Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, the American Song Contest has been postponed until March 21, 2022. The new date for the contest’s Grand Final is now set for May 9, 2022, one day before Eurovision 2022’s Semi-Final 1.
The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) announced that the American twist on the Eurovision Song Contest needed to be postponed due to field logistics and live audience preparations being complicated by the rise of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 across the United States.
The American Song Contest was originally scheduled to start on February 21, 2022.
The American Song Contest dates are set! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
⭐️ Premiere: Monday 21 March
🌟 Grand Finale: Monday 9 MayFind out more about the show here: https://t.co/WLWqwnnO0s pic.twitter.com/zQ7WPl8h1P
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) January 19, 2022
The American Song Contest will feature acts from 50 states, 5 United States territories, and the nation’s capital (Washington D.C.) performing one song each. Over the course of eight weeks worth of two hour episodes, one region’s song will be crowned the winner of the American Song Contest on the Final on May 9, 2022.
The American Song Contest is executive produced by Audrey Morrissey, Anders Lenhoff, Christer Björkman, Peter Settman, Ola Melzig, and Gregory Lipstone, alongside show producer Propagate’s Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens.
The delay in production was granted by NBC due to producers in the field having to meet with and film interviews with each region’s entrant. COVID restrictions by region would complicate arrangements, but a month’s delay eases that pressure as the United States is finally beginning to see cases from COVID-19 drop nationally.
The extra month will also ease pressure on organizing a show for live audiences. Though the live concert locations have yet to be published, moving the weekly live shows forward a month makes it more likely NBC will be allowed to host indoor concerts with less safety requirements and without capacity restrictions.
The delay also puts the date of the American Song Contest on Monday, May 9, 2022, just one day before the 1st Semi-Final of Eurovision 2022 on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Turin, Italy. The Eurovision 2022 Grand Final is on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
Though the delay also moves the American Song Contest out of the busy national selection season, it remains to be seen if the Final’s date during the week of Eurovision 2022 will be a popular choice with fans.
What do #YOU think of the new dates for the American Song Contest? Do #YOU like that it no longer competes with national selections, or does the date of the Final being in the same week as Eurovision pose a problem? Let us know in the comments below, in our forum, or on our social media.
