Two countries pull out of next year's Eurovision
As the world sets its sights on Liverpool for our favourite song competition, two talented countries have pulled out.
The news comes following the announcement that Russia will not be allowed to compete next year, amid the ongoing war with Ukraine.
It's thought that countries are dropping out of the competition because of the fees associated with entering.
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Broadcasters pay a fee to compete, and the amount varies depending on the size of the country apply.
Typically, Russia pays the most, but as the country will not be competing this year, others have been asked to fork out extra, with the total cost of entering for each country adding up to £5 million.
With that, Montenegro and North Macedonia have now announced they will not be competing in Eurovision 2023.
Montenegro's public broadcasting service RTCG issued a statement about its withdrawal: "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."
While MRT, Macedonia's broadcasting service, cited 'the increased registration fee for the participation,' and the cost of living crisis as reasons for it bowing out of the competition.
It's disappointing news for many who were hoping to see the countries compete in Liverpool next May.
Earlier this month it was confirmed that the contest would be held in the north of England, as Liverpool hosts the contest on behalf of Ukraine.
Sharing the news on Twitter, the long-running song competition wrote: "Liverpool will host #Eurovision 2023 on behalf of Ukraine… and it’s gonna be proper boss."
Twenty British cities applied to be picked for the contest, and that number was whittled down to seven back in August - Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester, and Sheffield.
Graham Norton announced the news on Liverpool's success in a special segment on BBC's The One Show earlier this month.
It's set to be a landmark moment for the UK, which has not held the contest since 1998 when the event was hosted in Birmingham.
Sam Ryder, who ranked second in the contest in 2022, which led to the honour being passed onto the UK, said that it was a bittersweet moment that the winners, Ukraine, couldn't host themselves.
"It's Ukraine's party, we're just inviting them to throw it at our house.
"I know how much it meant to Kalush and the Ukrainian delegation that it would be held at home in Ukraine next year.
"I'm not the only one whose heart is heavy knowing that that can't be the case at this moment in time," the singer said.
Shola Lee