Prestige ist das wichtigste. Eurovision in Moskau wird zum höchsten Preis und der unrentabelste Wettbewerb in der Geschichte sein

The 10th May in Moscow in the sports complex “Olimpiysky” started the international contest of the pop music “Eurovision”. It became possible due to the victory of Dima Bilan last year in the contest in Belgrade. This year the representative of Russia will be Anastasiya Prikhodko, Ukraine singer with the song “Mamo” written specially by Konstantine Meladze.

This year in the contest will take part 42 delegations, it is a record number of participants. They arrive in Moscow since the 2d May. For the guests 11 hotels will be booked. The biggest number of them will stay in “Kosmos”. Two hotels are reserved for the journalists.

The rehearsals to the contest begin since the 3d May and continued till the 10th May, when the inauguration of the contest took place in the central exhibition center “Manege”. The show was opened the winner of the 1956th Eurovision-contest Lis Assia from Switzerland. In the performance also took part Philip Kirkorov, Alsu, Dima Bilan, music group “Tatu”.

The central event is the final that will take place on the 16th of May. According to Moscow mayor assistant and head of the working group responsible for the preparation of the contest Valerij Vinogradov the possibility of installation of the big television screen during the final of the contest is considered. As the possible place of installation is intended the Red Square.

Eurovision traditionally attracts attention of million of people from all over the world. Some changes in the voting system will make possible for the spectators to take part in the choice of the winner. The head of the official jury will be Philip Kirkorov. For impartiality each country has its commission who can vote for the favorite member of the other country.

The official symbol of the contest is a stylized image of the Fire bird. And the face – Miss World 2008 Ksenia Suhinova. Traditionally the organizers of the Eurovision created the individual presentation of each country-member. For the first time in the history of the contest they are made with the use of the same person.

But the economic results of the contest are intended to be covert.

For example, the tenants of sales outlet in “Olimpiysky” suffers losses. They have to stop their activity as the guard of the sports complex doesn't let sometimes even the stuff to enter the building. Many tenants consider these measures as very stern. Taking into account the situation of crisis in the country these measures can provoke serious problems. Some tenants say that in the lease contract there is a note about the possible stoppage of work due to some cultural events and the damage will be partially indemnifies.

The only persons for whom the contest is profitable are the hotel holders. And even in the situation when the federal anti monopoly service instituted legal proceedings against the holders of several hotels “Petr I”, “Mosmetstroi Hotel Menegement”, “Budapest” и “President-hotel”, who wanted to raise the prices by a third for the period from 10 to 16 May in spite of the restriction of the government.

For the organizers the contest will be not at all profitable. Eurovision 2009 will be the event at the highest price in its history. It is provoked by several facts. Moscow is a city with very high prices. Big sum of money was spent for the advertisement, for the preparation of the sports complex, construction of the biggest scene in the Eurovision history.

According to the newspaper “Vedomosti” the budget of the contest has 5 components: the budget of Moscow – 200 Million RUR; Federal budget – 1 Milliard RUR, means of the EBU – 6,5 Million Swiss franc; money of the First Chanel and sponsor money. There will be 6 sponsors: international partners Raiffeisenbank, Schwarzkopf and “Rostelecom” and national – Pepsi, Mary Kay, Gold Mine Beer.

The total budget of the Russian Eurovision is 42 Million EUR.

The organizers will partially return money by means of the ticket sold. But this sum will be too little comparing with the costs.

The half of the tickets came into the market. The other part was given to EBU for the spread among the countries-members. The tickets in Moscow for the final cost from 5 till 100 thousand RUR.

The street advertisement and billboards are free of charge for the organizers as they are installed as social advertisement.

The advertisement at TV is very expensive. “Video International” sells the advertisement of the contest as a special project. According to the information of the newspaper “Vedomosti” the start price for the GRP is 116 000 RUR, that is at 25% more expensive that the prices of the “prime-list”.

But the organizers don't give up. “The most important are not the earnings, but the foreign-policy effect” announced the head of the “First Channel” Konstantine Ernst. According to his speech the cash gaps will be made up by the proper means of the “First Channel”.