The controversial 2024 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was watched by record numbers, the European Broadcasting Union said on Thursday. An estimated 163 million people watched the three live shows in the southern Swedish city of Malmö – including two semi-finals and the grand final – across 37 broadcasters. The figures represented a rise of 1 million since the 2023 edition in Liverpool and 2 million more than the 2022 contest in Turin. The world’s biggest music competition faced strong headwinds this year as Israel participated in the contest against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. The…