[gottago]

I would assume that contractually the BBC and EBU came up with some sort of deal or financial incentive towards the hosting of Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool if the BBC agreed to participate in JESC in the contests surrounding the event.

I think it was just a case of seeing if they could make a success out of a spin-off of another successful show. Plus it gave the Liverpool production team an additional opportunity to see how another host country put it all together. They committed to participation not being a one-off so that's why they came back in 2023 but ultimately the timeslot was always going to work against it I think. Perhaps it could have worked if it was on in primetime with a bit more of a promo, it is a pretty well made and enjoyable show these days.