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Voting rules of Eurovision song contest changed

27 October 2009 08:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ulkar Gasimova â€“ APA. The voting rules of the 55th Eurovision song contest 2010 have been changed. APA reports quoting the official website of the contest that according to the decision of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), during the Semi-Finals and Final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo people will be able to cast their votes by telephone and/or SMS during the entire show, instead of for just 15 minutes. From the start of the first song until 15 minutes after the end of the last song performed, votes can be cast.

â€œIt is more logic to pick up the telephone and cast your vote while hearing and seeing a song, rather than at the end the performances. Experiences from several national selections also show that this extended voting window is being used with success,â€ Svante Stockselius, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the EBU, said.
The total impact of the televoting will be higher due to extended possibilities to cast votes, and reduces the possibility of telecom providers’ systems reaching their capacity limits.

The voting procedure is one of the most strictly monitored elements of the Eurovision Song Contest, to assure a fair result. Since 2004, the EBU works with the German-based company Digame to coordinate the voting procedure.