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From Mozart to modern pop, Vienna provides the heritage-rich backdrop for the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), which begins today and concludes with the grand final on Saturday.
This year there’s a significant change to the workflow for the world’s largest music competition and one of the world’s biggest televised live events.
The introduction of Alexa 35 Live cameras, some 24 out of a total 28 camera plan, is intended to deliver new creative possibility, but the priority is to ensure the 170 million potential viewers of the show don’t miss a beat.
It’s also the first major public outing and integration for Arri and its new parent, Riedel.
“We are the newbies in this game,” Florian Rettich, senior trainer & consultant digital workflow support, Arri told SVG Europe at the Stadthalle venue in Vienna. “It was a learning curve for everybody involved. At the beginning we needed to talk to people and explain the differences. Also we needed to learn what is the expectation because we come from a different background. Technically we can do it, but this is just the first reference. We’re proving we can fully integrate into a live environment while adding extra value.”
While early discussions about Arri’s involvement in the 2026 ESC surfaced last August, the tender document from ORF included both a traditional and a cinematic multicam workflow. It was only in January when the final decision was made, seemingly at the behest of the ORF creative team.
“We submitted both options and worked closely with Arri to integrate their Live Production System (LPS-1, consisting of Fibre Camera Adapter and Fibre Base Station Fibre) into the OB trucks,” explains Axel Engström, technical project manager, NEP. “We essentially teamed up to make it possible.”
This process was straightforward, he said with only eight of the cameras running over SMPTE fibre and the rest wireless or via SDI.
Broadcast vs cinematic constraints
Even then, the ESC production is equipping the Alexa 35s with standard broadcast lenses and transmitting in 1080i, which is not an ideal showcase for what any cine-cam can really do.
“It’s always a compromise,” admits Arri managing director, David Bermbach. “You need to match what’s required for the output. Creatively, of course, the ideal would be PL‑mount lenses and a progressive format. But for this environment, right now, this is the best approach.
“From the camera side, the output is actually 1080p internally, with fewer conversions before going into the interlaced signal. But yes, next time, we’d like to be involved earlier in the creative process. Then you can discuss lighting, camera positions, lens choices, and what changes if you go a different route.
“Again, it’s not our call. ORF or the creatives chose specific lenses for good reasons. We can offer input from our world, and we can also learn from theirs.”
Nonetheless, he believes there’s huge potential in the new approach. “We’re trying to bring cinematic philosophies into this [broadcast] world. Not just creatively but ways of working. But it’s a step‑by‑step process. The first thing is to make sure that we deliver the baseline.”
He indicated that the narrative production side of Arri’s business could learn from broadcast in terms of “workflows, automation and more risk‑averse processes”. “The HDR experience goes the other direction, from cinema into broadcast,” he adds.
One of the most visible changes this year is the use of LUTs to give each performance a distinct visual identity. Arri proposed more than 50 colour profiles, with around 30 ultimately selected (almost one per entry). “Think of it this way, we’re doing 35 video clips live,” says Rettich. “Normally you’d apply a colour grade in post‑production. Now we’re getting closer to that — but live.”
It’s questionable, however, whether viewers will notice the difference, at least in this debut.
“They’ll see it’s slightly different, but they probably can’t spot why,” Rettich suggests. “It’s more stylised. A more post‑produced feeling.”
Bermbach emphasises that the collaboration with NEP and Riedel was central to making the integration work. “Working with NEP was outstanding. They were very open‑minded. Together, we can achieve things none of us could manage individually. There’s a lot of potential and we will develop this show by show to see what we can do together.”
In a sense, the collaboration harks back to the roots of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 which was established as a test to see whether live television could be broadcast in multiple countries at the same time and to connect audiences across borders.
It’s now a European and increasingly global phenomenon. Last year’s event achieved record-breaking viewership and engagement, solidifying its status as a major cultural event. The 2025 ESC, held in Basel, was watched by 166 million viewers across 37 markets (up 3 million from 2024) for the event’s three live shows. The grand final itself exceeded a 50% viewing share in 19 of the 37 broadcast markets, with Iceland leading at 97.8%.
However, Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia withdrew in protest over Isreal’s participation and won’t be airing the show domestically. While Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania return to the contest to round out competing countries to 35, the combined TV broadcast is thought unlikely to top last year’s figure.
The technical set up at the Stadthalle began in earnest around two months ago and in the final week included several as-live rehearsals ahead of the three live programmes: semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and the grand final on 16 May.
“Normally, a production of this scale would have four to five years of planning; Eurovision gives you less than one,” explains Michael Krön of Austrian public service broadcaster ORF who leads the host broadcast and is executive producer of the ESC 2026. “You must build a budget before knowing the concept or even the venue. Meeting the financial goals set by the ESC board is extremely demanding.”
Another challenge was combining production specialists from LA, London, and across Europe with Austria’s own creative talent. He adds: “Many people want to show they can deliver the best in sound, lighting, and staging. Keeping our artistic vision intact amid so many strong voices is challenging, but essential.”
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