Eurovision 2023: two countries refused to participate due to the exclusion of Russia
Montenegro and North Macedonia will not participate in the song contest next year due to the increase in the cost of the participation fee for participants, which is connected with the exclusion of Russia from Eurovision. This is reported by the BBC.
The national broadcasters of Montenegro and North Macedonia have announced that they are refusing to participate in Eurovision 2023. Such a decision is associated with an increase in the size of the contribution for participation. It is noted that broadcasters pay a fee for participation in the contest, the amount of which depends on the size of the country.
Next year, the broadcasters of some countries are asked to pay more, which is connected with the ban on participation in the Russian competition. Russia was a major financial contributor, paying the largest contributions. The country was excluded from this year’s competition due to the invasion of Ukraine.
“In addition to the significant costs of registration fees, as well as the cost of staying in the UK, we also faced a lack of interest from sponsors, so we decided to direct the available resources to finance current and planned national projects,” explained Montenegro’s public broadcaster RTCG.
The total amount of contributions to participate in the competition will be approximately £5 million. The exact amount each participant will pay will not be disclosed. It is assumed that several more countries may refuse for the same reason.
North Macedonia’s broadcaster MRT said in a statement that “an increase in the registration fee for participation” as well as the energy crisis in North Macedonia forced them to decide to withdraw.
The European Broadcasting Union stated that they “try to make the costs of participation as affordable as possible”, and the fees “are calculated based on the number of competing countries” and taking into account the “relative size and financial status of the member country”.
Eurovision 2023 will be held in Liverpool. The show will be held under the banner of Ukraine, because due to Russia’s war against Ukraine, holding the competition on the territory of the Eurovision 2022 winner is impossible for security reasons.
Ukraine will choose its representative for Eurovision 2023 in Kyiv in December. The winner will be announced during the broadcast of the final live on Suspilny TV channels and on Suspilny digital platforms
Ukrainian musician Dmytro Shurov (Pianoboy) became the music producer of the national selection this year. The composition and jury of the final of the national selection and the national jury for the Eurovision international competition will be determined by Ukrainians through online voting.
