Eurovision Song Contest 2018: China banned from broadcasting Eurovision after censoring same-sex dancing

May 10 2018
Written by Nick Duffy

Ireland’s entry got through to the 2018 Eurovision final (EBU)

Chinese broadcaster Mango TV has reportedly been barred from televising the Eurovision Song Contest.

The broadcaster was dropped by the contest’s organising body the EBU after censoring two performances during Tuesday’s semi-final.

The EBU said in a statement: “On the 9th of May, Chinese broadcaster Mango TV broadcast the first Semi-Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest live but two performances were censored.

“This is not in line with the EBU’s values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music.

“It is with regret that we will therefore immediately be terminating our partnership with the broadcaster and they will not be permitted to broadcast the second Semi-Final or the Grand Final.”

Ireland took part in Tuesday’s Eurovision Song Contest semi-final in Lisbon, where Irish entrant Ryan O’Shaughnessy took to the stage to perform the track “Together,” a moving ballad about a failed relationship.

The entry featured interpretive dancers Kevin O’Dwyer and Alan McGrath re-enacting a same-sex love story, earning praise from audience members.

The announcement comes after it was confirmed that the performance was censored from the broadcast of the contest in China.

Hunan TV holds the rights to broadcast the show in China, where it is available via its online broadcasting service Mango TV.

Eurovision fans in the country say that the broadcaster censored O’Shaughnessy’s performance in its entirety.

Broadcasting guidance in China bans “abnormal sexual relationships and behaviours, such as incest, same-sex relationships, sexual perversion, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual violence, and so on.”

Eurovision fansite ESCToday reports that the broadcaster also censored footage of rainbow flags being waved in the crowd at the event, using a crude ‘blur’ tool to obscure the LGBT rights symbol.

Countries taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest are obliged to air all entries in full, but as China only airs the contest as an international broadcaster it is unlikely sanctions can be pursued.

Russia, which does take part in the contest, had threatened to block the broadcast of the performance over the LGBT routine.

However, Channel One Russia eventually aired the Irish entry unedited when it aired the semi-final.

Speaking about his song, O’Shaughnessy said: “My only intention was to help people see that love is just love, and there’s no difference – whether it’s between a man and a woman, a woman and a woman or a man and a man.

“It’s so important, because not everyone is as liberal as the people in this [Eurovision press conference] room are, and the people I’ve gotten to meet over the past week.

“It’s an important thing, and I’m very proud of my country for making that change a few weeks back. I know a lot of Irish people went home to vote for the referendum on same-sex marriage, and we’re bringing a new energy back to that topic.”