The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest is nearly upon us, and Peacock will once again be playing host to the legendary competition. The streamer will have the exclusive live stream of the show for the U.S. when it gets underway on May 10 at 3 p.m. ET. Following the first semi-final round, the contest will air in the same time slot on May 12 for the second semi-final, and finally on May 14 for the grand final. Each round will be viewable on-demand after the broadcast.
Eurovision is the largest song competition in the world, full of massive, dazzling musical performances from a number of European countries (including Australia and Israel) all vying for fame and fortune. Since 1956, performers from the various competing nations under the European Broadcasting Union have gathered to represent their homelands with a song, and since its inception, 27 different countries have come away with a winner. It's far from your normal singing contest though. The performances are bigger and the competitors range from soulful and serious to downright wacky. Some international stars have previously emerged from the yearly song contest, including ABBA, Celine Dion, and, more recently, Duncan Laurence. Last year saw the Italian group Måneskin win with their song “Zitti e buoni.”
This year, Peacock brought in former Olympian and current Eurovision lover Johnny Weir to host from Los Angeles. A two-time Olympic figure skater, Weir is a perfect fit for the job given his flair for the dramatics on the ice. He's also had plenty of broadcasting experience already under the NBC banner. Alongside broadcaster Terry Gannon and fellow skater Tara Lipinski, he's provided analysis for skating competitions while occasionally teaming up with his good friend Lipinski for other correspondence gigs for the company. The sight of the year's competition will be a familiar one for Weir as it's held in Turin at the PalaOlimpico, the sight of the 2006 Winter Olympics in which Weir competed.
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This will be the second year now that Peacock has helped bring Eurovision over to the U.S. Until now, it's been hard for viewers stateside to easily get involved with the massive song competition. Despite last year's show landing on Peacock for all to see, the first image of Eurovision for many is the Will Ferrel, Rachel McAdams-led Netflix film The Story of Fire Saga, though that may change in years to come. Much like soccer, America is slowly embracing the European song contest, even if that means making their own version of it.
Eurovision kicks off tomorrow with its first semi-final round at 3 p.m. ET.