At the next Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Liverpool, the audience should have more influence.
As the organizing European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Tuesday, only the viewers will decide in the semi-finals which countries will advance to the final.
There, however, it remains the case that the points are awarded by a combination of audience and professional jury.
Also new is that ESC fans outside of the Eurovision area can vote for their favorites, as the EBU further announced.
"Their votes will be added up and converted into points, which will have the same weight as a participating country in both the semifinals and grand finals," it said.
In these cases, votes are cast online via a secure platform, with a credit card from the place of residence serving as proof.
A total of 37 countries take part in the ESC.
In the semi-finals on May 9th and 11th, 2023, 31 participants compete for 20 spots for the final on May 13th.
The five big countries – and sponsors – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Great Britain are traditionally set for this, as is last year's winner, Ukraine.
Britain, as the runner-up from 2022, is stepping in as the host country as the event cannot take place in Ukraine, which has been hit by the Russian war of aggression, for security reasons.