According to Polish website WirtualneMedia.pl Polish Television TVP will soon finish the negotiations with EBU regarding the costs of participation in Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Unofficial sources informed that TVP would like to send Polish singer to Vienna, but the final confirmation is still missing.
As we learnt from WirtualneMedia, they are negotiating with the EBU about costs of broadcasting the optional semi final. This year Polish viewers had the opportunity to follow all three shows live for the first time. TVP didn’t broadcast thhe optional part of the contest in the past, but only the semifinal with Polish entry, and the final. It’s worth to mention, that TVP decided not to air the first ever Eurovision semifinal held in Turkey in 2004 as due to 7th place for Ich Troje in 2003, Poland qualified to the final in 2004 automatically. Only in 2004 broadcasters who had a guaranteed place in the final weren’t obligated to show the semifinal. WirtualneMedia.pl informed that it depends on the result of the dialogue between EBU and TVP if the Polish broadcaster will show the optional semi final live, but there is no mention about withdrawal from Eurovision 2015.
It is still not decided how TVP will select new entry to Vienna, but the broadcaster will most likely opt for an internal selection again. TVP formed a special board this year which decided to send Donatan & Cleo and their hit “My Slowianie”, which was modified according to the Eurovision rules, and performed in Copenhagen as “My Slowianie – We Are Slavic”. OGAE Poland took active part in discussions regarding Polish entry and gave TVP a lot of advices regarding Eurovision participation. Donatan & Cleo qualified to the final and reached 14th place. Polish media still recall that if the EBU used only televoting, Poland would have finished 5th in the final, but due to jury voting “My Slowianie” finally landed outside the top 10. The voting procedure was criticized in Poland, especially results from countries with huge Polish diaspora, such as UK or Ireland, where Slavic Girls reached the top in televoting and were last in jury voting.
TVP were happy with their participation in ESC 2014 because of the viewing results which were surprisingly high, especially when we compare it to viewing figures from from 2010-2011, when anonymous singers represented Poland in Eurovision. That is why TVP would like to repeat the formula from Copenhagen and send to Vienna someone popular who will gather a lot of media attention and tv-viewers. The big question is if any popular artist would like to do Eurovision, as despite good results for Donatan & Cleo, participation in the contest as Polish entry can be still dangerous and risky for their music career in this country.
