EXCLUSIVE: The Eurovision brand continues its North American expansion. Leading Canadian producer Insight Productions, a Boat Rocker company, has teamed with Eurovision Canada rights owners and ASC, Inc., one of the companies behind NBC’s music reality competition series American Song Contest, to debut the first-ever Eurovision Canada in 2023.
Similar to American Song Contest –– which is following the blueprint of the Eurovision Song Contest — Eurovision Canada will feature musical artists and bands from each of the 10 provinces and three territories and across every musical genre, to perform all original songs on the live televised event. The participating artists will go head-to-head against other provincial/territorial representatives in a series of televised Qualifier Competitions, leading to Semi-Finals and the ultimate primetime Grand Finale.
The move follows the recent appointment of Greg Lipstone as President and COO of ASC, Inc., joining producers Anders Lenhoff, Christer Björkman, Ola Melzig and Peter Settman in their expansion efforts, including launching local versions of the show in territories that are not covered by the Eurovision Song Contest. In Canada, they will work with Insight’s CEO & Chairman John Brunton and Eurovision Canada showrunner Lindsay Cox, also of Insight.
While not part of the Eurovision Song Contest, Canada produced one of the highest profile Eurovision winners when 20-year Celine Dion won in 1988 representing Switzerland, kickstarting her career.
Canada’s long list of famous songwriters also include Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Robbie Robertson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gordon Lightfoot, k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlan, The Tragically Hip, and Shania Twain, to Justin Bieber, Drake, and The Weeknd.
“If music was the World Cup of Olympic figure skating or hockey, with artists from all over Canada coming together to compete for the ultimate gold medal – that is what we envision for Eurovision Canada,” ASC, Inc. producer Peter Settman said on behalf of his producing partners Anders Lenhoff, Christer Björkman, and Ola Melzig. “We aim to bring all the excitement and spectacle of Eurovision, combined with the originality of Canadian artists to create something as unique and diverse as Canada itself. Not to mention, as native Swedes, we too know the cold – and we can’t wait to bring the heat!”
Added Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor, Eurovision Song Contest: “The Eurovision Song Contest’s unique legacy dates back 67 years and its worldwide popularity continues to grow. It is time for Canada to join the party and become a player in this worldwide spectacle.”
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the biggest televised events in the world, with more than 200MM people tuning in annually, a larger audience than the Super Bowl in the United States. It has launched the careers of such artists as previous winners Celine Dion and Abba, as well as Julio Iglesias and numerous others. The U.S. music industry has recognized the power of the event with Justin Timberlake and Madonna breaking new music on the show in recent years.
Further details about the broadcast partner and hosts will be announced in the coming weeks.
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