On 6 June 2004 the Eurovision network celebrated its 50th
anniversary, and the European Broadcasting Union announced that a
square in Montreux was to be renamed “Place de l'Eurovision”, that
Sunday.
It was on 6 June 1954 that Montreux became the venue for the
first transmission by the Eurovision network of the Narcissus
Festival and its flower-bedecked procession floats. The first
Eurovision viewers eagerly watched on 4 million television sets in
homes, bars, and shop windows in Germany, Belgium, France, Great
Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
This first technical exploit opened the way for many other
shared pictures:
| | 1956 | The marriage of Prince Rainier to Grace
Kelly |
| | 1958 | News exchanges between the EBU’s television
members are launched |
| | 1961 | The first live transmission from Russia on
the return to Moscow of the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin |
| | 1962 | Telstar is launched to link Eurovision and
the USA, a satellite that would be used for all the major events of
the time, such as the funeral of President Kennedy |
| | 1969 | Eurovision is on the moon for the longest of
its transmissions to date |
Since then, the history of the world has been transmitted via
Eurovision: all the major ceremonies such as the Olympic Games, the
actions of the greatest men, technological advances, changes to the
world, natural disasters, and the landmark events of the
century.
Eurovision is now the most extensive television transmission
network in the world and one of the most reliable broadcasting
networks of its type. From news and sport to special events,
Eurovision is the strongest link in the content distribution chain
and offers permanent coverage from Europe, the Americas, the
Middle-East, North Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and an ad hoc
coverage of Africa and the Pacific Rim.
Further information
Video clips
Click on the links to the two videos, the first presenting the
history of Eurovision and the second a film of the celebrations on
the 6 June.
Video Clips:
The dossier
Eurovision 50
(pdf)
For any other information:
Patrick Jaquin, +41 22 717 2033, jaquin@ebu.ch
