Eurovision Song Contest 2016 - WATCH the Live Stream; Also History and Preview of Finalists

By Jose Serrano First Posted: May 14, 2016 02:42 PM EDT

For anyone who never heard of Europe's Eurovision Song Contest until today, you're not alone.

The long-running singing competition drew over 200 million viewers last year, a rise of 2 million from 2014, few which came from this side of the Atlantic. But it's easy to see what Europeans like. In comparison to American entertainment, think American Idol meets Broadway meets the Olympics.

Eurovision - sometimes condensed to ESC - is the biggest, campiest televised music competition in the world. It annually brings together countries from around the world, and has done so for 60 years, since the initial tournament was held following World War II.

A Worldwide Competition

This year's competition included 42 countries, including non-European participants Australia and Israel. The only guaranteed slots went to 2015 winner Sweden and a handful of affluent European countries known as the "Big Five:" France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

Odds makers are naming Russia's Sergey Lazarev the overwhelming favorite, followed by Australian Dami Im, and Ukraine's Jamala, though the latter's appearance stirred controversy. ESC rules explicitly prohibit political gestures, but Jamala's song of choice, "1944," is a not-so-subtle reference to Russia's mass deportation of Crimean citizens. Russia's military activity in the Ukraine remains an ongoing issue.

Influencing the LGBT Community

United States viewers will get their first-ever chance to watch as the Logo network will air the grand finale, live and commercial-free, on May 14. It's somewhat appropriate that Logo would air the competition, given its role in the LGBT community.

In 1997, Iceland's Páll óskar began the first openly gay singer to perform. The next year, Israeli performer Dana International won, becoming the first transgender woman to do so. Conchita Wurst, the Austrian drag queen remembered for her groomed beard, solidifying ESC as a LGBT staple in 2014.

How to Watch the Live Stream

Eurovision's finale takes place at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden beginning at 3 p.m. EST. Those who can't catch Logo's broadcast can watch online on Eurovision.tv. As of Saturday afternoon, YouTube has not made ESC available in the U.S.