The live broadcast last night in 28 countries of the Eurovision Debate marked a seminal moment in political and audiovisual history, EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot said today.

“The Eurovision Debate was a first in terms of broadcasting and public service, but it was also an important first in the democratic history of the European Union,” said Mr Philippot, who is also Director General of francophone Belgian public broadcaster RTBF. His was among 55 television stations that aired the programme in Europe and beyond.

“I am extremely proud of what the EBU has achieved here, which goes far beyond a simple television programme; the Eurovision Debate demonstrated to a transnational audience that public service broadcasting has the unique power to touch millions of people and engage them in political processes that, ultimately, affect all of our lives.”

As the programme’s producer, Eurovision applied a set of clear editorial rules based on the Core Values of Public Service Media to ensure fairness, impartiality and independence throughout.

The European Parliament provided technical support that enabled the broadcast to take place and to be retransmitted by any broadcaster and media outlet that wanted to.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

• Aired on at least 152 media outlets:
  • 55 TV channels;
  • 88 websites;
  • 9 radio stations
• 112,595 total tweets using #TellEUROPE
• 607.6 tweets per minute using #TellEUROPE
• At its peak #TellEUROPE was trending in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands and the UK

MEDIA COVERAGE

Global media coverage around the Eurovision Debate has been intense, with innumerable outlets reporting on its significance, as well as its content.

Click here for an international media sweep of almost 200 reports about or referencing the Eurovision Debate on May 15 - 16.

In addition, click the links below to find out what some EU and European outlets are saying.