Due to the entry fees, Montenegro and North Macedonia will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest next year.
To participate in the tournament, broadcasters must pay a fee, the amount of which varies based on the size of the country.
After Russia’s exclusion from the competition, some countries have been requested to pay extra.
After it invades Ukraine, Russia, a significant financial contributor, was excluded from this year’s competition.
The Montenegrin public service broadcaster RTCG stated, “In addition to the significant costs of registration fees and the cost of staying in Great Britain, we also faced a lack of interest from sponsors, so we decided to direct existing resources to the financing of current and planned national projects.”
The average entry fee for all broadcasters is approximately £5 million, however, the actual amount paid by each participant is not disclosed.
It is also believed that other nations pondered withdrawing as a result of the added expense.
Neither RTCG nor MRT advanced through the semi-finals of this year’s Turin, Italy, competition.
MRT stated in a statement that “the increasing participation cost” and the energy crisis in North Macedonia compelled them to make the choice.
Later this week, Eurovision organizers are anticipated to confirm the whole list of countries that will be attending the 2023 competition in Liverpool.
