Eurovision: Why is the UK hosting it and when is it on?

Eurovision is the world's biggest planetary opus contest, and much than 160 cardinal radical are expected to ticker the last successful May successful Liverpool.

It began successful 1956 arsenic an experimentation successful joined-up unrecorded TV broadcasting but has grown into a immense planetary spectacle and celebration.

This year, 37 countries volition compete, watched by immoderate of the astir enthusiastic and animated fans successful the satellite - and for the archetypal time, viewers extracurricular Eurovision countries volition beryllium capable to articulation successful and ballot for their favourite acts.

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won past twelvemonth successful Turin, Italy, with their opus Stefania. The UK's Sam Ryder finished second, with Space Man.

Usually the winning state hosts the adjacent competition. But due to the fact that of the ongoing warfare successful Ukraine, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which organises the contention invited the BBC to big it connected Ukraine's behalf.

Liverpool, which gave the satellite The Beatles, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and The Wombats, has been chosen arsenic the big city, and the contention volition instrumentality spot astatine the M&S Bank Arena connected the waterfront.

This is the ninth clip the UK volition big the contention and the 5th clip it's hosted for different countries owed to fiscal oregon capableness issues.

Eurovision culminates with the monolithic spectacle of a expansive last connected Saturday 13 May, but determination is simply a agelong lead-up which begins connected 31 January with the big metropolis handover and the gully to determine which countries volition vie successful which semi-final.

Many of the countries taking portion person besides begun the enactment process for their participating acts and songs. That's usually completed by mid-March.

The contention itself is made up of 3 unrecorded shows: 2 semi-finals and the expansive final.

This year's semis volition instrumentality spot connected Tuesday 9 May and Thursday 11 May. Ten countries from each volition spell through.

The alleged large 5 don't instrumentality portion successful the semis - the UK, Italy, France, Spain, and Germany wage much to EBU, and truthful they are guaranteed a spot successful the final, on with past year's winners, Ukraine. So a full of 26 countries volition beryllium competing for Eurovision glory connected 13 May.

Eurovision has been fashionable successful Australia since the 1980s, and successful 2015 the state was invited to execute arsenic portion of celebrations to people the 60th twelvemonth of the opus contest.

It was specified a occurrence that the state was fixed support to support competing until this twelvemonth astatine least. Australia besides has to wage a interest to the EBU to instrumentality portion successful the aforesaid mode arsenic different European countries do.

If Australia ever won the competition, there's a peculiar regularisation successful spot which states they would person to nominate a European co-host who would signifier the contention connected their behalf, truthful nary accidental of the Eurovision Song Contest taking spot Down Under.

There are different countries not successful Europe - similar Armenia and Israel - who besides enactment successful Eurovision, arsenic they are members of the EBU.

The 10 acts going done from each of the semi-finals volition beryllium decided solely connected nationalist votes. Previously, assemblage votes were besides involved, but not this clip around.

In the last itself, the voting is simply a spot much complicated.

Each of the 26 competing countries has a assemblage whose members fertile each of the countries' performances. They springiness the apical 10 acts 12, 10, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, 2 oregon 1 points. These assemblage ballot results are announced by each state successful crook connected the night.

Then, calculated from spectator votes, the competing countries springiness the different contestants 12 to 1 points successful the aforesaid mode (excluding 11 and 9).

Public votes from the remainder of the satellite volition beryllium counted arsenic if they are 1 different state and allocated arsenic 12 to 1 points. This is new, truthful it's the archetypal clip radical crossed the globe, not conscionable successful Eurovision countries, volition beryllium capable to person their say.

Together, these determine the wide victor of the solid microphone trophy.

Each participating state enters arsenic a broadcaster - for illustration BBC, RTÉ and RAI, for the UK, Ireland and Italy.

All broadcasters are charged a interest to instrumentality part, with the large 5 paying much than others.

How overmuch each participating broadcaster pays to participate is not made public, but the full outgo betwixt each entrants usually adds up to astir £5m ($6.2m), with the big paying a further sum.

Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro, who each failed to marque it past past year's semi-finals, person pulled retired of this year's contention implicit wealth concerns.

Local authorities successful and astir Liverpool has committed to £4m for attractions astir May's contest, including a instrumentality colony with large screens and stages for unrecorded music.

On apical of that, the UK authorities says it volition besides lend financially. But the bulk of the outgo volition autumn to the BBC arsenic big broadcaster.