49th Eurovision Song Contest: qualifying round results

ISTANBUL (Eurovision Fans Website) - The half final evening of the 49th Eurovision Song Contest was held tonight with participation of 22 countries at Abdi Ipekci Sports Hall in Istanbul.
The event had a brand new format: Two televised contests in one week - a Qualifying Round and a Grand Final, both broadcast live. A record 36 countries participated in the song contest.
The great final of the 49th Eurovision Song Contest 2004 will be held on Saturday, May 15 at the Abdi Ipekci Sports Hall.

Viewers across Europe propelled: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Macedonia, Malta, the Netherlands, Serbia and Montenegro and Ukraine to the final through televoting.
Those nations will now join 14 countries who have already secured their places.
Voting was been made through telephones and cell phones. The Grand Final will be aired on Saturday and broadcast live in all 36 participating countries.

Fourteen countries already have a secured place in the Grand Final: The winner and the highest scoring countries from the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, along with the four largest countries in the competition: Turkey, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Romania and Russia.

Turkey won the right to host the show when one of its top pop divas, Sertab Erener, came first in last year's contest in Riga, after decades of disappointment for the nation. Sertab Erener, representing Turkey with the song 'Every Way That I Can', won the 48th Contest.
The event was transmitted live by 42 broadcasters over the Eurovision network reaching over 100 million viewers across Europe.

Despite all the sneering, the Eurovision song contest, held since 1956, has marked the beginning of the careers of celebrities such as Abba, Cliff Richard and Celine Dion. Ireland holds the record with seven victories.
The stage at the Abdi Ipekci Sports Hall has cost $5 million, according to reports. The theme is "Under the Same Sky" and is featuring 36 stars, which will symbolize each of the contestant countries.