Singer Madonna may appear at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Israel in May 2019. Informed sources said that final closing of the deal would take place in the coming days. Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams will fund the cost of at least $1 million at the request of the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan). Financing will be through Adams's fund for branding Israel, unveiled at the Globes Israel Business Conference two months ago.
Adams, who brought the Giro d'Italia bicycle race to Israel last year, decided to establish the fund in order to present to the world "the true image of Israel." Israeli and Jewish philanthropists invest in the fund, which has activity amounting to over $100 million.
"The fund's goal is to portray Israel not merely as a place with cultural and culinary wealth, but mainly as a safe place," Ayelet Frish, who is responsible for the fund's branding and strategy, told Globes." "Up until now, Adams's best Jewish friends were scared to come to Israel because they were afraid that they would meet what they see on the news - a country with tanks in the street."
Frish says that, a few months ago, Kan asked that the Eurovision Song Contest should be included in the fund's activities in order to increase its rating and awareness of it. "It was obvious that one of the anchors should be an internationally famous artist. Madonna's name came up in a review, and we knew it was perfect. She appeals to the exact target viewing audience, and she was also amenable to the idea. Intensive round-the-clock negotiations have been taking place in recent days, and there are still a few things left to settle.
"The anchor of this visit is not just getting on the stage; it's also what Madonna will do in order to use the visit to gain exposure for the country. That's what most of the negotiations now are about."
Kan said, "We are currently forming the artistic program for Eurovision 2019. When the time comes, we'll publish the list of artists that will take part."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 3, 2019
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