The Swedish national broadcaster’s finance department expresses concern over a potential 2025 win, warning that hosting Eurovision again could force a scaled-down contest due to high costs.
The Swedish national broadcaster, SVT, incurred a loss of about 100 million SEK (About 9,000,000 Euro) from hosting Eurovision 2024, mainly due to the significant expenses involved in staging the event. Now, with Sweden considered a frontrunner to win Eurovision 2025 thanks to the band KAJ and their song “Bara Bada Bastu,” the broadcaster is expressing serious concern about the prospect of hosting again next year.
“A win this year could mean next year’s show will be smaller and darker to save money,” says SVT’s Head of Programming, Anton Glanzelius. “There might be a smaller stage and lighting rig, but whatever we do, the costs will be substantial.”
Mixed Feelings About a Swedish Victory
Glanzelius explains that a Swedish victory at Eurovision 2025 would be a double-edged sword. “On one hand, it’s a fantastic honor because Sweden loves its national selection (Melodifestivalen) and Eurovision, but it also means a huge and expensive effort for SVT.”
Producing Eurovision has proven costly for Swedish taxpayers. In the last three times Sweden hosted the contest-2013, 2016, and 2024-SVT ended up with financial losses.
The last time Sweden won, SVT lost 100 million kronor on Eurovision production, despite hundreds of millions in sponsorships, contributions from the European Broadcasting Union, and ticket revenues. Glanzelius notes that audiences and participating countries expect a unique and spectacular show, which comes at a price. While this is a reasonable cost for one of the world’s largest entertainment programs, it will require cutting other elements to balance the budget.
Security Concerns for Future Contests
Glanzelius also highlights the complexity of security in Malmö: “We had a close collaboration with the police. In Malmö in particular, the global situation had a significant impact on the production, and we anticipate a tense security situation next year as well.”
Sweden at Eurovision 2025:
“Bara bada bastu” (in English: “Just take a sauna”) is the title of the song that will be performed by band KAJ, who will represent Sweden in the Grand Final of Eurovision 2025, taking place on May 17th in Basel, Switzerland. The song was written by the band members – Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård – along with Anderz Wrethov, Kristoffer Strandberg, and Robert Skowronski.
Wrethov is no stranger to the Eurovision world, having written numerous Eurovision songs, including “We Will Rave” by Kaleen, who represented Austria in Eurovision 2024, “Fuego” by Eleni Foureira, who represented Cyprus in Eurovision 2018 and finished in second place, and “Voices” by Tusse, Sweden’s representative in Eurovision 2021. The song is performed in Finnish and Swedish.
Nowadays, Sweden leads the betting odds with 39% chance to win Eurovision 2025.
KAJ – Who Are You?
KAJ is a Swedish-Finnish music and comedy group from Vörå, Ostrobothnia, Finland, consisting of Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård. The group’s name is derived from the initials of its members’ first names. They are known for their humorous performances and songs primarily in Swedish, particularly in the Vörå dialect.
The group has released several albums, including “Professionella Pjasalappar” (2012), “Lokalproducerat Pjas” (2014), “Kom ti byin” (2016), “Gambämark” (2018), “Botnia Paradise” (2021), and “Karar i arbeit” (2024).
Eurovision 2025: This will be Sweden’s 63rd participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Sweden joined the competition in 1958 and has won it seven times over the years. Sweden’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2023 with the song “Tattoo,” performed by the singer Loreen.
Source: Dagens Nyheter.
