BBC to finance Eurovision Song Contest in Britain – Tkachenko

Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, has announced that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Great Britain on behalf of Ukraine, will be financed by BBC.

"BBC will finance it. This is an important aspect because holding the Eurovision Song Contest in peaceful conditions costs a lot of money. And in conditions of war, I think it is more logical to spend these funds on weapons for the Ukrainian army," the minister said during the nationwide telethon.

Tkachenko said that the joint creative group would discuss the concept of the final and the visual presence of Ukraine in all aspects of the final.

According to the minister, there is a preliminary agreement that there will be an equal number of Eurovision presenters from both countries.

In addition, he noted that the Ukrainian side insisted on holding the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine after the victory over the invaders.

"We raised a question before the European Broadcasting Union that the next contest after the victory must be held in Ukraine," Tkachenko said, adding that consultations on this matter will continue.

"But I think that we, together with many countries that are part of the European Broadcasting Union, including Britain, will achieve the revision of the established rules of the EBU," he emphasized.

As reported, the final decision to hold Eurovision 2023 in Great Britain on behalf of Ukraine, announced today, was made after several rounds of consultations between the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and the EBU.

Holding the contest in Ukraine is impossible due to the EBU technical and financial requirements, the Ministry explained.

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