Construction has begun on a stage in Bangkok for Eurovision Song Contest Asia, a regional adaptation of the long-running European music competition set to debut the following weekend. The event will feature 11 contestants from countries across Asia, including the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Malaysia. The contest will be held at a concert venue in One Bangkok Forum near Lumphini Park, with tickets still available for the grand final.
Organizers have promoted the Asian offshoot through Eurovision’s official social media channels, which boast 2.3 million followers, though the spin-off account has attracted approximately 65,000 followers to date. Bulgaria’s 2026 Eurovision winner, Dara, will perform during the interval. The event will be streamed live on YouTube, allowing global viewership and participation in voting, though international votes will not override national juries and public ballots from participating countries.
Academic Dean Vuletic, who authored a book on Eurovision’s history and taught the first university course dedicated to the competition, expressed skepticism about the venture’s prospects. He attributed Eurovision’s success in Europe to its emergence during television’s rise in the late 1950s alongside postwar regional integration, suggesting the format may struggle in other contexts. A previous American adaptation titled American Song Contest drew poor viewership figures in 2022 when competing against established programs.
The competition retains the Eurovision name rather than adopting a regional rebrand, which organizers appear to be using to maintain association with the world’s largest live music event. The European Broadcasting Union, which operates the competition, has historically included non-European broadcasters. Some observers have raised questions about potential political voting blocs, given regional tensions—Thailand and Cambodia engaged in conflict recently. The main Eurovision competition has faced controversy regarding Israel’s participation and accusations of inconsistent standards regarding broadcaster participation and political conflicts.
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