Go on, admit it, if you are a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, you have probably already dreamed of adding “Eurovision expert” to your LinkedIn profile.
For most of us Eurovision nerds, making a living from random anecdotes, historical trivia, and deep analysis of the world’s largest live music event is just pure imagination.
But some people have actually done it, and ESC Tom is one of them.
With more than 21,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and 13,000 followers on X, ESC Tom is one of the most well-known Eurovision analysts.
His content consistently reflects passion, research and dedication to what some describe as the world's greatest singing competition, which is now his full-time job.
Euronews Culture caught up with him to discover his story, listen to his thoughts on the 2025 edition, and get tips on how to become a true Eurovision expert.
From fan to Eurovision expert
“I began my channel in 2019, and the initial reason for it was that I was driving my friends crazy by talking about Eurovision,” ESC Tom told Euronews Culture. “I wanted to talk about my favourite hobby, my favourite passion, and one of the places to do that was YouTube”.
Driven by his love for Eurovision, ESC Tom began filming himself in front of a camera, analysing the latest developments in the contest, reporting on the national reactions to the event and sharing his predictions.
Since 2019, the format of ESC Tom’s videos has remained largely consistent. It’s usually him, seated in front of a neutral background, speaking directly to his community in a casual, funny yet insightful tone. In fact, one of ESC Tom's distinctive traits is the use of numbers and statistics, which can be very helpful if you are betting on the Eurovision winner with your friends.
What began as a personal escape has since grown into a career path, taking up much of his time.
“I don't think people realise that the season lasts six, seven months,” ESC Tom explained. Just before Montenegro’s national final song came out around November, he has been following developments to be on top of his analysis.
His routine resembles that of a typical content creator: “I spend a lot of time looking at news, I’m on socials to get the latest, writing, filming and editing videos, making thumbnails and timestamps, talking to sponsors, answering the comments,” he said, describing one of his regular days.
Despite the demands, ESC Tom is grateful and enthusiastic about his life: “The fact that it’s now my full-time job, that alone is incredibly surprising”. And it’s not just about having a flexible and creative job: “This [ESC Tom's channel] is one of my main friend circles, I have so many friends from the Eurovision community and the interactions,” he told Euronews Culture.
Of course, the interpersonal connection is enhanced by the experience itself. After a lifetime spent loving Eurovision and the last six years working on it, ESC Tom still cherishes one memory above all: “Nothing compares to your first Eurovision,” he said. “Going into the arena and seeing 10 to 20,000 insane Eurovision fans, just the energy is unbelievable,” he said,** remembering his first Eurovision in Sweden in 2016.
What to expect from the Eurovision 2025
As the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 begins—with the first semi-final on May 13—ESC Tom is looking forward to an edition he believes will be hard to forget. “A lot of countries are sending very distinctive entries that will be very easy to remember five years from now”. So if you thought past editions were full of iconic characters, get ready for even more this year.
As far as the music is concerned, however, ESC Tom does not expect something out of the ordinary. “Song-wise it’s a pretty normal year,” he said.
When asked to pick his favourite, ESC Tom hesitated, and said it was very difficult to choose. He eventually revealed that France’s entry Louane has a special place in his heart, though he added his number-one song tends to change week by week.
When it came to predictions, though, ESC Tom had a firmer take. “I believe that this year we will see the televote winner winning Eurovision again,” he stated.
Over the past two years, jury votes have outweighed the public’s favourites, a trend the analyst considers as originating from a rule change in 2023.
However, ESC Tom believes that this will not be the case in Basel, where the public's favourite will once again triumph as the Eurovision winner.
