The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is a consortium of media organizations that facilitates cooperation, content sharing, and technical coordination among its members.  Established in 1950, when broadcasters from Western Europe convened in the English seaside resort of Torquay, EBU operates as a professional network enabling public broadcasters to co-produce content, develop technical standards, pool resources internationally, and champion public service broadcasting values. The organization represents more than one hundred public service media organizations worldwide, including well-known broadcasters such as the BBC (United Kingdom), ARD and ZDF (Germany), France Télévision (France), RAI (Italy), and SVT (Sweden). The Union is best known to the general public as the organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest, the annual music competition that has become a cultural phenomenon across Europe.