Latvian national broadcaster, LTV has confirmed to esctoday.com that they have informed the EBU that they intend to withdraw from the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. The reason is simply financial and the broadcaster is currently battling to save its full range of television and radio channels.
At this stage, there is no confirmation from the EBU that Latvia will not take its place in the competition. There are ongoing negotiations in a bid to find a solution that will keep the country at the Eurovision Song Contest.
At this stage, there is no information about what kind of offer or deal could be made in order to keep Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest. Should the EBU decide to offer any financial negotiations, possibilities may include a late payment plan where LTV pay the participation costs at a later date, a loan by the EBU, finding additional funding from government or a sponsor or whether the EBU would reduce Latvia's fee for entering the competition. None of these potential solutions have been confirmed by either side.
It should also be pointed out that the EBU would not be in a position to offer any of these terms to a large number of countries, so should the economic situation cause other countries to question their ability to participate at the Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU would be unable to provide financial assistance.
The EBU have issued no further comment since telling esctoday.com last night that "We do not publish the participation costs. It is at the discretion of each participating EBU Member to decide if they would like to reveal such details, or not."
Stay with esctoday.com for all the latest information and developments in this concerning story.
