The competition consisted of two semi-finals and one final. In total, 18 candidate songs competed divided between the two semifinals, that is, nine participated in each one.[1][2] In each semifinal, the four songs with the most votes among the professional juries (50%), the demographic panel (25%) and the televote (25%), went directly to the final. During the final, the eight qualified songs were performed again to determine which would represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, following the same voting system as in the semi-finals.
Presenters
On 19 July 2022, RTVE announced singer Mónica Naranjo as the main host of Benidorm Fest 2023.[3] Naranjo was accompanied by Internet personality and comedian Inés Hernand, who returned to serve as co-host, and journalist and television presenter Rodrigo Vázquez.[4][5]
Expert jury members
On 19 July 2022, RTVE announced that the expert jury panel would be headed by composer, musician and record producer Nacho Cano. It was also announced that Swedish singer and television producer Christer Björkman would be among the international members of the expert jury.[3] On 25 January 2023, RTVE announced the full eight-member jury line-up, with five international members and three national members. It was also announced that Cano would not be part of the jury as initially announced, citing professional scheduling reasons.[6]
The final was opened by Manuel Carrasco performing "Eres". The interval acts included presenter Mónica Naranjo performing her song "Sobreviviré", and Ana Mena performing "Un clásico" and "Las 12". In addition, previous winner Chanel made an appearance to hand the trophy to her successor.[7][12][13]
Competing entries
RTVE published the rules and regulations for Benidorm Fest 2023 on 19 July 2022. The submission period opened on 1 September 2022, with the window closing on 10 October 2022. In addition to the open submission, RTVE reserved the right to invite renowned singers and authors from the current music scene directly.[14] Upon closing the submission period, RTVE announced that 876 entries had been received, 482 by the online form and 394 by record labels.[15]
The names of the chosen contestants were officially announced by RTVE on 25 October 2022, in a special broadcast on La 1 hosted by Inés Hernand,[16] followed by a presentation event on 29 October, hosted by Julia Varela and Rodrigo Vázquez also on La 1.[17] Among the competing artists is Blanca Paloma, who participated in 2022. The competing songs were released on RTVE Play and RTVE's website on 18 December 2022.[18][19]
Selected entries and their scores in the selection procedure[20][21]
Joan Valls Paniza, Rubén Pérez Pérez, Victoria Riba
78
13
Semi-finals
The two semi-finals were held on 31 January and 2 February 2023. The running order of the semi-finals, which was decided by the organizers, was revealed on the day of each of the shows.[22]
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 31 January 2023. Agoney, Alice Wonder, Fusa Nocta, and Megara qualified for the final.[23] A total of 10,285 televotes were received during the semi-final, including 7,507 via SMS and 2,778 via phone call.[24]
The second semi-final took place on 2 February 2023. Blanca Paloma, José Otero, Karmento, and Vicco qualified for the final.[25] A total of 11,224 televotes were received during the semi-final, including 7,808 via SMS and 3,416 via phone call.[26]
The final took place on 4 February 2023. The running order of the final was decided by a draw held on 3 February 2023.[27][13] A total of 34,997 televotes were received during the final, including 24,553 via SMS and 10,444 via phone call.[28][29]
