Melodifestivalen

Melodifestivalen (English pronunciation: /mɛlʊˈdiːfɛstɪvɑːlɛn/, "The Melody Festival") is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959. Since 2000, the competition has been the most popular television programme in Sweden; it is also broadcast on radio and the Internet. In 2007, the semifinals averaged 3.1 million viewers, and an estimated four million Swedes watched the final. The festival has produced four Eurovision winners and sixteen top-five placings for Sweden at the contest. The winner of the Melodifestival has been chosen by panels...