The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced the launch of an Asian edition of the “Eurovision” Song Contest. The inaugural Eurovision Asia will take place on November 14 in Bangkok. It will be hosted by Thailand's Channel 3, which is co-organizing the event with the EBU, Voxovation, and S2O Productions, according to bbc.com.

Ten countries have already announced their participation in the competition: South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. The organizers say the list of participants will continue to expand. In the coming months, each country will select its representative through national selection rounds.

The competition format retains the key rules of the original Eurovision: performances must be live and songs must be original. As in the European version, the winners will be determined by a professional jury and audience vote.

Competition Director Martin Green linked the launch of the Asian project to Eurovision's 70th anniversary, noting that the initiative's goal is to create a platform reflecting the region's cultural diversity. According to the organizers, the combined population of the participating countries exceeds 600 million people, yet there has never been a comparable pan-regional music competition in Asia.

The final will be broadcast by television channels in the participating countries, with Channel 3 serving as the main broadcaster.