Eurovision Song Contest 2006
| Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Feel The Rhythm | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Dates | ||||
| Semi-final date | 18 May 2006 | |||
| Final date | 20 May 2006 | |||
| Host | ||||
| Venue | Olympic Indoor Hall Athens, Greece | |||
| Presenter(s) | Maria Menounos Sakis Rouvas | |||
| Director | Volker Weicker | |||
| Executive supervisor | Svante Stockselius | |||
| Executive producer | Fotini Yannoulatou | |||
| Host broadcaster | Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT) | |||
| Opening act |
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| Interval act |
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| Participants | ||||
| Number of entries | 37 | |||
| Debuting countries |  Armenia | |||
| Returning countries | None | |||
| Withdrawing countries | ||||
| Participation map
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| Vote | ||||
| Voting system | Each country awarded 12, 10, 8–1 point(s) to their 10 favourite songs | |||
| Nul points | None | |||
| Winning song |  Finland"Hard Rock Hallelujah" | |||
| Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May (for the semi-final) and 20 May 2006 (for the final). The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT). The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah", written by lead singer Mr. Lordi. "Hard Rock Hallelujah" was the first ever hard rock song to win the contest, since Eurovision is normally associated with softer pop music and schlager. This was Finland's first victory in Eurovision after waiting forty-five years. It is also noted that they scored the same amount of points in the semi-final and the grand final.
The hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens were Greek singer Sakis Rouvas, the Greek representative at Eurovision in 2004 and 2009, and the Greek American television presenter and actress, Maria Menounos.[1] In the semi-final, both the hosts sang Katrina and the Waves' contest-winning "Love Shine A Light". For one of the intervals, Sakis Rouvas sang an English version of his Greek hit "S'eho Erotefthi" called "I'm in love with you". Helena Paparizou, who performed the winning song in Kiev, returned to the Eurovision stage in Athens. Following the examples of Sertab Erener, Ruslana and Marie N in the last three years, she sang twice in the final, "My Number One" in the opening and her current song "Mambo!" in the interval (which was also a smash hit in Greece at the time); Greek dancers were also present in the interval acts, as well as other Greek elements. An official CD and DVD was released and a new introduction was an official fan book released from this year, and every year to come with detailed information of every country.
The 2006 contest also saw the 1,000th song to be performed in the contest, when "Every Song Is a Cry for Love" by Ireland's Brian Kennedy was first sung in the semi-final. Armenia also entered for the first time in the contest.
Location
The venue that was chosen as the host venue, was the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, the capital city of Greece.
Format
Visual design
The official logo of the contest remained the same from 2004 and 2005 with the country's flag in the heart being changed. The 2006 sub-logo created by the design company Karamela for Greek television was apparently based on the Phaistos Disc which is a popular symbol of ancient Greece. According to ERT, it was "inspired by the wind and the sea, the golden sunlight and the glow of the sand". Following Istanbul's "Under The Same Sky" and Kiev's "Awakening", the slogan for the 2006 show was "Feel The Rhythm". This theme was also the basis for the postcards for the 2006 show, which emphasized Greece's historical significance as well as being a major modern tourist destination.
Voting
To save time in the final, the voting time lasted ten minutes and the voting process was changed: points 1-7 were shown immediately on-screen. The spokespersons only announced the countries scoring 8, 10 and 12 points. Despite this being intended to speed proceedings up, there were still problems during voting – EBU imaging over-rode Maria Menounos during a segment in the voting interval and some scoreboards were slow to load. The Dutch spokesperson Paul de Leeuw also caused problems, giving his mobile number to presenter Rouvas during the Dutch results,[2] and slowing down proceedings, also by announcing the first seven points. Constantinos Christoforou (who also represented Cyprus in 1996, 2002 and 2005) saluted from "Nicosia, the last divided capital in Europe"; during Cyprus' reading, the telecast displayed Switzerland by mistake. This voting process has been criticized because suspense was lost by only reading three votes instead of ten. And for the first time, the display for the Macedonian entry had the title spelled out in its entirety (as "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia") instead of being abbreviated as it has been in previous years (as "FYR Macedonia").
Participating countries
Participating countries in a Eurovision Song Contest must be active members of the EBU.
Semi-final
The semi-final was held on 18 May 2006 at 21:00 (CET). 23 countries performed and all 37 participants and Serbia & Montenegro voted.
Shaded countries qualified for the Eurovision Final
Final
The finalists were:
- the four automatic qualifiers France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom;
- the top 10 countries from the 2005 final (other than the automatic qualifiers);
- the top 10 countries from the 2006 semi-final.
The final was held on 20 May 2006 at 21:00 (CET) and was won by Finland.
Countries in bold automatically qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 Final.
Voting during the final and spokespersons
The following people were the spokespersons for their countries. A spokesperson delivers the results of national televoting during the final night, awarding points to the entries on behalf of his or her country.[7] A draw was held to determine each country's voting order. Countries revealed their votes in the following order:
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Slovenia - Peter Poles -
Andorra - Xavi Palma -
Romania - Andreea Marin Bănică (Presenter of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006) -
Denmark - Jørgen de Mylius -
Latvia - Mārtiņš Freimanis (Latvian singer in the 2003 Contest as part of F.L.Y.) -
Portugal - Cristina Alves -
Sweden - Jovan Radomir - Finland - Nina Tapio
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Belgium - Yasmine (Hilde Rens) -
Croatia - Mila Horvat -
Serbia and Montenegro - Jovana Janković (Host of the 2008 Contest) -
Norway - Ingvild Helljesen -
Estonia - Evelin Samuel (Estonian singer in the 1999 Contest and veteran of several 1990s Eurolauls) -
Ireland - Eimear Quinn (Irish winner of the 1996 Contest) -
Malta - Moira Delia (Presenter of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014) -
Lithuania - Lavija Šurnaitė -
Cyprus - Constantinos Christoforou (Cypriot singer in the 1996, 2002 and 2005 Contests) -
Netherlands - Paul de Leeuw -
Switzerland - Jubaira Bachmann -
Ukraine - Igor Posypaiko -
Russia - Yana Churikova (Commentator of the 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 contests for Channel One) -
Poland - Maciej Orłoś -
United Kingdom - Fearne Cotton - Armenia - Gohar Gasparyan (Co-presenter of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011)
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France - Sophie Jovillard -
Belarus - Corrianna -
Germany - Thomas Hermanns -
Spain - Sonia Ferrer -
Moldova - Svetlana Cocoş -
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Vesna Andree-Zaimović -
Iceland - Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir -
Monaco - Églantine Eméyé -
Israel - Dana Herman -
Albania - Leon Menkshi -
Greece - Alexis Kostalas -
Bulgaria - Dragomir Simeonov -
Macedonia - Martin Vučić (Macedonian singer in the 2005 Contest) -
Turkey - Meltem Yazgan
Although Serbia & Montenegro did not compete in the contest, they still regained voting rights due to a scandal that was caused during their National Selection.
Score sheet
Televoting was used in all nations except Monaco and Albania. Monaco used a jury as the chances of getting enough votes needed to validate the votes were low. Albania used a jury since there were problems with their televote. In the semi final, Monaco and Albania used the jury voting due to insufficient televoting numbers. Coincidentally, Albania and Monaco were two of the three countries that didn't vote for the winning entry, the third one was Armenia.
Semi-final
| Televoting Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Armenia | 150 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bulgaria | 36 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slovenia | 49 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Andorra | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belarus | 10 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Albania | 58 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgium | 69 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ireland | 79 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Cyprus | 57 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monaco | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Macedonia | 76 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poland | 70 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Russia | 217 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||
| Turkey | 91 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ukraine | 146 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Finland | 292 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | |||||
| Netherlands | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lithuania | 163 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||
| Portugal | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sweden | 214 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |||||
| Estonia | 28 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 267 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 12 | ||
| Iceland | 62 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The table is ordered by appearance in the semi-final, then by pre-determined voting order. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 points
Below is a summary of all 12 points in the semi-final:
| N. | Contestant | Voting nation |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Croatia, Finland, Monaco, Norway, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey |
| 8 | Russia | Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine |
| 6 | ||
| Armenia | Belgium, Cyprus, France, Netherlands, Russia, Spain | |
| Finland | Estonia, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Sweden, United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Sweden | Denmark, Malta, Portugal |
| 1 | ||
| Albania | Macedonia | |
| Cyprus | Greece | |
| Lithuania | Ireland | |
| Macedonia | Albania | |
| Portugal | Andorra | |
| Turkey | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Final
| Televoting Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Switzerland | 30 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moldova | 22 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Israel | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Latvia | 30 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norway | 36 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spain | 18 | 12 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Germany | 36 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denmark | 26 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Russia | 248 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 5 | ||||
| Macedonia | 56 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romania | 172 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 229 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 12 | |||||||
| Lithuania | 162 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| United Kingdom | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greece | 128 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Finland | 292 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||||
| Ukraine | 145 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||||||||||
| France | 5 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Croatia | 56 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ireland | 93 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sweden | 170 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||
| Turkey | 91 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Armenia | 129 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| The table is ordered by appearance in the final, then by pre-determined voting order. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 points
Below is a summary of all 12 points in the final:
| N. | Contestant | Voting nation |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Monaco, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey |
| Finland | Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Russia | Armenia, Belarus, Finland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine |
| 3 | Turkey | France, Germany, Netherlands |
| 2 | Armenia | Belgium, Russia |
| Greece | Cyprus, Bulgaria | |
| Romania | Moldova, Spain | |
| 1 | Croatia | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Lithuania | Ireland | |
| Moldova | Romania | |
| Spain | Andorra | |
| Switzerland | Malta | |
| Ukraine | Portugal |
Other Awards
Marcel Bezençon Awards
The Marcel Bezençon Awards were first handed out during the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia honoring the best competing songs in the final. Founded by Christer Björkman (Sweden's representative in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest and current Head of Delegation for Sweden) and Richard Herrey (member of the Herreys, Eurovision Song Contest 1984 winner from Sweden), the awards are named after the creator of the annual competition, Marcel Bezençon.[8] The awards are divided into 3 categories; Press Award; Artistic Award; and Composer Award.[9]
| Category | Country | Song | Performer(s) | Composer(s) | Final result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artists Award (Voted by previous winners) |
Sweden |
"Invincible" | Carola | Thomas G:son, Bobby Ljunggren, Henrik Wikström, Carola |
5th | 170 |
| Composer Award | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
"Lejla" | Hari Mata Hari | Željko Joksimović, Fahrudin Pecikoza, Dejan Ivanović |
3rd | 229 |
| Press Award | Finland |
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" | Lordi | Mr. Lordi | 1st | 292 |
Barbara Dex Award
The Barbara Dex Award has been annually awarded by the fan website House of Eurovision since 1997, and is a humorous award given to the worst dressed artist each year in the contest. It is named after the Belgian artist, Barbara Dex, who came last in the 1993 contest, in which she wore her own self designed (awful) dress.
| Country | Song | Performer(s) | Composer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal |
"Coisas de nada" | Nonstop | José Manuel Afonso, Elvis Veiguinha |
Other countries
Withdrawals
Austria - On 18 June 2005, Austrian newspaper Kurier reported that the Austrian broadcaster ORF would not be taking part in the 2006 contest.
Czech Republic - On 6 October 2005 Česká televize announced that the Czech Republic would not participate, however also made its debut Next Year. 
Georgia - On 5 October 2005 the managing director of Georgia Television & Radio Broadcasting stated that Georgia would not enter the 2006 contest, however made its debut next year. 
Hungary - On 9 December 2005 Hungarian broadcaster Magyar TV announced that Hungary would not participate for financial reasons.
Italy - Italy did not take part in the Contest between 1997 and 2011.- Serbia and Montenegro - Serbia and Montenegro withdrew from the contest due to a scandal in the selection process, which has caused tensions between the Serbian broadcaster, RTS, and the Montenegrin broadcaster, RTCG. Serbia and Montenegro did retain voting rights for the contest. Serbia and Montenegro's withdrawal left a vacancy in the final. In the delegations meeting on 20 March, it was decided that Croatia, who finished 11th in the 2005 Contest, would fill the empty spot.
Ratings
After the Contest, EBU officials that the overall ratings for the Semi-Final were 35% higher than in 2005, and for the Final had risen by 28%.
In France, average market shares reached 30.3%, up by 8% over the 2005 figure. Other countries that showed a rise in average market shares included Germany with 38% (up from 29%), United Kingdom with 37.5% (up from 36%), Spain with 36% (up from 35%), Ireland with 58% (up from 35%) and Sweden, which reached over 80% compared to 57% the year previously.
Voting revenues had also risen from the Kiev Contest, and the official Eurovision website, www.eurovision.tv, reported visits from over 200 countries and over 98 million page views, compared with 85 million in 2005.
Noteworthy occurrences and records
From the Final
- Finland had to wait forty-four years since their debut in 1961 to achieve their first victory. They had only received three 12 points in the history of the contest up to the 2006 contest, and none since 1977.
- Lordi's winning score of 292 points was a record, the highest number of points in the contest's history at the time, only surpassed by Alexander Rybak in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, Loreen in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, Måns Zelmerlöw and Polina Gagarina, (the latter two both in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest) with larger number of voting countries in 2009, 2012 and 2015.
- Bosnia & Herzegovina reached third place, its highest position ever. The seventh place reached in 1999 had been its most successful entry.
- Sweden's Carola obtained 170 points without receiving 12 points from any one country and reached 5th place.
- Though Turkey was the fourth country with the most 12s (received from France, Germany and the Netherlands), the entry by Sibel Tüzün only reached 11th place with 91 points.
- Lithuania waited 12 years to receive their first 12 points. This was finally realised by points from Ireland.
- Runner-up Russia and 4th placed Romania were voted for by 35 countries, more than winner Finland, who received votes from 34 countries.
- The United Kingdom placed 19th, receiving points from 10 countries, while Macedonia (12th), Croatia (13th) and Denmark (18th) were voted for by 9, 8 and only 5 countries respectively.
- Both Turkey (91) and Finland (292) received the same number of points in the semifinal and the final.
- Despite having withdrawn from the 2006 contest, Serbia and Montenegro retained their voting rights. During the announcement of their votes, spokesperson Jovana Janković said "So, as you know, we don't have a song for you this year, but we promise that next year we will give you the best one". Her promise was fulfilled when Marija Šerifović of Serbia won the contest the following year.[10] Janković would also host the 2008 Contest.
- Alexis Kostalas, the long-time Greek spokesman, jokingly described Finland's Lordi "beautiful, gorgeous, sweet-looking creatures" before giving them the maximum twelve points, which eventually cemented their victory.
- The Norwegian entry "Alvedansen" performed by singer, songwriter Christine Guldbrandsen, is the first and until now, the latest entry performed in Norwegian Language since the end of the language-rule in 1999.
- For the first time ever, "Spidercam" technology was used in Eurovision
- Dima Bilan would come back in 2008, this time with a different song and a different television channel and he won that year.
Returning artists
| Artist | Country | Previous Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Anna Vissi | Greece |
1980, 1982 (for Cyprus) |
| Eddie Butler | Israel |
1999 (part of Eden) |
| Viktoras Diawara (part of LT United) | Lithuania |
2001 (part of SKAMP) |
| Fabrizio Faniello | Malta |
2001 |
| Ich Troje | Poland |
2003 |
| Carola | Sweden |
1983, 1991 (winner) |
Broadcasting
International broadcasts
Australia - Although Australia is not itself eligible to enter, the semi-final and final were broadcast on SBS. As is the case each year, they were not however broadcast live due to the difference in Australian time zones. Australia aired the United Kingdom's broadcast, including commentary from Paddy O'Connell and Terry Wogan. Before the broadcasts, viewers were told by an SBS host that the Eurovision Song Contest was one of their most popular programmes. The final rated an estimated 462,000, and was ranked 21st of the broadcasters top rating programs for the 2005/06 financial year.
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Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan were willing to enter the contest but since AzTV applied for active EBU membership but was denied on June 18, 2007, they missed the contest and have to wait until they're accepted. Another Azerbaijan broadcaster, OTV, broadcast the contest. It is a passive EBU member, and has broadcast it for the last 2 years. It was the only non-participating broadcaster this year to send its own commentators to the contest.
- Italy
- Italian television did not enter because RAI, the national broadcaster, is in strong competition with commercial TV stations and they believe that the Eurovision Song Contest would not be a popular show in Italy. They have not broadcast the contest in recent years, although an independent Italian channel for the gay community has shown the show.
- Worldwide
- A live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest was broadcast worldwide by satellite through Eurovision streams such as Channel One Russia, ERT World, TVE Internacional, TVP Polonia, RTP Internacional and TVR i. The official Eurovision Song Contest website also provided a live stream without commentary using the peer-to-peer transport Octoshape.
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Gibraltar - Gibraltar screened only the final.
Commentators
- Albania – Leon Menkshi (TVSH)
- Andorra - Meri Picart and Josep Lluís Trabal (RTVA)
- Armenia - Gohar Gasparyan and Phelix Khachatryan
- Austria - Andi Knoll (ORF2)
- Belarus - Denis Kurjan (Belarus 1)
- Belgium - Dutch: André Vermeulen & Bart Peeters (één), Michel Follet & Sven Pichal (Radio 2). French: Jean-Pierre Hautier (La Une),[11] Patrick Duhamel & Thomas Gunzig (La Première)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina - Dejan Kukrić (BHT1)
- Bulgaria - Elena Rosberg and Georgi Kushvaliev
- Croatia - Duško Čurlić[12]
- Cyprus - Evi Papamichail and Pampina Themistokleous (semi-final), Evi Papamichail and Vasso Komninou (final) (RIK 1)[13]
- Denmark - Mads Vangsø and Adam Duvå Hall (DR1)[14]
- Estonia - Marko Reikop[15]
- Finland - Finnish: Heikki Paasonen, Jaana Pelkonen and Asko Murtomäki (YLE TV2),[16] Sanna Kojo and Jorma Hietamäki (YLE Radio Suomi),[17] Swedish: Thomas Lundin (YLE FST)
- France - Peggy Olmi and Éric Jean-Jean (semi-final, France 4), Michel Drucker, Claudy Siar (final, France 3)[11] and Alexandre Devoise (final, France Bleu)
- Germany - Peter Urban (Das Erste),[18] Thomas Mohr (Deutschlandfunk/NDR 2)[19]
- Greece - Giorgos Kapoutzidis and Zeta Makrypoulia (NET)
- Iceland - Sigmar Guðmundsson (Sjónvarpið)[20]
- Ireland - Marty Whelan (RTÉ One),[21] Larry Gogan (RTÉ Radio 1, final)
- Israel - No commentator
- Latvia - Kārlis Streips
- Lithuania - Darius Užkuraitis
- Macedonia - Karolina Petkovska
- Malta - Eileen Montesin[22]
- Moldova - TBC
- Monaco - Bernard Montiel and Églantine Eméyé (TMC Monte Carlo)[23]
- Netherlands - Cornald Maas and Paul de Leeuw (Nederland 2),[24] Ron Stoeltie (Radio 2)
- Norway - Jostein Pedersen (NRK1)[25]
- Poland - Artur Orzech (TVP1)[26]
- Portugal - Eládio Clímaco (RTP1)[27]
- Romania - Andreea Demirgian (TVR1)
- Russia - Yuri Aksyuta and Tatiana Godunova (Channel One)
- Serbia and Montenegro - Duška Vučinić-Lučić (Serbian, RTS1), Dražen Bauković & Tamara Ivanković (Montenegrin, TVCG2)
- Slovenia - Mojca Mavec
- Spain - Beatriz Pécker (TVE1)[28]
- Sweden - Pekka Heino (SVT1),[29] Carolina Norén (SR P3)[30]
- Switzerland - German: Sandra Studer (SF zwei), French: Jean-Marc Richard and Alain Morisod (TSR 1), Italian: Sandy Altermatt and Claudio Lazzarino (TSI 2)
- Turkey - Bülend Özveren (TRT 1)
- Ukraine - Pavlo Shylko (First National TV Channel)
- United Kingdom - Paddy O'Connell (BBC Three, semi-final), Terry Wogan (BBC One, final) and Ken Bruce (BBC Radio 2, final)
Official album
| Eurovision Song Contest: Athens 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| Released | 28 April 2006 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | CMC | |||
| Eurovision Song Contest chronology | ||||
| ||||
Eurovision Song Contest: Athens 2006 was the official compilation album of the 2006 Contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and released by CMC International on 28 April 2006. The album featured all 37 songs that entered in the 2006 contest, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify into the grand final.[31]
| CD 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
| 1. | "Sense tu" (Andorra) | Jenny | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Zjarr e ftohtë" (Albania) | Luiz Ejlli | 3:10 |
| 3. | "Without Your Love" (Armenia) | André | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Lejla" (Bosnia and Herzegovina) | Hari Mata Hari | 3:03 |
| 5. | "Je t'adore" (Belgium) | Kate Ryan | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Let Me Cry" (Bulgaria) | Mariana Popova | 2:54 |
| 7. | "Mum" (Belarus) | Polina Smolova | 2:30 |
| 8. | "If We All Give a Little" (Switzerland) | six4one | 3:02 |
| 9. | "Why Angels Cry" (Cyprus) | Annet Artani | 2:58 |
| 10. | "No No Never" (Germany) | Texas Lightning | 3:00 |
| 11. | "Twist of Love" (Denmark) | Sidsel Ben Semmane | 3:00 |
| 12. | "Through My Window" (Estonia) | Sandra Oxenryd | 3:01 |
| 13. | "Un Blodymary" (Spain) | Las Ketchup | 3:01 |
| 14. | "Hard Rock Hallelujah" (Finland) | Lordi | 3:01 |
| 15. | "Il était temps" (France) | Virginie Pouchain | 2:57 |
| 16. | "Teenage Life" (United Kingdom) | Daz Sampson | 3:03 |
| 17. | "Everything" (Greece) | Anna Vissi | 3:00 |
| 18. | "Moja štikla" (Croatia) | Severina | 2:56 |
Total length: |
53:38 | ||
| CD 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
| 1. | "Every Song Is a Cry for Love" (Ireland) | Brian Kennedy | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Together We Are One" (Israel) | Eddie Butler | 3:05 |
| 3. | "Congratulations" (Iceland) | Silvia Night | 3:01 |
| 4. | "We Are the Winners" (Lithuania) | LT United | 2:29 |
| 5. | "I Hear Your Heart" (Latvia) | Vocal Group Cosmos | 3:00 |
| 6. | "La Coco-Dance" (Monaco) | Séverine Ferrer | 2:59 |
| 7. | "Loca" (Moldova) | Arsenium feat. Natalia Gordienko | 2:58 |
| 8. | "Ninanajna" (Macedonia) | Elena Risteska | 3:00 |
| 9. | "I Do" (Malta) | Fabrizio Faniello | 2:53 |
| 10. | "Amambanda" (Netherlands) | Treble | 2:59 |
| 11. | "Alvedansen" (Norway) | Christine Guldbrandsen | 2:55 |
| 12. | "Follow My Heart" (Poland) | Ich Troje feat. Real McCoy | 2:58 |
| 13. | "Coisas de nada" (Portugal) | Nonstop | 2:58 |
| 14. | "Tornero" (Romania) | Mihai Trăistariu | 3:00 |
| 15. | "Never Let You Go" (Russia) | Dima Bilan | 3:00 |
| 16. | "Invincible" (Sweden) | Carola | 3:00 |
| 17. | "Mr Nobody" (Slovenia) | Anžej Dežan | 3:02 |
| 18. | "Süper Star" (Turkey) | Sibel Tüzün | 3:01 |
| 19. | "Show Me Your Love" (Ukraine) | Tina Karol | 2:55 |
Total length: |
56:12 | ||
References
- ↑ "In pictures: Eurovision 2006". BBC News. 2006-05-21. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
- ↑ "Eurovision Songcontest Dutch tele-votes". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- 1 2 "Eurovision Song Contest 2006". The Diggiloo Thrush. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ The song is sung proficiently in English, Polish, Russian and German, but also contains some words in Spanish.
- 1 2 "We are the winners - lyrics - Diggiloo Thrush". Diggiloo.net. 2010-03-21. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- 1 2 "Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Copenhagen 2014". Eurovision.tv. 2006-05-20. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- ↑ Archived June 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Marcel Bezençon Award - an introduction". Poplight. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
- ↑ "Winners of the Marcel Bezençon Awards 2012 | News | Eurovision Song Contest - Baku 2012". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ Video on YouTube
- 1 2 Christian Masson. "2006 - Athènes". Songcontest.free.fr. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "• Pogledaj temu - Prijedlog - Eurosong večer(i) na HRT-u!". Forum.hrt.hr. 2011-03-27. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ Savvidis, Christos (OGAE Cyprus)
- ↑ "Forside". esconnet.dk. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ Archived September 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Eurovision 2006 Voting Part 1/3 With Finnish Commentary". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ Julkaistu To, 29/04/2010 - 10:19 (2010-04-29). "YLE Radio Suomen kommentaattorit | Euroviisut | yle.fi | Arkistoitu". yle.fi. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Dr. Peter Urban kommentiert - Düsseldorf 2011". Duesseldorf2011.de. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Thomas Mohr: Mit Dschinghis Khan im Garten". Eurovision.de. 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
- ↑ "Morgunblaðið, 20.05.2006". Timarit.is. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "RTE so lonely after loss of Gerry – Marty". 20 May 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
He has been providing commentary for Irish viewers since 2000 and maintains great enthusiasm for the much lampooned contest.
- ↑ Archived February 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Christian Masson. "2005 - Kiev". Songcontest.free.fr. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Welkom op de site van Eurovision Artists". Eurovisionartists.nl. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Adresse Athen - NRK". Nrk.no. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Pliki użytkownika Eurowizja". Chomikuj.pl. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Comentadores Do ESC - escportugalforum.pt.vu | o forum eurovisivo português". 21595.activeboard.com. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "FORO FESTIVAL DE EUROVISIÓN • Ver Tema - Uribarri comentarista Eurovision 2010". Eurosongcontest.phpbb3.es. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Infosajten.com". Infosajten.com. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ↑ "Swedes stay at home with Eurovision fever". The Local. 2009-05-16. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- ↑ Sietse Bakker (28 April 2006). "Athens 2006 album available in stock now!". esctoday.com. ESCToday. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eurovision 2006. |
- Official Eurovision Website – Audio and video clips available in the Multimedia Lounge
- Eurovision Record Book
Coordinates: 37°58′N 23°43′E / 37.967°N 23.717°E
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