Poland’s Eurovision Preselection Goes Off-Script — and Fans Are Right to Feel Short-Changed

There are Eurovision disappointments that arrive gently.
This one landed with a thud.

Polish fans woke up to the news that this year’s national preselection will be mostly pre-recorded, filmed behind closed doors, and aired days later as if nothing unusual had happened. No live audience. No shared tension. No sense of occasion. Just performances taped in a studio normally reserved for Jaka to melodia?, then broadcast on 7 March, with viewers voting based on recordings made a week earlier.

For a contest built on immediacy and trust, that’s… a choice.

Not What Anyone Signed Up For

According to information passed to artists today, performances will be recorded on 28 February and 1 March, then stitched together for the final show. What remains unclear is almost as striking as what we do know: contestants still don’t know whether they are even expected to be present in the studio on the night results are revealed.

That uncertainty matters.
These artists applied for a national final, not a delayed television edit.

And while broadcasters are allowed to adjust formats, the way this has been handled — quietly, late, and without a clear public explanation — has left both fans and participants trying to piece together the rules as they go along.

Communication by Whisper, Not Announcement

What’s particularly frustrating is how the information has travelled.

Instead of clear statements from TVP, details have surfaced via media leaks and entertainment portals. Meanwhile, the official regulations — still visible online — state that the final should take place on 14 February, with no updated annex published to explain the shift.

If changes are made, fine.
But transparency isn’t optional. It’s the bare minimum.

When artists and fans are learning about major format changes through unnamed sources, confidence erodes quickly.

A Step Backward, Not Sideways

Last year, Poland finally earned praise for taking its preselection seriously. There was momentum. There was energy. There was the sense that the broadcaster understood how much these shows matter to artists and audiences alike.

This year feels different.

No press conference.
No clear roadmap.
A format that risks looking hollow on screen.

A pre-recorded final without an audience doesn’t just feel flat — it opens the door to doubts about fairness and consistency, even if everything is technically done “by the book”.

The Human Cost Is Real

Behind the format debate are artists who already made a brave decision just by entering.

They stepped forward knowing that Eurovision in Poland currently comes with intense scrutiny, polarised reactions and, in some cases, genuinely hostile online behaviour. They accepted that risk — because they believed in the process.

What they didn’t expect was to perform under conditions fundamentally different from what was advertised, in a format that strips away the atmosphere that helps performers breathe, connect and feel supported.

Why This Matters More Than One Year

National selections are not filler content.
They are a promise.

A promise that artists will be treated with respect.
That viewers will be trusted with a clear, fair process.
And that the road to the Eurovision Song Contest is worth believing in.

Right now, Poland’s preselection feels like it’s being handled as an obligation rather than an opportunity.

That’s not irreversible. But it does require TVP to step forward, explain itself openly, and remember that Eurovision fandom doesn’t ask for perfection — it asks for honesty.

Because once trust is taped over and aired later, it’s much harder to fix in post-production.

Source: dziennik eurowizyjny