Ewan Spence takes you behind the scenes to talk about the new look for ESC Insight, the principles, the constants, the changes, and introduces you to Ross Barber – the designer who made it all possible.

We have more names! Sweden has confirmed our hosts for May, Russia has confirmed one of its biggest pop names, and Iceland has handed me twelve tongue twisters. All that and music from Mr Måns as well in this week’s podcast.

In this week’s podcast… Televised National Finals are under way, selections are being streamed, and Rene’s told the world when Eurovision in Concert is happening. All that, the rest of the news from the Eurovision Song Contest. and music from Hera Bjork.

The Newsletter this week has the news of returning countries and national selections galore as the race to Stockholm finally heats up. Our column Robertson’s Reflection this week asks why more countries than ever before are heading down the Internal Selection route to select their entries.

It’s the week after BNT’s hosting of The Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and thoughts are already turning to next year’s fourteenth edition. The future of the Contest looks clearer now than it has ever been, and Ewan Spence looks at the one word that will help it grow even more. Predictability.

The European Broadcasting Union’s four main competitive events are a rich source of knowledge and skill that can be shared with its members. Vital skills useful for covering national and international events can be learned through involvement with the Eurovision family, and the hosting of the Contest is a unique learning opportunity in the modern broadcasting world. Since Vienna 2015 it seems that principle may have been forgotten by some.