Always in the final since 2019 This is the secret behind Switzerland's ESC successes
Yves Schifferle has been following the Eurovision Song Contest since childhood. Today, as head of the Swiss delegation, he helps decide who will represent our country on the big stage - and suddenly Switzerland is back at the forefront. What is the secret behind this success?
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- From fan to person in charge: Swiss delegation leader Yves Schifferle explains why the Eurovision Song Contest, or ESC for short, is more than just an evening of music.
- Until the early 2000s, Switzerland regularly achieved good placings at the ESC. After that, things became more difficult - but the trend suddenly reversed in 2019 with Luca Hänni.
- In 2024, Nemo even won the trophy for Switzerland for the third time with the song "The Code".
- What is the secret behind this run of success? Yves Schifferle reveals it in an interview with blue News.
Yves Schifferle, what is your first memory of the ESC?
In 1988, as a teenager, I sat in front of the TV with my parents and watched Céline Dion win the ESC for Switzerland. I got goosebumps during the scoring, I was so nervous.
Years later, you and your partner launched an ESC chat on Facebook ...
This chat started as a joke, many of our friends are also ESC fans. Then it exploded at some point - there was so much commentary during the final that you could hardly follow the show for all the reading (laughs).
You have been head of the Swiss delegation since 2022 - and were also responsible for the development and implementation of the two semi-finals and the final as Head of Show at the ESC in Basel in 2025. What fascinates you about the ESC?
The ESC sets technical production standards and continuously pushes the boundaries of what is possible - in a way, it is the Olympic Games of creative entertainment. Hardly any other show format thinks so consistently ahead, is so innovative and at the same time reaches a global audience of hundreds of millions of people.
About the person: Yves Schifferle
Yves Schifferle has been working in TV entertainment for over 25 years. After the production of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, where he was responsible as Head of Show, he decided to focus on his role as Swiss Head of Delegation of the "ESC" in the future. He subsequently stepped down from his role as Head of Show of the department at Swiss television SRF, which he had held since 2021. However, he is still part of the show management team.
Until the early 2000s, Switzerland regularly achieved good placings at the ESC. After that, things became more difficult - between 2007 and 2018, our country only made it to the final twice. Why was that?
We Swiss often find it difficult to think big and are too quick to hide our light under a bushel. For a long time, we were also convinced that we didn't really stand a chance at the ESC anyway because of the political scoring system.
Is that not true?
I was always convinced that if we consistently professionalize the selection of artists and songs, the good results will come back. This is exactly what we did at Schweizer Fernsehen SRF together with an external partner. At the same time, we also work closely with international experts in staging to ensure that Switzerland's performances are at a competitive level.
The turn for the better came in 2019.
Back then, Luca Hänni took fourth place with the song "She Got Me". This showed that a clear, professional approach can also work for Switzerland in the long term.
Since then, our country has qualified for the ESC final at every event - until Nemo won the trophy for Switzerland for the third time in 2024 with the song "The Code". What specific changes have you made to the selection process?
The key difference is that we now start earlier and in a more targeted way. In a small market like Switzerland, it's not enough just to wait for songs to be submitted - we have to actively create opportunities. The SUISA Songwriting Camp, which took place for the first time in 2017, has long been an important vehicle. There, we brought Swiss artists together with international producers and songwriters - and songs were created that were intended for the big stage right from the start.
And today?
Today, we also focus on individual songwriting sessions and motivate acts to take part in international camps in order to develop new impulses and networks. During these camps, new songs are written and produced together in teams. The aim is to develop as many creative song ideas or even finished demos as possible in a short space of time. At the same time, we as SRF are in contact with labels and management and accompany many musicians for years until the right moment has come for them for the ESC.
Nemo won the ESC in 2024 and brought the winner's trophy to Switzerland for the third time:
For this year's ESC in Vienna, songs could be submitted in Switzerland last August. How many were there this time?
There were 500 entries - from all over the world, from Australia to Germany and England to South Africa.
Are there always so many songs submitted?
The number has risen significantly in recent years - it used to be around 300 each time. I think the staging of the ESC in Basel attracted additional attention.
What happened afterwards?
As a first step, an internal panel of 20 people met to make a pre-selection from all the songs submitted. This panel is made up of music experts from all SRG regions - from French-speaking Switzerland, Ticino, Romansh-speaking Switzerland and German-speaking Switzerland. It is supplemented by external ESC experts from time to time. Together, they had the task of listening to all 500 songs and making an initial selection.
Sounds like a lot of work.
And it was. At the end of this first panel, 50 songs remained, for which the journey continued: in the subsequent multi-stage selection process, we work with two juries. The public jury is put together by a market research institute and consists of people from seven European countries. The 25-member expert jury is also international and has extensive ESC experience. I always say that our procedure is a miniature version of the ESC points system.
How many songs made it through the first round of the jury?
Out of 50 songs, 15 remained - followed by the so-called pairing and reproducing phase.
What happens there?
During this phase of the selection process, we look for possible local performers for those songs that were submitted without a Swiss voice - an extremely challenging task.
Why is that?
It is often not easy to find someone for an existing song who feels its story and can perform it convincingly on stage. In the next step, the 15 songs, now for the first time all with a Swiss voice, were presented a second time to the audience and the expert jury for evaluation.
How many songs progressed after the second round?
Five songs made it through to round three. In November, we invited the qualified singers to a two-day live check in the SRF television studio. There we worked with them live for the first time, discussed initial staging ideas and produced a video of the song at the end. This was then presented to the two juries for evaluation.
So this third round is the first time the jury members have seen the performers in person?
Exactly, until then everything was purely audio-based.
When did the music makers find out whether they would be allowed to represent Switzerland at the ESC 2026?
We usually give them a Christmas present (smiles).
She is about to make her biggest appearance: Veronica Fusaro is representing Switzerland at this year's ESC:
This time, Veronica Fusaro was delighted to receive this special Christmas present. The musician from Thun is representing Switzerland at the ESC in Vienna with the song "Alice". However, she couldn't rest on her laurels for long ...
That's right - because the actual preparation phase, known as "act creation", began immediately after the festive period. Together with Veronica Fusaro and her management, we put together a creative team responsible for her performance in Vienna. This means that everything you see on the ESC stage - lighting, outfits, choreography, props, dancers and effects such as fireworks - is conceived, designed and developed together.
Can you tell us something about Veronica Fusaro's show?
I'm afraid I have to disappoint you - that will remain a secret until the second rehearsal in Vienna. But I can already say one thing: Veronica will surprise many people with her performance. We have a strong partner at our side for her show: Benke Rydman is the staging director. He has already staged Nemo in 2024 and helped shape the victory of Swedish candidate Måns Zelmerlöw in 2015. So Rydman knows exactly how to bring a performance to the stage.
Why is it so important to SRF and SRG that Switzerland does well at the ESC?
Performing well is simply more fun - for the artists, for the audience and for all of us. But above all, it has a much greater impact on the music industry. And that's exactly why we do it: our mission as SRF and SRG is to promote the Swiss music scene. The ESC is a unique platform for this.
Why is that?
Our acts can present themselves to an international audience on the biggest stage and build lasting visibility. And I am personally convinced that we Swiss are not only good skiers, but also make great music. Making this visible is what drives me. And that's why my ambition was for Switzerland to win the ESC once again ...
... which became a reality in 2024 with Nemo's victory.
Exactly. Back then, we saw what that could do in our own country - especially with the home ESC in Basel the following year. It's a very special feeling when this event suddenly takes place in your own country. A new self-confidence has emerged in Basel: We Swiss can compete creatively at an international level and don't have to hide. This feeling is actually a bit addictive - and motivates me every day.
Does it almost sound as if you would like to win the ESC one more time?
I wouldn't mind (laughs).
