In a ‘turning point for the UK at Eurovision’, the corporation is teaming up with a record label to choose the artist and track for the competition

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The BBC is overhauling how the UK act for the Eurovision song contest is selected, scrapping the public vote in favour of teaming up with a record label to choose the singer and the song.

Mel Balac, the creative director of BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial arm, described the deal with the record label, BMG, as a “turning point for the UK at Eurovision”. This year’s contestant, Michael Rice, came last.

“We very much hope this marks the start of an exciting new chapter,” Balac said.

BBC Studios approached several labels, but decided to go with BMG – which will release and publish the chosen song – because it shared a “vision of selecting a song with broad international appeal and securing an artist who embodies the spirit and values of the Eurovision song contest”.

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s controller of entertainment commissioning, said: “Our commitment to finding the right song has never been higher and this collaboration with BMG, who have access to world-class songwriters, is a genuinely exciting prospect and I am certain that together we can find the best song and artist possible for 2020.”

The decision means the live selection show – which has been in place in its current form since 2016 – will be scrapped.

It is 10 years since the UK finished in the top 10 of the competition. The country has not won Eurovision since 1997, when Katrina and the Waves’ Love Shine a Light was victorious.

BMG has a record of launching successful pop careers. The label’s recent releases include Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi, Shotgun by George Ezra and I’ll Be There by Jess Glynne. It has also worked with Kylie Minogue and Bring Me the Horizon.

Eurovision 2020 will take place in the Dutch city of Rotterdam in May.