‘Concert For Ukraine’ benefit show to air on ITV this month

ITV will host a two-hour benefit show this month to raise money for those affected by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Concert For Ukraine is due to air on Tuesday, March 29 in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee‘s (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Additionally, all sponsorship and advertising revenue generated from the broadcast of the event – which is expected to raise over £3million – will be donated by ITV to the DEC fund.

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Per a press release, the concert will “bring together names from the world of music for a unique event spreading a message of hope and support” with those caught up in the conflict.

A line-up of participating artists and presenters is expected to be revealed in the coming days. Fans can tune into Concert For Ukraine on ITV and STV, or stream online via ITV Hub and STV Player.

Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV, said: “Music is a very powerful tool when it comes to showing support and solidarity, and at ITV we are proud and privileged to be working with Livewire Pictures, Global, M&S and the DEC on such an important and necessary fundraising event.”

Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, added: “It is heart-breaking to see the deepening crisis unfolding in Ukraine as more refugees cross the borders each day with nothing more than what they can carry. The situation for those inside the country is becoming increasingly precarious.

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“But there is something we can all do to bring hope. Funds raised by this concert will make a real difference to those affected by the conflict, sending a strong message of love and enabling DEC charities to help now with urgent aid as well as helping to rebuild lives in the months and years ahead.”

Speaking to NME from London late last month, Ukrainian electro-pop duo Bloom Twins described the current situation in their home country as “terrifying”.

“It has really affected us,” singer Anna Kuprienko said. “We were only there two months ago. We were hopeful that this situation with Russia wouldn’t go where it has and that it would resolve.”

The likes of Arcade Fire, Patti Smith and Franz Ferdinand have performed at Ukraine fundraiser shows recently, while London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire has announced that it’ll host ‘A Night For Ukraine’ next week.

Elsewhere, The Cure launched a new charity band t-shirt as Massive Attack confirmed plans to sell off special artwork to help victims of the Ukraine invasion.

You can donate here to the Red Cross to help those impacted by the conflict, or via a number of other ways through Choose Love.