How the Eurovision Asia dream finally came true

[Music] Hello everybody, it is Rob Lilligeons here. I hope you're well. This is TheotripPodcast, specifically a special bonus episode of TheotripPodcast. We are with you slightly early than planned this week with this extra episode for you because I am sure you noticed. In the early hours of Tuesday morning Eurovision Asia was officially announced. It is finally happening. Or at least we think it's finally happening anyway. It's got the full backing of the European Broadcasting Union. Ten broadcasters and countries have signed up to participate in the first edition of the competition which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand on November the 14th. So almost exactly six months on from the grand final of Eurovision which of course is coming up in Vienna in just a few weeks time. Well for this bonus episode I'm delighted to say that I've been getting the answers to many questions I'm sure you all have about the Asian edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. I've been speaking to Marcus Tang, he is the managing director of Eurovision Asia and Martin Green. Of course the voice you know well he is the director of the Eurovision Song Contest. Now they were both joining me in Bangkok and it was brilliant to be able to catch up with them for 20 minutes to get some answers to some burning questions and I'll be back straight after the interview because there's a couple of things I thought it would be worth touching on. But in the meantime here you go. Well it's not often that you can start an episode by crossing to Bangkok. I never thought we'd do this on the Eurotrip podcast. At Marcus Tang welcome for the first time to the Eurotrip. How are you? I am good so happy to talk to you so I have it to be here. I am in Bangkok. I wonder why. We all know. We do all know. I mean Marcus this is so exciting before we get on to everything Eurovision Asia. Do you mind giving our listeners a very brief introduction to you and then how you are involved in the very first edition of Eurovision Asia? My goodness, where do I even start? So I mean let's start with me being a fan. How big a fan I will let you decide because I risk I mean literally I put my name on the line to get this Eurovision project to Asia. Let's talk about myself. I've been involved with this project for around a year or a bit more than a year because officially and unofficially as well. Yep so I've been helping now and I first helped out because I'm a fan of this project of course. I'm a fan of Eurovision so I helped out in bringing this project to Asia where I live. I live in Singapore. I even study. I graduated doing, with a TV. I graduated doing media. I graduated doing TV production and even treaty animation. So that was me. That was my passion. Then I went on to business actually. I guess no one wanted to hire me. So I had to do business. I went on to get investing in IPs, getting involved in different IPs as well. Years later this came up on the table and a friend of mindset Eurovision. Shall we bring it to Asia? Marcin Green, Director of the Russian Film Contest. You join us as well. I think you are you're still out there in Bangkok as well. How has the ex-subvening been for you today? It's great. These things take a lot of planning and enormous amount of work by an enormous amount of people. So it's always a bit of a moment where you find yourself in the room with dozens of other people and low-depress. Act to be in and I'm seeing is something you've worked on so well. So personally it's always a bit of a moment but I think it's a great day for Eurovision. I've said it before but the idea of bringing the world together through music is a fundamentally good idea that there should be more of it. I've got great apps for this. I think it's going to be fantastic. It's certainly the reaction we got this morning. We'll just pure excitement. I mean, Marcus, you were just telling us about your career up to this point. Some of the projects you've been working on talk a little bit more about you and Eurovision. You said you're a Eurovision fan but the idea of bringing Eurovision to Asia is that something that has always excited you? I mean, even just as a fan, is that all something that you've always fantasized about maybe one day happening? Of course. I'm going to tell you a story. Okay, of what just happened early on. I spoke to someone. I introduced myself. I said, "Hey, I am the CEO of Asia. I was involved in bringing Eurovision to Asia. I spoke to this nice lady. I shook her hand. I thought she would be so excited. She frowned at me." And she was like, "And I was like, did I say something wrong?" And she said, "What took you so long?" "What took you so long?" You see, that's the fandom here. I believe Martin had the same response, but he was there with me as well. It's massive. It is wild. I think we've just about started something crazy. This side is involved in here. Obviously, we have data of brand recognition and things like that. But there's nothing like actually being here and having people say things like that to Marcus. And yes, I had exactly the same experience with a few people, which is just finally. That pride in place as well, I think is slightly what took you so long to bring this brilliant thing here. But also the other way around, Asia is perfect for this. We share all the same values as Eurovision. We want to get on board. So seeing it come in human form rather than to say to form is always a much better experience. I mean, there have been so many rumors and years gone by and a few false starts maybe about taking the Eurovision project to Asia. So why now? Why is now the right time? And when did this very particular project, which obviously with Delazzi has got off the ground? When did that begin? I know Martin, when you came into Eurovision itself, I think expanding the Eurovision brand was something that you were quite keen to do. Yeah, so Marcus will have his story here. But my one is that when I arrived, I was very interested in taking Eurovision to an even more global audience and celebrating even more music. So I familiarized myself where various conversations had got to. And I sort of set us in the team at Target and said, well, let's not let this drag on any longer. Let's go for this. So we pulled together everything. We knew what was happening. All the people who were working and said, come on, set us out of Target. Let's not less drift on. So we sort of said like six months. Let's just go for it. And it's usually tonight and the team know how much work that would actually involve. But I think sometimes you just have to sort of grip something and say, look, are we doing this or not? Right. And the team responded and the team here in Asia responded. So yes, it's a particular passion project of mine to bring Eurovision to tomorrow. All audiences around the globe, both in terms of Eurovision in Europe, bringing it to more audiences around the globe, but also starting new ones, which are loosely defined in geographic terms. But we'll be more defined as in musical terms. But you know, Marcus, what's your take on this? Copy paste. That would be my answer as well. No, seriously, I mean, I've been involved in this for a year and the minute I was involved in this, I really wanted to make sure that this happens as quick as possible. You asked me why this year and why now I think Asia is ready for such a big IP. Asia is ready for, look at the music scene in Asia. We have 4.7 billion people in Asia. We have diversity in music. So this is Eurovision. We are ready for Eurovision to come. We have been ready. So we are here. You know, it's made more pressier. And so I think by the fact that, you know, the world continues to do bizarre and terrible things and the more good things that we can do. So, you know, the stars align eventually and you got here and I'm just super, super, super. As you say, you know, we've got here. We're talking about a contest which will be happening in, you know, not to terrify, but what is it? Six six, six months time on the 14th of November in in Bangkok, not to terrify the two of you, but let's talk about the actual practicalities of putting this on then and getting broadcasters on board. You know, we've got some big ones on board, some massive markets on board already. You know, South Korea, Vietnam, just to name a couple, the Philippines, Malaysia. There's plenty of other really fascinating countries involved in broadcasters as well. But how much work has this taken? Because as I said, you know, we've had a lot of false starts before we've had some some rumors of this project, you know, going back probably, you know, a decade or so now. But to finally make it happen, what level of hard work has had to go in to all of this? It's been sleepless nights. It's been, I don't know, with I've missed my meals. I've I think I've missed breakfast, lunch and dinner as well. The team as well. I've pushed the team. Okay, these guys are fantastic in Asia and we wanted to really wanted this to happen. We've worked in Martin for a long time as well to bring this and bring his dream into picture as well. Martin is a fantastic producer. So he's got ideas that are crazy that match what we want in Asia. So of course, we're happy to do that and to finally see that happen today in the launch. These dark irings are, it's all worth it to me. You know, I'll go and get some food later on, but this is worth it. I'll get my Thai milk tea as well. I'm happy. I think the other thing is that we don't make life easy for ourselves. It is much as we absolutely love Eurovision and the format and what it stands for and we are massively protective about it. Now you go and start talking to new areas, new people who work in television and entertainment and naturally beg our attention and view. Now part of that is our Eurovision takes on the different cultures in the Asian region and things like that. Some of it is the natural thing of professional TD people say, oh yeah, we won't do it, but we'll do it this way. To which the answer is no. There is many, many things about Eurovision, about the rules and the way we do it and what it stands for and how it's done in practice that we are removable on. I hope the fans would respect that for us. And actually, I think, the more you stick to the duty of the format, the more actual creative release, it gives you anyway. But there's always a long dialogue in that. So, you know, just one conversation with broadcasts in the country because also Marcus and his team have led us through the different and complex broadcast landscape in Asia. And what he does and how different people react to it. So there's all that research and there's the conversations, then there's doing a deal and then there's you getting through and that's just one. So, a few times that by ten that we've gone over the line, but you know, as you really imagine, anybody might feed which will be to deal probably to be to. Yeah. And because this is the first year, so a big challenge was actually the time zone. We work with broadcasts in Asia. Everything is in the Asian time zone. So getting some response from the team where Martin sits, you know, took some time so back and forth as well. Sometimes we lose about a day. So that was a challenge too. That was definitely, like what Martin mentioned, dealing with ten broadcasters and production companies as well. So these and some, they don't speak most of them don't speak English or some of them do. And so this is a whole translation process as well, time zone process. We had to learn everything and how to deal with different regulations as well in each country. This speaks to another area of importance really. In no way, did we want this to be a European team coming in to Asia and go, hi, we're here, everybody. I mean, you know, it's happened in history before and didn't go that well. Right. So we wanted to make sure that we built a work with grape and a cross-Asian grape production, et cetera, et cetera. We were learning from each other. Right. We held the knowledge specifically that you originally have knowledge about the region and how broadcasting works and all the different, you know, might new show you get into. In a way, as ever, it was making sure everybody knew that you're not making the telling program. You are introducing a global brand into a continent, right. And that brings in a whole different ballgame because in a way, making the show is one of the simplest things to do, right. But I think that's why that time we invested in making sure that we had the great team here, like Mark, it's all these colleagues or the other fabulous people work here. And one of the things I'm really proud of is, you know, in a way, some of the bigger countries with the bigger broad pastors were a little bit more straightforward. But you've also got, you know, Nepal and Tarn in. And you know, some of them, the TV landscape is almost in its infancy, right. They're still exploring particularly entertainment television. And so you're very, very different, really wonderful conversations with them about, you know, bringing this big scary thing in, you know. So I'm one thing somebody pleased about is that we have places and spaces of all sizes coming in, you know. And that, you know, because their first question is, well, you know, look, if South Korean or Japan or in Dereva coming, well, they're just going to win. And then you go, aha. Oh, votes. Yes. Sounds. Education. This has been the toughest journey actually to educate people about how this is this. Yeah. And if you want to think Martin, okay, Martin's mandate was actually, yes, although we are bringing Eurovision to Asia, it cannot be just an European, you know, project coming into Asia. It has to have that Asian flavor, you know, the diversity in Asia as well. So that was something we really kept, you know, discussions with the broad pastors with the the talents here to educate them. Yes, this is Eurovision, but we need that Asian flavor. Song Contest Asia. There are so many more questions I want to ask you both. We haven't got a huge amount of time. So we'll do some some some quick fire ones before we finish, but before we do that, how confident are you that this will work? And why are you confident that this will work this time? I mean, Martin and at the last time we were trying to one another, it was just after the Eurovision tour had been announced. I mean, obviously that now isn't taking place. And we, as I said before, we've had full starts with, you know, the the the American Song Contest, which, you know, you may have been alluding to before, you may not have been, but other projects in Asia as well that haven't come to fruition. So why are we confident that this will work? Well, you live in Lone Phone from everything you do. I think yes, the American Song Contest tours a lot about sticking to a format. I think it also tours about, you know, how the fundamental thing about us is that we bring countries together to use it, right? And so therefore we're not pursuing any one country versions of the the tour will be back. The the the the the we learned some stuff, but the tour is a sound proposition. And I'm sure you'll see it back in a couple of years. Look, what we know is we've got the interest here. We've got 10 broadcasts signed up so far. We've got a great team, right? But we never under end illusions that ultimately it's the audiences who speak the loudest, right? And we have to do everything we can to excite them to interest them. And I said, as the this morning, you know, over the next few years, the show will tell us what it wants to be because the artists are telling us and the audience are telling us, right? So I feel really confident. We've come in this for the long term, everybody here and we're not trying to like, you know, was making a bucket getting out and no one's expecting it to 100% been perfect in year one because they know this is a journey. But I think we've got all the right set of circumstances here. So, you know, I'm as confident as you can be when you're dealing with art and culture and all those things that the we've got something really solid and exciting here. And Marcus, how confident are you that this is, you know, this is just the start. And I mean, even even for this year, you know, we've got 10 countries on the list at the moment. But how many countries do you think will have lined up by the time it gets to the 14th of November? I don't know, actually. I don't know. And I don't think I think we'll keep you in suspense for this one. We will tell you soon. But I would say maybe about 12 to 14 countries. We don't want to go too big as well for the first year. The good thing about having it a slightly smaller is to understand each country as they come and bought this new, you know, which is what I mentioned earlier, education. We want to educate them as well as they come and bought this. You know, we want them to build an identity for themselves in this whole big project as well. And this takes time. So, it's good to not rush into things. It's not it's good to give them these these countries time to breathe to grow as well. Exactly what Martin mentioned to let it grow. Yeah, so this is we don't want to rush it. We don't want to make this too big a start as well. But I do believe and I'm super confident. I've seen the hype. I've seen the countries, the broadcasters, the stars contacting me as well. My phone is ringing even in this interview. I hear my phone ringing nonstop as well. This is going to be so successful and look at Asia. We have 4.7 billion people in Asia and we are the music hub of the world as well. So, there we go. I believe this is going to be so successful. Can we talk very quickly about one country in particular? I think Martin probably judging by your face, you know, which country I'm going to be talking about. Maybe you don't. I'm sure you do. Because one of those countries maybe jumped the gun a little bit last year, which was of course, Bhutan, who you may have seen. I'm sure many people listened to this. We'll have seen, you know, they said that they were launching their own national selection. I think they even aired a couple of episodes of a national selection show for what they were calling, you know, Eurovision Asia or I think they'd be Asia Vision at that point. What went on there? Have they signed up for this and they were just ahead of the rest of you? They had, they they were just jumping the gun. There was a moment last year where we thought we were making some call last year. At the end we decided that again, we've got the next 70 years, we're not rushing through everything. Let's wait and do it. Orally. And I know today everybody feels that that was the right decision. Again, you're working with different broadcasts. They are amazing people in Bhutan. I've spent a day, they came up to Bangkok for the Lord and they're just brilliant, brilliant, brilliant people and it was just one of those things it was nobody's fault but they just think I'm becoming a little bit. It's only right that obviously I finished this interview talking about Eurovision Asia which is what we will do but first, Maastricht, I'm sure many people have listened to this and they're thinking selfishly probably what does this mean for the Eurovision Song Contest? What does this mean for the Eurovision Song Contest? I think look, first things first, the mothership will always be the mothership. I think you know as we go forward in the years you know I would love to see the winners of Asia coming into our show and the winners of European going to show also you know creating new opportunities for those artists which is ultimately what it's all about so I just think you know I hope it would just bring even more fans to both shows clearly there is a massive Asian diaspora outside of Asia and through Europe and that's great you know mainly we'll see some new people joining the mothership in Europe over the next couple of years as well so like I say bringing the world's games through music is fundamentally a good idea and we'll do everything we can to keep that going so I think it's only good, it's only good. If I had a tease you've left us with Maastricht about potentially some other countries joining the mothership at some point. Yeah, what are you talking about? I don't know what are you talking about, okay sure whatever we'll see I'm sure I'll talk to you about some point in the coming months and years. Anyway Marcus let's finish off with the question that I mean we have to leave you with which is come November the 14th in Bangkok the first ever edition of Eurovision Asia. Why should people tune in? I mean it seems like a very obvious answer maybe it is not a obvious answer but you tell me why should people tune in and enjoy the first edition of Eurovision Asia. Look we've got the I have just spoken to all the countries who are involved currently we have got the biggest stars we have got the most I mean the fans are going crazy in Asia already we have got government support we have got corporations who are excited to support us we have got the whole of Asia ready to welcome this on the 14th of November I believe this is going to be the biggest the biggest event this year or this decade. The biggest event this decade is one hell of a way to finish it in two Marcus Martin thank you so much for finding time I know it's been a super super busy time for you both then as it will continue to be with Eurovision in a couple of months and then Eurovision Asia following not too long after that so the pair of you thank you so much for joining me really appreciate it thanks for a very very interesting wasn't it I hope you enjoyed that so that was me in conversation with Martin Green and Marcus Tang now a few really interesting things that came out of that interview and we will talk more about what we heard there in this week's main episode because there's a few things that I think deserve a bit more time at one of them the question I asked Martin Green towards the end of that interview what impact will Eurovision Asia have on Eurovision the Eurovision Song Contest as we know and love it sounds like we might have a few new countries arriving in Eurovision in the coming years maybe an announcement might come in Vienna I wonder we'll talk about that I am sure and fascinating to hear how they got the whole thing off the ground how Eurovision Asia has begun and where they hope it will go and maybe it sounds like anyway they're hoping that we will have a few more additions to that list of participating broadcasters before the big show in November November the 14th by the way it will be free to watch the Eurovision Song Contest Asia or the Asia Eurovision Song Contest it will be free to watch for everyone around the world on the official Eurovision YouTube channel it's still waiting for word on whether or not some of the national finals that are going to be taking place will be available to watch on the Eurovision YouTube channel as well so watch this space on that one but as I say this was a special bonus episode I thought we'd squeeze it in this week because obviously fantastic to get the opportunity to chat to Martin Green as always and also introduce you to Marcus Tang as well his first appearance on the EuroTrip podcast and now as I said at the start of the interview not once did I expect that we would be chatting to two people who were in Bangkok in Thailand but this podcast continues to surprise me we will talk more about what you heard in this week's regular episode this week's main episode of the EuroTrip podcast that will drop on Thursday and we've got another of the class of Eurovision 2026 joining us so stay tuned and don't forget to get in touch with your thoughts on what you have just heard at your trip podcast twitter instagram tiktok threads and blue sky send me an email if you want hello at your trip podcast dot com and I'll be back very very soon make sure you share this episode with anyone who you think might be interested in hearing it because as we have already discussed a few very interesting things that have come out of that interview and I'm sure we will be talking about them at length in the weeks and months to come I will see you very soon and I mean very soon because the main episode of the podcast drops on Thursday so I will see you then in the meantime bye bye the world's favorite Eurovision podcast this is the EuroTrip