Montenegro and North Macedonia will not compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest because of how much it will cost them to enter. Broadcasters pay a fee to take part in the competition but the amount differs depending on the size of the country. BBC News understands some countries have been asked to pay more after Russia was banned from the contest. Russia, a large financial contributor, was expelled from this year’s competition after it invaded Ukraine. “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,” Montenegro’s public service broadcaster RTCG said.(BBC)…[+]