A Eurovision-style song contest could soon be held in the Middle East and North Africa, organisers for the annual musical event have said.
Organisers for the song competition held by members the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said a TV company had bought the license to use the format in the region, the BBC reported.
Announcing the North Africa and Middle East license at a Belgrade media briefing earlier this week, the EBU’s Svante Stockselius said it was in talks for licensing around the world.
The Eurovision song contest, which has been held since 1956, involves EBU member countries each submitting a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries’ songs to determine the most popular song in the competition.
Since its inception, the content in Europe has been hugely political and some analysts believe exporting the forma to areas with stronger country rivalries could result in even greater political voting.
The Eurovision song contest is one of the longest-running TV programmes in the world, with audience figures each year ranging from 100-600 million internationally.
To be an active member, broadcasters must be in the European Broadcasting Area, or be in a Council of Europe member country.
Eligibility to participate is not determined by geographic position in Europe, despite the “Euro” in “Eurovision”. Israel has been involved since 1973 as has Turkey since 1975.
The 53rd Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday May 24.
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