Both live shows were presented by the American television personality Maria Menounos and the Greek singer Sakis Rouvas – who had represented Greece in 2004.

This was Finland's first victory in the contest - and first top five placing - in 45 years of participation, the longest time a country had competed without a win at that point.

[3] When Greece won the 2005 contest, the Head of the Greek Delegation, Fotini Yiannoulatou, said that the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) was ready to host the event in Athens the next year.

[18][19][20][21][22] Serbia and Montenegro withdrew from the contest due to a scandal in the selection process, which caused tensions between the Serbian and Montenegrin broadcasters (RTS and RTCG).

The 2006 sub-logo was presented to the public through a press conference that was held on 1 November 2005, at the King George Hotel in Athens, while it was created by the design company Karamela for ERT and was apparently based on the Phaistos Disc which is a popular symbol of ancient Greece.

[24] In addition to the graphic design, there was a theme music for the contest composed by Nikko Patrelakis, which was used in the intros and in-between commercial breaks, as well as besides the participating entries.

This was done to test high-definition television and to gather "artistic and scientific knowledge" for future contests, but the HD footage was never intended to be used as part of the original broadcast.

[26] On 31 July 2021, the HDTV raw footage of the 2006 contest was broadcast for the first time, as part of the EurovisionAgain series, on the Eurovision YouTube channel.

The broadcaster have announced that the concept will be rich with traditional Greek elements, paying homage to the country's history and culture.

[31] As it was referred, the theme "Feel The Rhythm" was also the basis for the postcards, which emphasized Greece's historical significance as well as being a major modern tourist destination.

To decide what to show in the postcards, ERT hold surveys in all participating countries, asking what people associate Greece with.

After Greece's win, several websites claimed to know that Alexandra Pascalidou would be co-host the 2006 contest, together with the Greek-French journalist and entertainer Nikos Aliagas, but these speculations were untrue.

[34] After a lot of speculations, ERT announced on 7 March 2006 that Greek American television personality Maria Menounos would be the hostess of the contest.

[36][37] The "Welcome to the Party" opening ceremony was hosted by actress Zeta Makrypoulia and actor/screenwriter of the show, Giorgos Kapoutzidis, while Ioanna Papanikolopoulou was moderating the press conferences.

In addition, the hosts Maria Menounos and Sakis Rouvas sang "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves (United Kingdom 1997).

The interval act of the semi-final began with the English cover of the song "S'eho Erotefthi", performed as "I'm In Love With You" by the host Sakis Rouvas.

A folkloric ballet composed by Dimitris Papadimitriou and choreographed by Fokas Evangelinos followed, using traditional Greek music and dances, with the pan flute as a conducting element.

They immediately introduced the previous year's winner, Helena Paparizou, who performed her winning song, "My Number One".

", already a smash hit in Greece, and a contemporary ballet composed by Dimitris Papadimitriou and choreographed by Fokas Evangelinos entitled 4000 Years of Greek Song and which traced the history of the musical culture of the host country.

A spokesperson delivers the results of national televoting during the final night, awarding points to the entries on behalf of his or her country.

The tables below show known data regarding the broadcasts: After the contest, EBU officials stated that the overall ratings for the semi-final were 35% higher than in 2005, and for the Final had risen by 28%.

Other countries that showed a rise in average market shares included Germany with 38% (up from 29%), United Kingdom with 37.5% (up from 36%), Spain with 36% (up from 35%), Ireland with 58% (up from 35%) and Sweden, which reached over 80% compared to 57% the year previously.

ERT's net income from the Eurovision event amounted to €7.28 million, while the cost of the entire event reached €5.5 million, said on Thursday in a press conference the president of ERT, Christos Panagopoulos and the authorized consultant George Chouliaras, who stated: "The allegations about the waste of money of the Greek taxpayer do not apply.

Chouliaras stressed that all the participants in the event were paid at market prices and in particular Zeta Makrypoulia and Giorgos Kapoutzidis received €8–10,000 per month for their four-month employment, Sakis Rouvas €50,000 and Maria Menounos €45,000.

[124] Regarding the future, Giorgos Chouliaras noted that "ERT should have a dynamic participation in the next Eurovision Song Contests and not devalue the institution, since it is a television product watched by 3.5 million Greeks".

The Marcel Bezençon Awards, organised since 2002 by Sweden's then-Head of Delegation and 1992 representative Christer Björkman, and 1984 winner Richard Herrey, honours songs in the contest's final.

The album featured all 37 songs that entered in the 2006 contest, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify into the grand final.