| OTI Festival | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | OTI Song Contest La OTI |
| Spanish | Festival OTI de la Canción / Gran Premio de la Canción Iberoamericana |
| Portuguese | Festival OTI da Canção / Grande Prêmio da Canção Ibero-Americana |
| Genre | Song contest |
| Based on | Eurovision Song Contest |
| Developed by | Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana |
| Country of origin | List of countries |
| Original languages | Spanish and Portuguese |
| No. of episodes | 28 contests |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Hosted by previous winner from 1972 to 1981 (List of host cities) |
| Production company | Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana |
| Original release | |
| Release | 25 November 1972 – 20 May 2000 |
| Related | |
| Festival Mundial de la Canción Latina (1969–1970) | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
OTI Festival (Spanish: Festival OTI de la Canción / Gran Premio de la Canción Iberoamericana, Portuguese: Festival OTI da Canção / Grande Prêmio da Canção Ibero-Americana), often known simply as La OTI, was an international song competition, organised annually between 1972 and 2000 by the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI), featuring participants representing primarily Ibero-American countries. Each participating OTI member broadcaster submitted an original song primarily in Spanish or Portuguese to be performed on live television and transmitted to all OTI broadcasters via satellite.[1] It was preceded by the Festival Mundial de la Canción Latina, held in 1969 and 1970 in Mexico.
The festival was an Ibero-American spin-off of the Eurovision Song Contest. The first edition was held at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos auditorium in Madrid on 25 November 1972 and the last one was held on 20 May 2000 in Acapulco. Since then, it has been cancelled due to the questioning of the voting system of the latter contests, the lack of sponsors, the low quality of the entrants and the withdrawal of some of the most iconic countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Spain. Twenty-seven countries have participated at least once in the festival, with Chile, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela participating in all twenty-eight editions.
The main goal of the festival was to generate a process of cultural and artistic fellowship between the Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries. Although it was not as successful as the Eurovision Song Contest, it is its longest running and most successful spin-off to date, leaving a great mark in Latin America by giving many famous artists and hit songs.
- ^ "Festival de la OTI" (in Spanish). El Diario de Coahuila. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011.