RTCG has revealed why the broadcaster has decided to withdraw from competing in the Eurovision Song Contest.
RTCG is set to use the 130,000 Euro funding that would have been required to participate in the contest, on investing in the broadcasters fleet of cars. The broadcaster said in a statement that:
The Eurovision Song Contest participation costs around € 130,000 each year. Our representatives have mostly achieved modest results, hardly qualifying to the Grand Final.
So this year we have decided to invest that money in the RTCG fleet renewal. The plan is to buy five new cars, which will significantly improve the safety of our crews, who exceed over 1,000 kilometers every day.
D Mol represented Montenegro in Tel Aviv this year with the song “Heaven”. They finished 16th in the first semi-final with 46 points. Montenegro held the longest non-qualification run at the contest, having last made the final in 2015.
Source: RTCG
Montenegro debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent country in 2007, and participated until 2010 when they withdrew for financial reasons. They returned to the contest in 2012, and since then have always chosen their entry internally. Montenegro failed to qualify for the grand final until 2014, when Sergej Ćetković and his song “Moj svijet” placed 19th in the final. Their best result came a year later, when Knez performed “Adio” in Vienna. They have never reached the top 10, with Knez reaching 13th out of 27 countries.
