"There is a clear YouTube front-runner after the first round of Eurovision semi-final rehearsals.
The second set of rehearsals for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest began Thursday in Kyiv, Ukraine. With more than 24 hours passing since the participants of the second semi-final wrapped their first set of rehearsals, let's take a look at how those videos are faring on YouTube.
Process nerds: the reason we're doing a 24-hour delay in reporting data is to allow for the videos for those performing in the second half of the second semi-final to rack up views. As the data is about to show, an extra day on YouTube for those in the first half probably isn't that much of an advantage. Here are the rankings((As of 1:00 am Central European Time Friday, May 5 / 7:00 pm Eastern Time Thursday, May 4)):
- Netherlands
- FYR Macedonia
- Romania
- Serbia
- Bulgaria
- Belarus
- Lithuania
- Israel
- Estonia
- Denmark
The video for the Netherlands is currently dominating the first semi-final rankings, with more than 314,000 views. FYR Macedonia is behind by almost 200,000 views, and current first semi-final leader Greece has only 157,000 views. Either some loyal O'G3NE fans are hitting the repeat button, or we might want to add Netherlands to the list of challengers for the win at the Grand Final.
Lithuania is a genuine surprise on this list. Prior to rehearsals, Fusedmarc's video for "Rain of Revolution" was one of the least watched of the entire 42-song field, including ranking last within the second semi-final. The rehearsal clip is solidly in seventh place, and may be one to keep an eye on when they get their second turn on the Eurovision stage on Saturday.
Austria and Denmark are neck-and-neck on the bubble, with only ten((10!)) views separating them. Switzerland and Norway, which are both in the top ten for their official music videos, have fallen to the wayside for their rehearsal clips, sitting in 15th and 17th, respectively.
The biggest drop has been San Marino, which currently sits at the bottom in 18th place. Although "Spirit of the Night" has one of the most-watched official videos in this year's competition, there has been a noticeable drop-off in interest in the last couple weeks.
On deck for Friday: the first semi-final will finish the second round of rehearsals, the first five countries of the second semi-final will get one last go on the stage, and the auto-qualifiers will finally get to strut their stuff. We'll be back Saturday for a check-in on the first semi-final, the Big Five, and host country Ukraine."