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Germany: 260,000 watched the semi final
The speciality channel Phoenix, usually known for news programmes and documentaries, broadcast the semi final for the first time. Considering that Phoenix has an average market share of about 0,5-0,7%, 1% market share (and 1,4% market share among the younger viewers) can be seen as a success for the channel. On the other hand, last year the first semi final, where Germany had voting rights, was watched by more than 400,000 people although (unlike Phoenix) the channel NDR could not be followed by cable or DVB-T in Southern Germany. Curiously enough, a documentary about the Eurovision Song Contest that was aired at 20:00 CET before the show attracted even more viewers yesterday, although it had already been filmed in 2005 and had already been rebroadcast various times.
The viewing figures of the grand final have been declining over the last three years, although the Eurovision Song Contest has remained one of the most popular non-sport live events of the year beating popular shows like Pop Idol, Popstars and Germany's Next Top Model.
Germany will be represented by Alex Swings! Oscar Sings! at number 17 in the grand final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest this Saturday, 16th May with the song Miss kiss kiss bang.
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I'm from Germany and I watched the show on Phoenix.
To read that there were only so less people watching the show makes me happy because it means that my phone calls have more weight for the outcome!
Wow! That is so little!
I find it weird that people lose that much interest just because the lack of promotion, an unknown artist and disappointing previous results... I always watch no matter how Norway did the last year or even if we have an ugly song. Are people really that nationalistic? They can't enjoy watching ESC just because their own entry isn't good or haven't been promoted? It sounds so weird.
noone in Malta or Turkey would have watched the first semi if Turkey or Malta were not participants... how could you compare it to Germany. Of course more or less noone cares for the semi, because Germany is not included. And i think that's pretty normal. I don't think the interest would be mucher higher if broadcast on ARD. You can't force ARD to braodcast a semifinal in which Germany is not included and spent more money by losing this airtime.
The reclining viewing figures are in my opinion not due to fact that Germany has no good results. If ask people who are not so involved in ESC they tend to answer that they don't care anymore because it is so annoying to watch Germany giving Turkey, Sweden to Norway, Belarus to Russia and Bosnia to Serbia the 12 points. Most people state that diapora voting simply makes it all boring and useless.
I think Germany might withdraw.
@Hinz und Kunz - Just like in Italy... :-/
Germany, please don't follow our bad example!!!!!!!!
It's a pity, I´ve nearly always liked German entries. Roger Cicero was wonderful, and I really like this year's entry Miss Kiss Kiss Bang, too. It has a nice touch in it and it makes me feel good and smile! 
Only 260 000. Cause of germany places 20-25 every year.
No wonder that people lose interest. The semi final was announced nowhere, most people don't even know that semi finals exist here in germany. And those few people who know it sometimes couldn't watch it because NDR decided to hide it on this tiny channel Phoenix.
@stef lala
Yes it would make an impact if Germany decided to leave ESC, our Bundesvision song contest is stupid and cannot be compared by nothing to the original European contest. Also, Bundesvision song contest has less viewers every year, and most of the bands there are completely unknown and have terrible songs.
Of course that dramatical loss in interest can be seen, when NOBODY voted last year for fantastic NO ANGELS and for AWSOME Gracia Baur in 2005! 
Germany is one of the best ESC countries for me! 
Finaly i can say it wouldn´t be a big issue if germany leaves the ESC cuz since 2005 we have our own Song Contest called Bundesvision Song Contest with artists from all 16 german states and we would save a lot of money.
Germany big 4! very poor
@Oli bri last year in France only 1.6 million people waching the final and from that 1.6 million for sure 1 million or more was immigrants from all europe. I thing west people dont care about ESC or if they care they dont vote, beacuse is impossiple every year some west countreys to give 12 or 10 points to some spectacular countreys since immigrants are only 2-3% of the population of each countrey. same for Cyprus, i thing Cypriot people dont care or they dont vote beacuse every year Cyprus give points almost to same countreys ( exeption is Greece beacuse Cyprus dont have music industry and we hear only Greek songs who is coming from Greek music industry ), Cyprus give almost every year points to : Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus and Serbia ..why? Beacuse Cyprus is foul of immigrants from all that countreys And i m pretty sure that Cyprus will vote like that this year in semifinal : Greece 12 points, Ukraine 10 points ( beacuse all Ukranian, Russian and Belarusian will vote for Ukraine ), Moldova 8 points ( beacuse all Moldavian and Romanian " Romania is brother Nation with Moldova" will vote for Moldova ), Azerbaijan 7 points , Norway 6 points, Serbia 5 points, Estonia 4 points, Latvia or Lithuania 3 and 2 points and Denmark or Slovakia 1 point
Nick Westenthanner
Martin Franzkowiak-Meesin
Welcome to our (Portuguese) world!
No wonder so few people in Germany watched semifinal 1. Most people who are interested in the song contest are really annoyed with NDR - the channel responsible for the ESC in Germany - for several reasons.
1. for not having organized a national final
2. for not bothering to broadcast the semi finals: semi final 1 was broadcast on the Phoenix news channels, semi final 2 will be broadcast on NDR, but only after the end of the show.
And then let's not forget that the German entry doesn't get any kind of airplay on German radio stations, and since Oscar Loya is completely unknown, the general public - doesn't take any kind of notice.
1. Germany can't find popular artists and good songs so most of
German people aren't interested in the event at all.
2. The ESC is not pushed by the German media which is very
important to make it more popular.
3. Germans don't want to be losers and the entries of the years
before weren't successfull.
omg that's sick!
i think germany goes out in the next years from this contest
german media suck!
I really think the EBU should make it a condition of taking part in ESC that the broadcaster has to show the semis on a mainstream channel, not some little-watched channel like Phoenix (or BBC 3 in the UK). ESC has no future if it's sent to the TV graveyard of channels which hardly anyone sees.
its sad but really agree with lina,
the true number of german viewers will be less then 260.000 and the major part of viewers were people with migration background voting for their native homeland.
of course thats really sad but i think we should see more then the reason "nobody in germany is interested in eurovsion", because thats not true:
1. phönix is not the tv-channel well know for its spectacular event and music reports....so to give the first semi to them....its a bit like you would illustrate the bibel with micky mouse cartoons...it just doesnt fit...
2. there where not enough information and marketing in the german medias for the semis... people always need a "sign" what will become the next great "have to see"...but how can you watch something you dont know when and where?
3. the time was really bad especially for familys (start of week, get up next morning for school / work) ...and their own candidate is not tee see in semi...i mean if your "ambassador" is on stage it makes a sence to stay up longer as you would be on a normal weekday...
i also think that for example the dutch where so interested in the semi beacuse to get a hint what kind of music will be in taste of the voters/jury and what kind will become eliminated...so as i was interested in too
I dont wanna apologize with all this reasons for a number of viewers which even shocked me too.
For me I can say i was watching the whole show and i enjoyed it a lot...more the music less the moderation...
but i think we should wait till saturday and take a look on the viewer statistics on this day.
This will be represent the true standing of esc in germany.
I really looking forward for this evening and hope you all will swing along with alex & oscar and have fun with our show.
so to all of you and your candidates good luck an a wonderful night in moscow...
my big favorit for final...iceland (just great!)
The problem is none of the currently successful german musicians or groups like Tokio Hotel, Silbermond, Peter Fox or Rammstein are intressted in joining the ESC. They avoid the ESC like the devil is avoiding to get in touch with holy water.
Diaspora- and neighbourvoting is one part of the problem and they are concerned about a potential disaster and what it would do to their reputation in germany.
A bad ESCresult could kill ur carreer in germany, already happend in the past several times (no angels )
no good results no good artists -> bad viewing figures -> bye bye ESC
In Turkey Esc semi final is the 3rd most watched tv programme of the day.
Germany got about 9 major networks ARD is one of them and its going to telecast the Final but because of the fact that the ESC became more an more unimportant in Germany including the Final i have the great fear that next year maybe none of the big networks will telecast the Final and that would be the deathblow for Germanys ESC-Ambitions.
....I was watching the semi finals in the UK, and I don't have BBC3, so I had to watch it online.
So my point is there could have many more people in Germany watching the show online.
I think that Germany's entry this year is pretty good, and a great song to dance to, although maybe in the 1960s/70s!
With Ditta Von Tess on stage will get her fans voting for Germany, and if there are many fans in Europe, then Germany will do okay.
The song is the style as the entry in 2007, but 2 years ago the song was amazing, this is just mediocre. (BTW if Jury was used in 2007, Germany would have finished 6th!)
most of them are TURKISH hahahah
turkishes in everywhere
tvr from romania was the leader, with the golden minute being of 1.3 million people.check the news on TVR, it's written there.......and...in romania, which has a population of 20 million had 1.3 million people watching it, in germay, with 80 million people..it's quite a disaster..
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