🎶 Stat of the Day: Europe’s Got Talent

It’s that time of year when music fans across the world turn into Simon Cowell for a week.

The 69th annual Eurovision Song Contest kicks off today, with the global singing competition returning to its roots in Switzerland this year.

It’s a big deal: Eurovision is one of the world’s most watched non-sports events, typically drawing 160+ million viewers across three live shows. In fact, the viewing share of the 2024 Eurovision Grand Final was 46.7%—meaning nearly half of all people watching TV in the dozens of participating countries were tuned in.

• The annual event features original song performances by artists from 37 countries—all of which are European except Australia and Israel.
• It also features a heavy dose of fan participation from viewers at home to determine most of the outcomes.

Looking ahead…The two Eurovision semi-finals will be held today and Thursday, followed by the Grand Final on Saturday.

🤔 Did You Know? In 2005, a rural town in northern Texas changed its name to DISH in exchange for 15 years of free satellite TV from Dish Network for all ~450 residents. The name still stands to this day.

📰 Worth a Read: The underground hunt for Mexico’s most wanted drug kingpin