The Eurovision Song Contest has a complex voting system which is regularly changed.
To make things more complicated, the European Broadcasting Union, which produces the competition, has made some tweaks for the 2024 edition in Malmo, Sweden.
– What has changed this year?
Viewers around the world can vote for 24 hours before the grand final but not post-broadcast after being given the ability to contribute to the poll last year.
Last year, people from countries outside the contest were able to vote online and on the app for the first time in the competition’s nearly seven-decade history.
Their votes are converted into points that will have the same weight as one participating country.
Grand final voting is also open before the first song is performed, and 25 to 40 minutes after the final act has finished.
– Here is how it works:
Fans from all participating countries can vote over the phone, by text or via the Eurovision app but people are unable to select their own country’s entry.
The public votes make up 50 per cent of the total vote, with the other half determined by a professional jury in each participating country.
After viewers have cast their votes, a national spokesperson from the participating countries will be called on to present the points of their professional jury – which range from the maximum “douze points” (12) to one point.
After the presentation of the scores from the juries, the public points from all participating countries will be combined, providing one score for each song.
The country at the top of the scoreboard becomes the 2024 winner and in the event of a tie it will be decided through the highest scores from the audiences and the non-participating countries.
