EurovisionAgain: The Digital Revival of Classic Song Contests
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, fans worldwide were left without their annual musical celebration. In response, journalist Rob Holley launched EurovisionAgain, a grassroots initiative designed to fill the void by organizing weekly synchronized viewings of past contests on YouTube. What began as a fan-led project quickly gained momentum, eventually earning the official support and participation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
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How the Initiative Worked
The EBU integrated the project into its official YouTube channel, broadcasting a previous contest final every Saturday at 21:00 CEST. To maintain an element of surprise, the EurovisionAgain team revealed which specific year would be aired just 15 minutes before the broadcast began. While the schedule initially featured weekly events, it shifted to the third Saturday of every month starting July 18, 2020.
The availability of these broadcasts varied based on the era of the contest. While more recent events were readily accessible, contests held prior to 2004 were only available for a limited time due to complex copyright restrictions.
Impact and Community Engagement
EurovisionAgain served as a vital distraction for fans during global lockdowns. The initiative sparked significant social media engagement, with the hashtag #EurovisionAgain frequently trending on Twitter and receiving praise from former contest participants. Beyond entertainment, the project had a philanthropic impact, as Rob Holley raised over £24,700 for LGBTQ+ charities based in the UK.
The 2020 season concluded with a unique fan-driven event. The EBU streamed 26 of the most popular songs that had failed to qualify for their respective finals—one from each country—as selected via official social media channels. Iceland's 2016 entry, "Hear Them Calling" by Greta Salóme, emerged as the winner of this fan vote.
The Second Season and Technical Milestones
The second year of broadcasts began on June 19, 2021, featuring the 1969 contest, which remains the oldest edition ever shown through the initiative. This season concluded on November 20, 2021, with the 2004 contest. A notable improvement in the second year was the extended availability of pre-2004 broadcasts, which were kept online for a full month instead of a single week.
Technologically, the second season provided a rare glimpse into the contest's production history by broadcasting high-definition test tapes from the 2006 contest.
Archival Access and Copyright Challenges
One of the most significant contributions of EurovisionAgain was providing fans access to higher-quality copies of historical finals. Because the EBU only owns the rights to contests from 2004 onwards, older broadcasts are owned by the individual host broadcasters. Previously, many early finals from the 1950s and 60s were only available as video tape recordings suffering from generational loss (a decline in quality that occurs when a recording is copied from one tape to another).
Although the official EBU uploads were temporary, the community acted quickly. Fans re-uploaded the footage, with some members of the community restoring or upscaling the videos to high-definition.
The Conclusion and Brief Revival
Despite the EBU's stated intention in August 2021 to continue the broadcasts for several years, the initiative eventually wound down. By August 2022, the official EurovisionAgain Twitter account updated its biography to reflect that the project had run specifically during the 2020/21 lockdowns.
However, the project saw a brief revival in 2026 to build anticipation for the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria. In April 2026, the two finals previously hosted in the Austrian capital—the 1967 and 2015 editions—were rebroadcast under the EurovisionAgain banner.
Key Facts
- Founder: Journalist Rob Holley.
- Purpose: To provide a replacement for the cancelled 2020 Eurovision Song Contest.
- Oldest Contest Aired: The 1969 edition.
- Charitable Impact: Over £24,700 raised for UK LGBTQ+ charities.
- Fan Vote Winner: Greta Salóme (Iceland 2016) won the non-qualifier special.
- Copyright Threshold: The EBU owns rights to contests from 2004 onwards.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Primary Platform | Official Eurovision YouTube Channel |
| Broadcast Time | Saturdays at 21:00 CEST |
| Active Periods | 2020–2021; Brief revival in April 2026 |
| Special Content | 2006 HD test tapes and non-qualifier fan vote |
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the purpose of EurovisionAgain?
It was created by journalist Rob Holley as a way for fans to watch past Eurovision Song Contests together on YouTube following the cancellation of the 2020 event due to the pandemic.
Why were some older contests only available for a short time?
The EBU only owns the rights to contests from 2004 onwards. For contests prior to that, the rights are held by the original host broadcasters, limiting the duration the EBU could legally stream them.
Who won the special fan-vote for non-qualifying songs?
Greta Salóme from Iceland, with her 2016 entry "Hear Them Calling," won the vote among the 26 most popular non-qualifying songs.
Did the initiative help improve the quality of old Eurovision footage?
Yes. By providing higher-quality copies than were previously available, the initiative allowed fans to re-upload and further restore or upscale old finals to high-definition.
When was the initiative revived in 2026?
It was briefly brought back in April 2026 to celebrate the upcoming contest in Vienna, featuring rebroadcasts of the 1967 and 2015 finals held in that city.