European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officials have confirmed that the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest live tour will not take place as scheduled, citing unforeseen circumstances.

The tour, which was announced last month, had been slated to visit 10 European countries this summer, with its first stop at London's O2 Arena on June 15.

In a statement released on Friday, Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, explained that the decision to postpone the tour was made due to unexpected challenges that could not be overcome despite the best efforts of the team.

Green expressed regret over the postponement, stating that the difficult decision was necessary due to unforeseen circumstances.

According to Green, the team had faced unexpected obstacles that could not be resolved, despite the collaborative efforts of the producers, promoters, and EBU staff.

Green assured fans who had purchased tickets that they would receive a full refund as soon as possible, thanking them for their support.

The Eurovision Song Contest live tour, initially planned as part of the contest's 70th-anniversary celebrations, will be relaunched at a later date, with the goal of delivering a world-class experience for fans.

Green emphasized that the primary focus remains on hosting a successful Eurovision Song Contest in May.

The now-postponed tour was set to feature some of the most iconic performers in the contest's history, as announced by the EBU in January.

Notable acts scheduled to appear included Johnny Logan, Katrina, Lordi, and Verka Serduchka.

The tour was also expected to include performances by 10 of this year's Eurovision entrants, as previously confirmed by the EBU.

The Eurovision Song Contest faced disruption in December when Iceland joined several other countries, including Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, in boycotting the 2026 competition.

The boycott was sparked by controversy surrounding Israel's participation, as well as allegations of unfair voting practices.

In response, the EBU announced plans to reform the voting rules to minimize government influence on the results.

A majority of EBU members voted in favor of the reforms, which would allow Israel to participate in the contest.

Social media platforms have been inundated with clips generated using Seedance 2.0, a cutting-edge AI video tool. These clips feature reimagined scenes, such as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt engaging in a rooftop brawl, or characters from Friends depicted as otters, showcasing the tool's capabilities.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has introduced Seedance, touting it as a means to deliver "an ultra-realistic immersive experience" to users.

The emergence of Seedance has sparked concerns in the entertainment industry, with Rhett Reese, writer of the Deadpool series, expressing his unease, stating that the rise of this technology may signal the end of traditional creative roles.

Many of the clips created using Seedance are based on copyrighted materials, including films and TV shows featuring well-known actors. As a result, major US studios have demanded that the platform immediately stop infringing on their intellectual property rights.

Seedance allows users to generate highly realistic clips from simple text prompts, and users have been creating scenes inspired by popular franchises such as The Lord of the Rings, Seinfeld, and Avengers.

Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, stated that Seedance 2.0 has engaged in widespread unauthorized use of US copyrighted works in a short span, highlighting the need for the platform to respect intellectual property laws.

According to Rivkin, by launching a service without adequate safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding established copyright laws that protect creators' rights and support millions of American jobs.

The MPA has called on ByteDance to cease its infringing activities immediately, emphasizing the need to respect intellectual property rights.

The Motion Picture Association represents prominent US studios, including Netflix, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros Discovery, among others.

TikTok has acknowledged that some videos created using its pre-launch model have been shared, and the company claims to respect intellectual property rights and take potential infringement seriously.

In response to concerns, the company has suspended the ability for users to upload images of real individuals and is working to implement robust policies and monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance with local regulations.

A review by Forbes noted that Seedance 2.0 offers users a level of creative control similar to that of a human director, enabling them to produce high-quality content without requiring complex production tools.

While many users are excited about the creative possibilities offered by Seedance, Rhett Reese has expressed his concern about the implications of this technology on the entertainment industry.

Reese stated that he is worried about the potential loss of careers for many people in the industry, including his own, as a result of the rise of AI-generated content.

Reese clarified that his initial statement about the impact of Seedance was not meant to be flippant, but rather a genuine expression of his fear about the potential consequences of this technology on the entertainment industry.

Reese believes that the emergence of Seedance could revolutionize the entertainment industry, but also potentially lead to significant job losses, and he is concerned about the impact on his own career and those of his colleagues.

Heather Anne Campbell, a writer for Saturday Night Live and Rick & Morty, has noted that the content generated using Seedance is often similar to fan fiction, and that original ideas are still essential for creating engaging content.

Campbell observed that many users of AI visualization engines like Seedance are using them to create content based on existing franchises, rather than coming up with entirely new ideas.

Campbell suggested that having access to advanced AI tools like Seedance does not necessarily make it easier to create original content, as the hardest part of the creative process is often coming up with new and innovative ideas.

A donation of $25,000 (£21,000) has been made by film director Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, to a GoFundMe campaign that has raised over $2m (£1.6m) for the family of late actor James Van Der Beek.

Van Der Beek, who passed away at the age of 48, is survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children, and the crowdfunding effort to support his family has now exceeded its initial target of $2m.

Other notable donors include Oscar-winning actress Zoe Saldana, who contributed $2,500 (£2,108), and director Jon M Chu, who gave $10,000 (£8,432) to the cause.

A statement from the organizers of the fundraiser, Friends of the Van Der Beek family, expressed gratitude to all contributors, stating that their support is deeply appreciated.

The statement highlighted the significance of the donations, saying that the kindness shown by contributors is beyond words.

It also noted that the outpouring of support has been a source of comfort during a difficult time, serving as a reminder of the power of love, community, and the enduring legacy of James Van Der Beek.

Van Der Beek was perhaps best known for his starring role in the popular US teen drama series Dawson's Creek, which aired from 1998 to 2003, although he remained associated with the show until 2023.

Although Van Der Beek and Spielberg never collaborated on a project, the late actor's character in Dawson's Creek was a fan of Spielberg's work, with posters of films like ET and Schindler's List featured in his bedroom.

At a Dawson's Creek cast reunion event last year, Spielberg paid tribute to Van Der Beek by sending a video message.

In the message, Spielberg said, "Dawson, you made it," and jokingly added that he hoped to one day have a room like Dawson's, filled with memorabilia from his films.

Van Der Beek passed away on Wednesday after a battle with bowel cancer.

He had been dealing with the diagnosis since August 2023 and publicly disclosed his condition in November 2024.

The GoFundMe campaign was launched to help the family with medical expenses, which had depleted their funds.

The statement from the organizers concluded by saying that the family is currently taking time to grieve and be together, and thanked everyone for their compassionate and generous support in honoring James Van Der Beek's life.