Australia has a strong chance of becoming an ongoing Eurovision participant and a win by Dami Im could clinch it, says the man leading Australia's bid in Stockholm.
Blink TV's Paul Clarke, the head of Australia's SBS Eurovision delegation, says Australia's participation in the song contest two years in a row is part of a broader Eurovision move to stretch further afield.
Last year Australia was granted a wildcard entry, with Guy Sebastian coming fifth with his song Tonight Again.
This year Australia was invited back and Im's song Sound of Silence is among a handful of favourites expected to get through to the final on Saturday and have a crack at winning.
Clarke told AAP on Wednesday there was a "strong chance" of ongoing Australian participation.
If Im won Australia would be back for a third year, with a European nation hosting the event.
"If we go another year it would be very hard then to say you can't come any more," Clarke said.
If another nation won it would come down to how they felt about Australia, he said.
Back in 2009 when SBS started broadcasting Eurovision, the Europeans were intrigued the Australians were there, Clarke said.
"It's been about seven or eight years of gradually wearing them down.
"I think we've become an important foundation to the bridge that's been built to the rest of the world."
As well as inviting Australia to Stockholm, this year the show is being broadcast live in the US and China for the first time and American singer Justin Timberlake is a surprise guest as an interval act on Saturday night.
SBS has been exploring the idea of creating a similar event in Asia, "migrating the world's oldest song contest into the world's biggest music audience".
Talks have been held with television networks in China, Japan, South Korea, India and Thailand, and Clarke said it was hoped announcements would be made in coming months for a first contest in 2017.
He would like to think Australia could compete in both contests in Europe and Asia.
Earlier this week British television chat show host Graham Norton said he had nothing against Australia but having it in Eurovision was "kind of stupid".
"I know some countries aren't technically in Europe but come on, Australia is on the other side of the world," he said.
Clarke said Norton was just looking for something "quotable and fun to say" but he noted that Britain didn't like it when Australia beat them last year in a big way.
"It just became a wonderful banter between Britain and Australia, you could just feel this musical Ashes developing."
