Candidate for Basel 2025 Stefan Raab searches for German ESC song as a juror
Thanks to the entertainer, Germany celebrated successful fun performances at the ESC and Lena Meyer-Landrut's victory. When Raab stepped down, a long series of failures began. Is he now turning the tide again?
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- Stefan Raab is returning as a jury member for the German preliminary round of the ESC and will select the German entry from 24 acts together with other jury members.
- The selection will take place in four live shows in spring 2025, hosted by Barbara Schöneberger, with the final being broadcast on ARD and the audience deciding the winner.
- With Raab as the driving force and a mix of public and private broadcasting, the broadcasters want to revitalize the preliminary round and pursue the goal of leading Germany to victory at the ESC in Basel.
Entertainer Stefan Raab is part of the jury team in the search for the German candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).
In four live casting shows in spring 2025 - three of them on RTL and the final on ARD - the German music entry for the ESC in Basel will be determined, as the broadcasters announced.
Raab and other jury members will select from 24 acts. The live shows in prime time will be hosted by Barbara Schöneberger. The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Basel in May 2025 because Switzerland won this year. Who will travel to the traditional music competition will be entirely in the hands of the viewers of the final show. The goal is clear: "Of course we want to win," said Raab at the presentation of the selection process.
"We are looking for a hit - and a star"
The broadcasters called for applications for the preliminary decision "Chefsache ESC 2025 - Wer singt für Deutschland?" by November 28: "We are looking for a hit - and a star." Musicians and bands can therefore apply.
With Raab as the initiator of the cooperation between public and private broadcasting, the broadcasters hope to give the German preliminary round "new strength". This is not the first time that ARD has cooperated with a private broadcaster - ProSieben was on board for the casting show in 2012.
In September, Stefan Raab returned to TV screens after retiring many years ago: the musician, producer and entertainer signed a five-year contract with his new TV partner RTL and announced several shows. To kick things off, he boxed against Regina Halmich in the style of earlier times. The whole thing was held like a kind of ritual celebration: Raab descended like a god from the top of a seemingly endless staircase. RTL broadcast live.
Raab, who had stood for new, funny television for decades, staged himself as the savior of entertainment. The 58-year-old is likely to take on a similar role, that of savior, at the ESC. The combination of Raab and the ESC has stood for success and good entertainment for many years, so the expectations of German ESC fans are high.
