previous winners of the contest, Composers Award, Poplight Fan Award which was voted by fans on the Swedish website poplight.se, and Press Award.[173][174]

More information Category, Country ...
Category Country Song Artist Songwriter(s)
Artistic Award  Ukraine "Shady Lady" Ani Lorak
Composers Award  Romania "Pe-o margine de lume" Nico and Vlad
  • Andrei Tudor
  • Andreea Andrei
  • Adina Şuteu
Poplight Fan Award  Armenia "Qélé, Qélé" Sirusho
Press Award  Portugal "Senhora do mar (negras águas)" Vânia Fernandes
  • Andrej Babić
  • Carlos Coelho
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OGAE

OGAE, an organisation of over forty Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, conducts an annual voting poll first held in 2002 as the Marcel Bezençon Fan Award. After all votes were cast, the top-ranked entry in the 2008 poll was Sweden's "Hero" performed by Charlotte Perrelli; the top five results are shown below.[175][176][177]

More information Country, Song ...
Country Song Artist Points
 Sweden "Hero" Charlotte Perrelli 308
  Switzerland "Era stupendo" Paolo Meneguzzi 216
 Serbia "Oro" Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugić 178
 Iceland "This Is My Life" Euroband 145
 Norway "Hold On Be Strong" Maria Haukaas Storeng 145
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Barbara Dex Award

The Barbara Dex Award is a humorous fan award given to the worst dressed artist each year. Named after Belgium's representative who came last in the 1993 contest, wearing her self-designed dress, the award was handed by the fansite House of Eurovision from 1997 to 2016 and is being carried out by the fansite songfestival.be since 2017.

More information Country, Artist ...
Country Artist
 Andorra Gisela
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Official album

Thumb
Cover art of the official album

Eurovision Song Contest: Belgrade 2008 was the official compilation album of the 2008 contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and released by EMI Records and CMC International on 12 May 2008.The album featured all 43 songs that entered in the 2008 contest, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify into the grand final.[178]

Charts

More information Chart (2008), Peak position ...
Chart (2008) Peak
position
German Compilation Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[179]5
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Notes and references

External links

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