A niche fixation, graphically laid out. I had fun tracking these to be quite honest. From Bhutan’s infamous electrical safety PSA to jolting at 1-2 second quick clips of ads before being cut-off by the Non-Stop Hits stream, this season had a variety of ads on offer. Therefore, I present to all of you the ESCA NF Ads of the Night! - with explanations
Bhutan - Electrical Safety PSA by the Electricity Regulatory Authority
Need I explain more? What I don’t think a lot of people know yet is that an alleged Bhutanese viewer on the BBS stream actually called up the network to re-air the PSA one last time before the results were going to be reveal because of all the international viewers asking for it and they allowed it to happen. Just amazing.
Philippines - Coco Martin’s Sigabo
The ESC Stream did not show any local ads but thanks to the very vocal Filipino fandom, those who watched domestically spread with glee online that they were #UnitedbySigabo, a local nightly action drama series that airs on broadcaster ABS-CBN and its affiliate channels.
Malaysia - McDonald’s
In all fairness, I only know this one because a Filipino fan on Facebook shared that AJL had a McDonald’s ad that night and that it was the ad of the night. AJL wasn’t shared internationally but someone went out of their way to watch it and report back so we’re putting it here
South Korea - Asahi Dry
A 2-second blip of the ad before cutting away to the Non-Stop Hits stream jolted every international fan watching during the stream of Korea’s Next Wave
Laos - New River Drinking Water
This ad showing right before ‘Water’ will never not be funny. A shame that Water’s performance itself was never shown domestically cuz they had to cut away to the nightly news (add that to the iceberg)
Thailand - Nescafé Blend & Brew Coffee Mix
There were a couple of ads during that night, but this was deemed the one to be the rep. Shoutout to BamBam
Vietnam - N/A, and no one I’ve seen yet share what they saw domestically
Bangladesh - Anik FPV
This was also almost an N/A but I went back to the Bangladeshi NF when I was looking for the name of their interval act. For a SPLIT second during the performance, the screen blips to a still promoting a man’s solo robotics and drone operating/filming business. The full image matches the Facebook page banner pic linked here. Good on you, Anik.
Nepal - Yamaha Racing Presents: Himalaya Roadies Season 8 - Attitude vs Altitude
This competed against 2 other ads that night thanks to Himalaya TV's local stream (the ESC stream showed nothing). Ultimately, the fans who were watching live loved the TV smashes. But a special mention to Shark Tank Nepal Season 2 (and their lovely set) and Nepal’s Next Top Model Season 1.
Mongolia - ‘Welcome to Mongolia’ ad snippet
Another 2 second blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. I think the ad was meant for international viewers, seeing as CNBC Mongolia didn’t even air their own NF domestically, but it still got cut all the same. I can’t even find the original video for this yet.
Cambodia - N/A, and no one I’ve seen yet share what they saw domestically
If someone comes forward for Vietnam and Cambodia, I will happily update the graphic~
