Similar to Semi-Final 1, Semi-Final 2 relied solely on televoting, with no jury involvement as in previous years. However, unlike the first show, Semi-Final 2 featured 16 participating countries, making the chances of qualifying for the Grand Final slightly more challenging.
In Semi-Final 2, Israel emerged as the clear winner with 194 points, receiving the highest score of 12 points ten times. The runner-up, the Netherlands, garnered a total of 182 points, with 12 points awarded four times. Following them were Armenia in third place with 137 points, Switzerland in fourth with 132 points, Greece in fifth with 86 points, Estonia in sixth with 79 points, Latvia in seventh with 72 points, Georgia in eighth with 54 points, Austria in ninth with 46 points, and Norway in tenth with 43 points. Just missing out on the Grand Final was Czechia, which scored 38 points, followed by Denmark with 36 points, Belgium with 18 points, San Marino with 16 points, Albania with 14 points, and finally Malta with 13 points.
Malta has come in last place again; in 2023, the group The Busker also finished last in a semi-final. Interestingly, Israel received many high votes from European televoters, except for San Marino.
Notably, Switzerland, which won the ESC, only came in fourth in the Semi-Final and received just one top mark of 12 points from San Marino.
The Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, exchanged 12 points with each other, and both made it into the Grand Final. Even without this neighbourly support, both countries would have secured a place in the final.
The Caucasian countries Armenia and Georgia also supported each other; Armenia awarded 10 points to Georgia, while Georgia gave Armenia 12 points. In contrast, the countries Italy, San Marino, and Malta did not collaborate well: Italy could give points but could only receive points in the Grand Final. The Italian televoters only gave one point to San Marino, and Malta received no points.
The Alpine countries Austria and Switzerland exchanged medium-high points. Austria awarded 8 points to Switzerland, while Switzerland gave only 4 points to Austria.
There were only two Scandinavian countries in this semi-final: Denmark and Norway. If more Nordic countries had participated, the results might have looked differently. Denmark awarded 8 points to Norway, while Norway did not give any points to its southern neighbour.
It’s also important to note that the viewing figures for the semi-finals cannot be compared with those for the Grand Final. The semi-finals take place during the week and involve only a subset of the competing countries. Even though the shows are broadcast in all 37 ESC countries, the viewing figures are significantly lower. Besides the 16 participating countries in this semi-final, three „Big 5“ countries—France, Italy, and Spain—were able to vote, as well as the „Rest of the World,“ which includes votes from TV spectators around the globe.
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As one of the founders of eurovisionlive.com I am responsible for the interviews with the singers and the editorial content. My passion for the Eurovision Song Contest exists since my early childhood. The exotic music, different cultures and languages have given a lot of inspiration to me. Since my very first ESC in Dublin 1994 I particularly appreciate the get together and friendship of all the nationalities and Riverdance was a thrill!