Recordings from the very first competition in Lugano in 1956 and the final in Copenhagen in 1964 are missing. Only audio clips and film excerpts from the programs have been preserved.
The Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast every year except for the pandemic year of 2020, but in the early years not all recordings were preserved. Tapes were expensive, recordings were often erased, and tapes were reused.
"We look back on an incredible story, but there are still some chapters missing," said Martin Green, head of the Eurovision Song Contest, in a press release.
