Martin Österdahl

Martin Österdahl
Österdahl in June 2016
Born
Erik Martin Österdahl

(1973-10-12) 12 October 1973 (age 51)
Stockholm, Sweden
Occupation(s)Television producer, author
Title

Erik Martin Österdahl (pronounced [ˈêːrɪk ˈmǎʈːɪn ˈœ̂sːtɛˌɖɑːl]; born 12 October 1973) is a Swedish television producer and author. From 2008 to 2014 he worked on broadcasts of Mästarnas mästare, Allt för Sverige and Skavlan for SVT.[1] His first book, Be inte om nåd ("Ask no mercy"), was published in 2016.[2] He is currently the European Broadcasting Union's Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest and Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Early life

Österdahl grew up between Stockholm and London. He attended Adolf Fredrik's Music School, joining the school's opera boy choir. His father, Marcus Österdahl ran the recording studio Marcus Music, and his mother worked in a music publishing company. Österdahl studied a master's degree in economics, Russian, and Eastern European Studies at Uppsala University.[3]

Career

Eurovision Song Contest

In January 2020, it was announced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that Österdahl would succeed Jon Ola Sand as the Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest after the final of the 2020 contest, which would have taken place in Rotterdam in May 2020.[4]

However, the 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Österdahl later succeeded Sand as Executive Supervisor after the one-off replacement show, Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light was aired.[5][6]

As Executive Supervisor, Österdahl has the last call with regard to the production of the Eurovision Song Contest, with the ability to over-rule the producers, and instruct. He is also responsible for the organisation of the voting system of the contest. He made his debut as Executive Supervisor at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Warsaw, and later at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam. During his first years in the role, adaptations of the Eurovision format were announced for other continents, with the first such adaptation, American Song Contest, debuting in 2022.[7]

Österdahl had previously been the executive producer of the 2013 and 2016 contests (alongside Johan Bernhagen in 2016) in Malmö and Stockholm respectively, and was a member of the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group from 2012 to 2018.[4] As Executive Supervisor, he has again been an ex-officio member of the Reference Group since 2021.[8]

During the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, Österdahl was subject to significant booing from the audience when he appeared on screen, due to the controversies that had embroiled that year's contest, including backlash over the decision to disqualify Dutch representative Joost Klein earlier that day.[9]

Author

Österdahl has written the Max Anger book series, which was adapted by Pinewood Studios.[10]

Bibliography

  • 2016 – Be inte om nåd ("Ask no mercy"; ISBN 9789175036663)
  • 2017 – Tio svenskar måste dö ("Ten Swedes must die"; ISBN 9789137147956)
  • 2018 – All business is show business: Spelregler för den kreativa eran (ISBN 9789188743176)
  • 2019 – Järnänglar ("Iron angels"; ISBN 9789137147987)
  • 2022 – Parmiddagen ("Couple dinner"; ISBN 9789189393226)

References

  1. ^ ""Mästarnas mästare" byter tid i tv-rutan". Expressen (in Swedish). 2016-05-29 [Original date 2012-04-25]. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  2. ^ Be inte om nåd - Martin Österdahl Bokus. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  3. ^ ""Vi kommer att slå tillbaka rätt hårt"". Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b Martin Österdahl new Eurovision Song Contest Executive Producer Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light reaches over 70 million viewers". Eurovision.tv. 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  6. ^ "Martin Österdahl shares his views on the year ahead". Eurovision.tv. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  7. ^ Granger, Anthony (2022-12-30). "Eurovision: Martin Österdahl Discusses a Global Song Contest, Russia & What to Expect from Liverpool". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  8. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group". ebu.ch. EBU. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  9. ^ Minelle, Bethany (2024-05-12). "A wardrobe malfunction, a watermelon and nul points: Five Eurovision moments you might have missed". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2024-05-12. No one likes being booed. And when it comes from an auditorium full of very vocal Eurovision fans, recently riled thanks to one of the most popular acts of the night being sent home, it's all the more impactful. The man tasked with overseeing the organisation of the show bore the brunt of fans' wrath, being jeered not once, but twice.
  10. ^ "Martin Österdahl's Max Anger series sold to US and adapted by Pinewood Studios". Retrieved 29 April 2024.
Media offices
Preceded by Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest
2021–present 		Incumbent
Executive Supervisor of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
2020–present