As the weeks go by, information about the French selection method for Eurovision 2020 seems to grow a bit more precise. In recent weeks we’ve moved from uncertainty about the possible return of Destination Eurovision to the news that the next representative will be selected through a public selection. Now a French TV official has confirmed that big changes are coming.
French broadcaster France Télévisions recently welcomed a new Programmes Manager, Alexandra Redde-Amiel. In a recent interview with PureMedias, the new queen of TV spoke about her outlook on the event, including the possibility of an entirely brand new show.
“We’re thinking a lot internally and with the producer,” she said. “It’s very open, and we’re putting all the questions on the table. What is certain is that the show will come back. In what form and with what name, it’s not decided yet.”
One reason for this is because she’s currently focused on Junior Eurovision, which airs on France 2 on November 24.
Alexandra also suggested that winds are blowing her in the direction of a bigger show.
“Our desire is to make the Eurovision brand bigger. We cannot disappoint, because Eurovision has become an unmissable entertainment event for France 2 and our audience. The show has the best TV ratings of the year, and brings people of every age together. The broadcaster is doing everything to get closer to the podium.”
The two most recent Destination Eurovision winners have failed to reach the heights of internally selected acts like Amir (sixth place) or Alma (twelfth place).
In terms of other changes, French television host Daphé Bürki is rumoured to be in talks to host the national final, replacing French-Canadian singer Garou. But France 2 hasn’t yet arrived at that aspect of its evolving show.
“We still have no questions about hosting for the moment,” Alexandra said. “We’re focusing on the form.”
What do you think about potential changes to the show? Are there any changes that you’d like to suggest to the team in France? Let us know down below.
I would like to hear some Caribbean sounds @ their national selection. Another Monté la riviè, another White & Black Blues… They could search for the Joëlle Ursull of the 21st Century.
It’s already October… Please be quick.
One thing I would change for sure is the timing. Being the first, or among the first, to select their song never did them any favours IMO!
As a french, I think there are so many things to change :
– a single-evening show.
– 10-12 artists, maximum.
– cancel the cover of songs by the artists
– put Daphné Burki instead of Garou.
– televoting points are not equal to the percent of points the artists got (to avoid a situation like Bilal), the winner should just get like 120pts, then 100pts for the second, 80ptd for the third, etc.
Some changes are subjective (host and covers), other are related to the budget and the rating numbers (number of artists and shows), but the last one you mentioned should be a priority. The way it worked this year, an act can get a maximum of 120 points from the juries, which is less than a third of the points they can get from the televote.
As a French guy here is what I think needs to be fixed: the length, 3 weeks is too long, I think one big evening would be enough, the vote system so we don’t have Bilal situations in the future (I love Bilal, bless his heart but it’s not normal that the 5th person in the jury vote can win the whole thing thanks to their fanbase), and they should stop worrying so much about the diversity of songs if the consequence is refusing great songs to keep diverse but weak stuff like Madame la Paix or Sois un bon… Read more »
i don’t think there’s anything that needs to be changed about destination eurovision… issa serve every year n the format is good
Very unfortunate. This national final was very enjoyable to watch. I love being introduced to the artists who participated there, may they be the winners or not.
Destination Eurovision was one of my favourite national finals in the last years, I think they should keep using it the way it was!
Just select Gabriella Laberge internally and give the queen a killer bilingual song. She just came up with her album and I love the emotions of “Paper Kite” and the dynamic of “On Cherche Encore” (no I get not paid for this 😛 )
Madam Monsieur got basically the same result as Alma, so I don’t know why some see it as a “internal selections x national finals” situation. Only Amir was able to get top 10 and he had a push on the fact that France was finally showing signs of life after some years of terrible results. Also, his track wasn’t the best of the group (for me, it’s “Mercy”), but it was the most accessible and catchy. I think the situation is: France upped their game and need to build things from there . I hope Alexandra feels the same way.
Alma would do much better if she stayed with french chorus
I totally agree. Those English verses never sounded natural to my ears.
Well maybe let’s not let rubbish like “Roi” snatch a win it didn’t deserve and you would have placed higher in the grand final.
They are disappointed by DE which is why they want a revamp. It’s not just because of the results at ESC but also the ratings of DE 2018 and DE 2019 (2.1 to 2.5 ~millions viewers which is weak). They have such good ratings with the contest itself so they want to use the brand Eurovision but for now it’s not really working with the NF and it’s very unpopular in our country to choose our entry. I don’t know what to expect honestly and if they’ll still do it in January or later. It’s late and they haven’t opened… Read more »
Destination Eurovision is a great national final, however the quality in songs went down in 2019, probably because Grassi left. The two French songs picked internally in 2016 and 2017 were greater quality than the last 2 years imo
In terms of quality, I think Mercy was better than their 2016 and 2017 entries, but not very well-staged and got a little bit lost. Last year though, they had a very ambitious project but the song was bland and unappealing.
agree completely
I ofc meant this year lol, it’s not 2020 yet.
Indeed. With the right staging Mercy could have even won the whole thing, I mean that chorus is still spinning in my head.
Excuse me? First of all, imo “Mercy” was never ever better than Amir’s and Alma’s entries. They had very modern, yet classy bilingual pop songs which also appeal to a young audience. “Mercy” had the impressive group dynamic of the moving hands, but the song was quite boring tbh. And second, “Mercy” would’ve never ever won the contest with a better staging. No way against Netta and Eleni.
Sorry, but the bilingual part in Requiem is atrocious.
“You take my smile, you make it bright.
Before the night erase the light.”
😀 I like changing between languages, but I know that this is a minority position 🙂
It could’ve been smoother- but Jai Cherche is an amazing example of a multilingual song with natural transitions
We’ve come a long way since the days Eurovision wasn’t on France 2 but on France 3!
About DE I’d like it if it was less “let’s select the best song for Eurovision” and more “let’s just choose the best song”. But I’m confident they’ll make the necessary changes.
About JESC: will you guys do a few videos like last year? I really enjoyed them!