Fans of Eurovision were left unimpressed just minutes into the first semi-final, as sound issues marred the BBC's coverage. Hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski launched the competition live from the Wiener Stadthalle arena on Tuesday, May 12, but viewers quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to complain about the audio quality.
One viewer wrote: "Can the @BBC sort out their sound department. I can't hear the commentary at all!" Another added: "Is the sound terrible for everyone?" while a third said: "The background music is AWFUL." The BBC's commentary team of Rylan Clark and Angela Scanlon were reportedly difficult to hear due to poor sound mixing.
Despite the technical issues, the opening sequence moved many viewers. The semi-final began with a journey through the decades, celebrating "70 Years of Love", and featured a 70-strong choir performing L'amour Est Bleu, a classic Eurovision hit from 1967. Fans expressed their emotions on social media, with one writing: "Sobbing at that opening," and another adding: "Also I was sobbing within 3 minutes."
Fifteen nations competed in the first semi-final, including Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland, and Serbia. Five countries will be eliminated before the grand final on Saturday, May 16. Boy George, representing San Marino, faces a tough battle to qualify, with odds of 7/2 according to Boyle Sports.
Finland are favourites to win the semi-final at 4/7, followed by Greece at 3/1. The Eurovision semi-finals continue on Thursday, May 14, with the grand final airing on BBC One and iPlayer at 8pm on Saturday, May 16.
