Eurovision 2017

2005 was the first 16:9 SD contest.
2006 was 16:9 SD to audiences at home, but AIUI was produced in HD as a trial (but not broadcast as such)
2007 was the first 16:9 HD contest to be broadcast to audiences at home (and was carried on BBC HD, SVT HD etc.)

(1968 was the first colour contest, which the BBC broadcast from the Albert Hall. Ironically BBC One was still 405 B&W only so audiences in the UK only saw the contest in colour when watching the repeat on BBC Two...)

Yes - though only for some of them. There were still a number coming in via satellite I believe. I believe they used a mix to allow for more spokespeople to be lined-up simultaneously, and to avoid the issues they had last year with some countries.

How "controlled" is the Internet in Ukraine? Will this cause issues for Western media to update their news outlets?

Not that 625 UHF take-up leave alone Colour take-up was particularly high at that point.

The BBC were very keen to win 1967 for that reason, they wanted to do the first colour contest.

I'm just hoping we don't get a repeat of 1991. Eurovision's Mick Fleetwood/Sam Fox moment.

There shouldn't be any issues here. Freedom House, which is a US-Government owned internet democracy group, ranks it as a 'FREE' country. Internet use is very high, particularly after the previous revolution when a lot of people relied on the web for impartial coverage. Broadband speed is also allegedly pretty good too.

The biggest issue for the event is going to be adequate funding. Remember, NTU actually pulled out in 2015 because of lack of money. The situation on the ground in Ukraine hasn't really changed since then. The return this year was more of a symbolic gesture. The EBU is almost definitely gong to have to offer some assistance, and that won't sit well with Russia.

Which means if they're not careful, we'll be without both Ukraine and Russia next year.

What would happen if the Ukraine can't host? Would it go to whoever Australia nominated, since they were the runner up?

I think it would be whoever NTU decided or nominated , if the EBU agreed & obviously the respective host broadcaster.

It used to be offered to whoever came second, but I'm not sure that's the case now.

Even so , as mentioned before , SVT will effectively produce the whole thing

You're confusing two things there.

A number of Eastern countries in the 00s drafted in the help and expertise of SVT because they weren't advanced or developed enough to do it themselves. Even Russia bought in Ola Menzig's team, and Azerbaijan bought in 2011's German production team.

There's an article in Ukranian on the BBC website (http://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/entertainment/2016/05/160516_eurovision_steckiv_vc) that suggests it'll be a cheap production like 2013.

What happened often in the 60s and 70s is if a country won twice on the trot or couldn't afford to host after winning it, someone else would take it on. The BBC has hosted on behalf of France, Luxembourg and Monaco. NOS hosted on behalf of Israel in 1980. If that happened, it would go to a country that already had the capability to produce the show.