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TikTok becomes official entertainment partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 – what to expect this year

Posted by Dina Zubi in Comment

2 years ago

The Eurovision Song Contest is on the horizon yet again, with the grand finale set to take place on 14 May. Last year, the competition was watched by 183 million viewers, and the viewing share among 15-24-year-olds was up seven per cent compared to the last broadcast in 2019.

Gen Z’s fascination with Eurovision is clearly visible on TikTok as well, and for 2022, the video app has been announced as its Official Entertainment Partner. The #eurovision tag boasts almost four billion views, and with this new partnership, we can undoubtedly expect exclusive behind-the-scenes moments, content created by the competitors, fun transitions, new trending audios and costume transformations.

The platform is clearly embracing the success of last year’s competition, and it seems the larger-than-life event, with its ludicrous costumes, set designs, pyrotechnics and songs are almost made with the TikTok audience in mind.

For instance, Icelandic Daði Freyr’s 2020 song Think About Things has been used in over 58,000 TikToks. The influencer sphere also merged with Eurovision culture last year, when beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials) was a host for the Netherlands. Similarly, Sam Ryder, who is representing the UK this year, found popularity online before he became part of the Eurovision family and has already amassed a TikTok following of over 12 million.

The 2021 winner, Italian band Måneskin, blew up not only on the charts but also on TikTok where their cover of the song Beggin’ has been used in an incredible 9.5 million videos. The band was even credited for helping resurrect the popularity of the rock genre due to its TikTok success.

@samhairwolfryder

If you were gonna send me a message in a bottle to get me hyped up before singing in front of 200 MILLION people at Eurovision, what would it say?! 👇👩‍🚀🌞 #singingchallenge #fyp #fypシ

♬ original sound – Sam Ryder

Måneskin is not the only Eurovision winner to make a mark on TikTok. Alexander Rybak, who won Eurovision in 2009 for Norway, has grown his TikTok following to over 1.7 million through his violin playing, travel vlogs and duets with fans.

Similarly, Israeli Netta Barzilai who won the competition in 2018, has amassed 1.8 million followers by sharing singing clips, dance routines and behind-the-scenes content.

This year’s competition is set to generate another flurry of Eurovision content. The most eager fans have already started commenting on this year’s entries before the grand finale on 14 May.

@therealmaneskin

Wednesday 16th June at 5 pm live on @tiktok from Berlin. Stay tuned ⚡️

♬ suono originale – Måneskin

Some of the most dedicated Eurovision enthusiasts on TikTok include Nottingham-based TikToker George Rhianna, the aptly named Eurovision Julia and mega-fan Ben Jones, as well as Adam McCalligKelly Louise Killjoy and Vanya.

As the contest kicks off next weekend, expect pop culture commentators delivering hot takes, comedians sharing their best impersonations and musical TikTokers creating covers and remixes.

Eurovision can also spark new choreographies, flash fashion and beauty trends, or at the very least, catapult the winner into TikTok virality.

Want to find out more about the digital impact of Eurovision 2022? CORQ will be covering the aftermath of the event and the online trends it starts after 14 May performances.

Picture credit: Sam Ryder via Instagram