They’re the country who are working on their song selection method to ensure that their 2018 top-five comeback wasn’t a one-off. Over the past few months, Germany‘s broadcaster NDR has been working hard on fixing their strategy. And now we’re learning a little about what’s been going on regarding the German national selection process for Eurovision 2020.
Back in September, German Eurovision news blog ESC Kompact first reported that NDR had once again teamed up with their business partner Digame and also opened song submissions. However, there still has been no formal announcement confirming that a national final is actually taking place.
Nevertheless, it does seem likely that NDR will once again broadcast an Unser Lied für… selection show. With both the Eurovision-fan panel and the international juries currently judging songs in the competition, it’s more than likely that an announcement is indeed imminent.
The little communication that NDR has given Eurovision fans over the past months seems particularly strange when compared with the broadcaster’s previous schedule.
For their 2019 selection Unser Lied für Israel, the selection kicked off with the songwriting camps as early as August 2018. The first six competing acts (before S!sters were added) were announced on November 8 — a date we’ve already passed this year.
Several fans have also received rejection mails with regard to the Eurovision panel, which decides one-third of the votes at the national final. This may also suggest that the process leading up to the national selection is indeed underway. However, just like the song submission announcement, NDR hasn’t issued a public statement with regard to the Eurovision panel.
Eurovision 2020: What might be going down right now
Despite the setback for Germany, several acts expressed their interest in representing the nation in Rotterdam. The most prominent bid comes from the Hamburg-based choir Hamburger Goldkehlchen.
On the other hand, there’s at least one act that can definitely be ruled out: 2019 finalist Aly Ryan. She made it very clear that she wouldn’t consider reapplying for the German selection under the current circumstances.
There’s also another factor that might indicate that NDR may consider other selection options. Digame — the German partner organisation that NDR is closely working with for the selection process — has also been working with the Swiss broadcaster on their selection.
Digame’s work paid off for Switzerland. They managed a fourth-place Eurovision finish with their internally selected bop, Luca Hänni’s “She Got Me”.
The success of the Swiss internal selection after years of poor results through the national final Die grosse Entscheidungsshow might also raise eyebrows at the NDR headquarters. Could an internal selection deliver similar good results for Germany? The Swiss example shows that this might be the case.
Another idea brought up by the German blog ESC Kompakt suggests that the forthcoming national selection is set to put emphasis on the songs that are part of the selection. This could indicate that jurors would only receive audio tracks in order to narrow down the field of artists.
Unlike previously produced videos at the songwriting camp staged in Berlin, the focus seems to be on the tracks themselves, rather than the singers. The sessions taking place in Berlin seem to have been ditched this year to fully concentrate on the songs.
Fans have previously noted that the German national final is screened on a channel that attracts older viewers with more conservative tastes. This means casual televoters are less likely to go for bold pop choices and more likely to pick safe ballads.
What do you think Germany needs to come back stronger? Could an internal selection prove to be a better option for them? Let us know in the comments section down below!
I really think that it has something to do with the audience of the channel. ARD is known for their 40’s audience who really do not have a common sense for music. Especially regarding the European taste of music. ARD should broadcast Unser Lied für… on a modern and fresh channel such as RTL, RTL2 or on PRO7 which I would prefer more.
This is like watching a newborn duckling drowning slowly. It is pretty sad, really.
That poor duckling! How could you watch such a thing in the first place? 😛
I do acknowledge though that the news from Germany is rather speculative at the moment.
Maybe they should just drop the wild card as that is the act which always seems to be picked.
Pick internal and avoid last year’s mess please
never heard this before
Germany is always a bit of hit or miss. But the fact they’re taking their time to work things out, seems a good signal.
Anyway, it’s a post about about Germany, so I must do my usual thing- Get Tom Beck in there!
The key to success seems to be a perfect match of singer and song. The song has to suit the singer and has to mean something to him or her. They should just stop trying to look for the perfect formula and instead simply select a genuine piece of music.
Going for a less complex approach with their selection process should be the way to go.
As far as NDR’s primary channel being an old-skewing, attracting young viewers would largely depend if the content itself is geared for a generally young-skewing audience from the get-go. If last year’s Unser Lied Für Israel garnered higher than usual viewing figures for the channel, that could be coming from that Adult 18-49 demo that don’t usually watch NDR.
NDR do the right thing and pick Aly Ryan!
NDR do the right thing and pick someone who isn’t self entitled!
Good luck, but it still doesn’t seem organic (what worked in 2018, what worked for Switzerland….)
It looks like they’re avoiding mundane compositions to get through their selection. Or it seems to be.