Eurovision big in Iceland: “Because we take it serious, but not too serious”

There is no nation where the Eurovision Song Contest scores such relatively high viewing figures, as it does in Iceland. But how come it is so popular in Iceland? We asked it to the Icelandic commentator Gísli Marteinn Baldursson during the ESC Daily Show.

“The main number that people throw around, is the fact that there is a 99% market share,” Gísli explains. “We don’t have many channels, so if someone is watching tv that night, they are probably watching Eurovision. It is 60% of the nation, which is a lot.”

History of Iceland probably the main reason

The history and long wait before taking part, is probably one of the reasons of the success of Eurovision in Iceland. “We had to wait so long, up to 1986, to be able to take part. And we learned not to take it too serious. Because in the early years, we wanted to win so bad. And when we did not win, we thought we were not good at Eurovision. But then we got better results, we have done okay, but we also learned to make fun of the competition in a good way. We take it serious, but not too serious.”