More countries = Good ESC year?

[Fluke]

2016: 43
2015: 40
2014: 37
2013: 39
2012: 42
2011: 43
2010: 39
2009: 42
2008: 43
2007: 42
2006: 37
2005: 39
2004: 36

Here's a chart over the number of entrants each year, ever since the semi-finals started. The bold entries mark the years i thought had the best overall quality of entries, the italic years are the ones i thought were exceptionally weak. As you can see, not only are there some drastic up and down in the number of entries, but there is an almost perfect correlation between the number of entries overall and my percieved quality of the entries. Particularly, the years with 42 and 43 entries are almost universally good years.

Do you feel the same? And leaving subjectivity aside, why is this? The difference is too great to attribute simply to more entries increasing the chance of great entries being among them. Nor does the particular countries who left and re-joined have much to do with it, as frankly they were the ones who mostly sent boring entries anyway.

So either the sheer amount of participating nations simply motivate them to send better entries, spur them to work harder. But as the songs are selected pretty much independently of this, and i doubt most people know or care how many countries are in the contest this particular year, this can't be the big deciding factor.

Rather, the interest for nations to participate must be seen as an overall measure of the "wellness" of Eurovision.

When overall interest for Eurovision is up, that also means more countries participate, and that they send entries that really fit in the ESC format and have a serious chance to win, as opposed to just to promote some artist or fulfilling their lifelong dream of participating. The world simply cared more about Eurovision those particular years, which affected both the number and quality of entries.

That's the best reason i can think of. Either way, the number of entries is a sign we get a really good ESC next time, at least the songs.....

 

[Sim]

I can follow your arguments why you like more entries when more countries participating, but I do still think that most of this is still subjective.
You can't say for sure that we will have a great year this time. It maybe also depends of earlier years.

Like in your example you loved 2011 and 2012, but you find 2013 very weak.
Maybe if you some years after each other that you really liked, the chance is higher that you dislike the next year... not?

 

[GRE]

2011 strong and 2014 weak ?

 

[tuorem]

I wish more countries would automatically mean an overall greater quality of entries. As you said, years with high numbers of participants correspond to the editions you like the most, so fair enough, it works for you.

Personally, despite a great bunch of songs, I still think 2009 and 2011 did have too much trash for me to consider them "strong", 2008 is very weak... whereas 2010 and 2014 were quite strong imo even though there were less participants.

Of course, the fact there are more countries allows us to think there's more chances to have more good entries, but that can also be the other way around. At the end of the day, it depends on your music taste.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

I don't think it has any relevance: 2008 - 43 countries, absolutely trashy year. 2009 - 42 countries, amazing year.

Though I suppose the more entries there are, the higher the chance of there being a good song amongst them.

 

[Fluke]

It strikes me now that another reason might be the overall financial situtation in Europe.

It's not so much the popularity of the ESC, but the fear of having to host next year's contest that makes countries send entries more meant to promote an artist than to actually win, as well as "weaker" countries not entering at all for the same reasons, hence the coincidence between the two.