MANILA, Philippines — Amid reports from a Swedish newspaper regarding budget cuts and a possible cancellation of the event, the Eurovision Song Contest Asia on Friday announced that they are pushing through with the event set to take place November in Bangkok, Thailand.
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the contest had a budget cut of US$1 million from an original budget of $4.5 million.
In addition, the report also said that the international production team originally expected to work during the show will not be heading to the Thai capital.
Despite this, a small international team will still be working on the contest and a local team will also be working behind the scenes.
“The inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia show will take place as planned in Bangkok on 14 November, with artists from 11 countries competing in the Grand Final. There are no plans to cancel or postpone the event,” the contest said in a statement posted on social media.
“Extensive work has gone into preparing the contest, and our production team and partners are focused on delivering a high-quality live show. We have full confidence in our local team, whose wealth of experience producing world-class entertainment events underpins that commitment,” it continued.
“We’re proud to be creating jobs and opportunities for local and regional talent and businesses, contributing to the local economy and showcasing the region’s creative and production expertise. We look forward to welcoming audiences to Bangkok for a celebration of Asia’s artists, songs and talent,” the statement added.
Eleven countries, including the Philippines, are set to take part in the inaugural contest that will take place on Nov. 14.
The Philippines will be represented by Carmelle Collado with the song, “Sobra-Sobra”, and has been the favorite to win in the betting odds, with prediction marketing platform Kalshi saying that the country has a 95 percent chance of winning the contest.
Last week, Cambodia was the last country to select its entrant, Monetrey and the song “I Let You Go”, completing the full list of countries.
