North Macedonia and Montenegro pull out of Eurovision 2023 over ‘cost of staying in UK’
Some nations have decided that the cost of participating in the music competition is too expensive
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.North Macedonia and Montenegro will not compete in 2023’s Eurovision Song Contest.
According to a statement released by the broadcasters of both countries, the cost of participating in the multi-national music competition has been a key factor in causing them to drop out.
These countries join Russia on the list of non-participating nations so far. Russia was banned from competiting in the 2022 competition due to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, with the ban remaining in place for next year.
Each broadcaster of the contest pays a fee to have their country take part, which varies based on the size of the country.
As stated in a BBC report, some countries have been asked to pay more due to the absence of Russia, previously a large financial contributor.
Although the amount paid by each individual broadcaster isn’t public information, the total cost for all broadcasters involved to enter normally adds up to around £5m.
In a statement, Montenegro's public service broadcaster RTCG cited plans to use the money they would have spent on Eurovision for their national projects.
RTCG said: “In addition to the significant costs of registration fees, as well as 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.”
Since Liverpool was announced as the host city of Eurovision earlier this month, prices for hotel and Airbnb rooms have soared to as high as £5,500 per night.
Macedonian broadcaster MRT also cited “the increased registration fee for the participation” as a reason for their withdrawal, as well as the energy crisis in North Macedonia.
In the 2022 competition, neither Montenegro nor North Macedonia advanced past the semi-final stages.
Eurovision will take place in Liverpool, on behalf of the 2022 winning nation, Ukraine, in May 2023.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments