Each spring, hundreds of millions of people the world over are glued to their television sets, watching as musical acts representing their home countries battle it out for Europe's top musical prize.

Next year, the Czech Republic will be up on that stage for the first time. The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the world's most watched nonsporting events and a competition that has come to represent a point of national pride for many of the countries involved.

It's big business, but also something of a cultural phenomenon.

Sure, the United States' American Idol and the United Kingdom's Pop Idol, both wildly popular in their home markets, have spotted talented acts. But nothing like the superstars who have come out of Eurovision. This is, after all, where heavyweights like ABBA (representing Sweden) and Céline Dion (representing Switzerland) burst on the scene.

"Eurovision definitely has a cult following throughout the world," said Barry Viniker, director of www.esctoday.com, an independent Web site dedicated to the show that has over 22,000 members.

Estimates of the number of Eurovision watchers range from 200 million to 600 million. In places like Sweden, as much as 90 percent of the country's TV audience tunes in. Viewers can vote for their favorite song by phone or SMS, but can't vote for their own nations.

"People like to cheer for [their country]," Viniker said. "Winning Eurovision is like winning a world championship or the World Cup."

As for those other singing contests the world over? "They're all cheap imitators," he scoffs. "Eurovision is the grandfather of all reality shows."

A symbolic step

All active members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are eligible to take part in the song contest, and each member network that chooses to participate sends one delegate to the contest.

Czech Television (ČTV), the Czech Republic's one EBU television station, has never entered an act in the contest's 52-year history. Now, Czech producers are gearing up for the big debut.

On Nov. 8, ČTV officially announced it would coordinate a contest to choose the country's entry to Eurovision, which will be held in Helsinki, Finland, next May.

The Czechs are dubbing their contest Eurosong, and will hold the competition next March, featuring 10 musical acts, each a recent hit on Czech billboard charts. Viewers will vote for their favorite by SMS.

Now that the Nov. 15 deadline to apply to enter the Eurovision Song Contest has come and gone, organizers have kicked into high gear. In mid-December, ČTV will hold a press conference announcing more details about the show, spokesman Martin Krafl said.

But Eurovision isn't just about catchy pop lyrics and fancy special effects.

"To some of the newer countries, joining Eurovision is about becoming part of Europe and establishing their identity," Viniker said. For countries like Macedonia and Moldova, performing on the same stage as West European nations can be a symbolic step.

The Czech Republic is larger and wealthier than many of the newer competitors, and its absence from the Eurovision stage has been conspicuous.

ČTV has opted out in previous years for financial reasons, Krafl said, instead focusing on other foreign-licensed shows like Star Dance and The Greatest Czech. A recent change in management prompted a change of heart.

In Helsinki next year, the Czech act will compete in a semifinal round May 10. The top 10 winners from this round will head to the finals, along with the top 10 finalists from the previous year's Eurovision. Also in the finals are the "Big Four" — Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom — which are guaranteed a finals spot each year because of their financial support for the contest.

In the May 12 finale, each country will perform its song before a live audience. Viewers at home vote, and the results are tallied and announced live.

The popularity of the show here will rest largely on how well the network generates interest in it through the Eurosong national finals, said Viniker.

Krafl says ratings aren't the network's only concern: "We never assume what the number of viewers would be like, as this is not a criteria for our programs. We offer public service as an alternative to commercial channels."

But what will the European audience think of the Czech talent?

"Traditionally, countries do well in their first year. Viewers tend to be welcoming of them," Viniker said. "So chances are good for the Czechs."

Earlier this year, Finland rocked the finals with Lordi, a heavy metal band that wowed audiences with their elaborate, gruesome monster costumes, shattering Eurovision's reputation as a bastion of bubble-gum pop.