Eurovision 2023 Prices Out Countries

Several countries are priced out of competing in Eurovision 2023 due to increasing entry fees. While the anticipation for the upcoming competition has been building after the recent announcement that the UK would be hosting the event in Liverpool in order to support winners Ukraine, it seems there is another, less positive side to next year’s song contest.

Being priced out – countries withdrawing

North Macedonia and Montenegro were the first to withdraw from the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, with Russia’s expulsion from the competition being cited as the main cause of the issues. Because Russia has been banned following the invasion of Ukraine, the cost to enter the contest has risen for the remaining countries who participate. The fee is paid by each country’s respective broadcaster who will air the event, and is according to the EBU priced individually for each nation relative to their size and financial status. Montenegro released a statement via their public broadcaster RTCG that 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.”

By the middle of October, Bulgaria also announced that they would not be competing in Eurovision 2023 due to the cost. Additionally, there are worries in the UK about the cost of hosting the event, with latest estimates from the BBC ranging from £8m to £17m – significantly more than its annual participation fee.

The sentiment of the nation while encountering political discourse and a cost-of-living crisis is less than enthusiastic about the upcoming event. Local hotels have also been publicly outed for price-hiking to outrageous amounts reaching thousands of pounds since the announcement. The BBC has been heavily criticised in general for taking on the broadcast in the UK of Eurovision 2023:

“At a time when the corporation is closing channels, cutting jobs and committing to saving money, it could have said no.” – Daniel Rosney, BBC Entertainment Reporter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijk0m0QZcWE

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023

The 67th Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine, will be held at Liverpool Arena on 9, 11 and 13 May 2023.

Of the 37 nations taking part, 31 will compete in two Semi-Finals with 10 successful acts from each Semi-Final joining 4 of the Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy and Spain), hosts the United Kingdom and Ukraine in the Grand Final. The participating countries and respective broadcasters at the time of writing have been announced as:

🇦🇱 Albania – RTSH

🇦🇺 Australia – SBS (*EBU Associate)

🇦🇲 Armenia – AMPTV

🇦🇹 Austria – ORF

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan – İctimai

🇧🇪 Belgium – VRT

🇭🇷 Croatia – HRT

🇨🇾 Cyprus – CyBC

🇨🇿 Czech Republic ČT

🇩🇰 Denmark – DR

🇪🇪 Estonia – ERR

🇫🇮 Finland – YLE

🇫🇷 France – FT

🇬🇪 Georgia – GPB

🇩🇪 Germany – ARD/NDR

🇬🇷 Greece – ERT

🇮🇸 Iceland – RÚV

🇮🇪 Ireland – RTÉ

🇮🇱 Israel – IPBC/Kan

🇮🇹 Italy – RAI

🇱🇻 Latvia – LTV

🇱🇹 Lithuania – LRT

🇲🇹 Malta – PBS

🇲🇩 Moldova – TRM

🇳🇱 Netherlands – AVROTROS

🇳🇴 Norway – NRK

🇵🇱 Poland – TVP

🇵🇹 Portugal – RTP

🇷🇴 Romania – TVR

🇸🇲 San Marino – SMRTV

🇷🇸 Serbia – RTS

🇸🇮 Slovenia – RTVSLO

🇪🇸 Spain – TVE

🇸🇪 Sweden – SVT

🇨🇭 Switzerland – SRG / SSR

🇺🇦 Ukraine – UA:PBC

🇬🇧 United Kingdom – BBC (Host Broadcaster)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAGP2yOtyxY

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