1990s
The enlargement of the contest in this decade led to new problems - the show still had to be around 3 hours long but it was hard to achieve when more than 25 countries decided to take part. Several possible solutions were proposed and used. Starting with seven countries from eastern Europe participating in a preliminary heat called Kvalifikacija za Millstreet in Ljubljana (1993) and continuing with an audio preselection (1996) in which 22 countries out of 29 were selected to go through to the Final.
In 1997 the average results of all countries in the last five song contests were measured, and the 25 countries that had done best qualified for the final in Dublin.
In 1999,the long-standing rule that each country had to sing in one of its own national languages was abolished, and it was also decided that France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, as the highest-paying European Broadcasting Union subscribers, would automatically be allowed to take part every year, irrespective of their five-year point average. Also, the orchestra was optional and since that time no orchestra has been on stage at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Televoting was introduced in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Germany in 1997 and it would be extended to almost all participating countries at the following contest. Nowadays it is compulsory to use televoting.
This decade was unbelievably successful for Ireland which won four times in total including three times in a row - 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. The biggest commercial success of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest was none of the songs though, but the interval act Riverdance which later become a worldwide hit. It was also a decade of divas as one of the most sold artists in the world, the Russian Alla Pugacheva and a well-known Icelandic singer Paul Oscar took part. They were joined by the taboo-breaking transsexual Dana International winning in 1998 with the appropriate song Diva.
In 1997 the average results of all countries in the last five song contests were measured, and the 25 countries that had done best qualified for the final in Dublin.
In 1999,the long-standing rule that each country had to sing in one of its own national languages was abolished, and it was also decided that France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, as the highest-paying European Broadcasting Union subscribers, would automatically be allowed to take part every year, irrespective of their five-year point average. Also, the orchestra was optional and since that time no orchestra has been on stage at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Televoting was introduced in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Germany in 1997 and it would be extended to almost all participating countries at the following contest. Nowadays it is compulsory to use televoting.
This decade was unbelievably successful for Ireland which won four times in total including three times in a row - 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. The biggest commercial success of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest was none of the songs though, but the interval act Riverdance which later become a worldwide hit. It was also a decade of divas as one of the most sold artists in the world, the Russian Alla Pugacheva and a well-known Icelandic singer Paul Oscar took part. They were joined by the taboo-breaking transsexual Dana International winning in 1998 with the appropriate song Diva.