More doubts on Asia Pacific Song Contest

While concerns about India’s ability to host the Delhi Commonwealth Games will shortly be made crystal clear, there’s another event that looks severely in doubt: OurSound, the Song Contest to be held for the Asia Pacific region.

As previously reported, it was licensed by Eurovision to a commercial venture run by a company called Asiavision Pte. Ltd., and is supposed to be held in Mumbai in late November.

The official website has been calling for song entries, including from Australia, and stating it will be screened on SBS.

Australian song entries were due to be accepted until August 28th with a public vote to follow.

“Australia will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite song from this shortlist over a two week voting period in September,” it claims.

Organisers announced there will be 14 countries participating in 2010, and broadcast live to 44 countries with up to 3 billion people across the world have the opportunity to watch.

But the website has recently updated its homepage, simply with the words “Coming Soon.” Its Twitter feed hasn’t updated since the end of June.

An SBS spokesperson recently told TV Tonight, “SBS has optioned the rights to broadcast Our Sound: The Asia-Pacific Song Contest when the event goes ahead.”

Privately, insiders aren’t expecting it to take place this November.

In June Jiesen Ké, the Manager for Communications and New Media, told ESC.com, “We had previously intended to launch in 2009, then in time for Chinese New Year this year.

“We came to the realisation pretty early on that establishing Our Sound for the first time would be a massive challenge – and it was better to do it right, if a bit late, than to do a shoddy job. It’s DEFINITELY happening this November though.”