After 30 cycles on ABC, Dancing With the Stars is heading off to Disney Plus and will be the first live programming on the streaming service.
Advertisement
Disney announced on Friday that Dancing With the Stars has been renewed for seasons 31 and 32, albeit on Disney Plus. Variety has confirmed that it will be entirely exclusive to the streaming service and no repeats will air on ABC.
“Dancing with the Stars has entertained fans for 16 years on ABC, and we are excited to bring this beloved show exclusively to Disney Plus as the platform’s first-ever live series,” Kareem Daniel, chairman, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution said in a statement. “The show’s broad appeal, as well as the overwhelming popularity of its Disney-themed competition nights, make Disney Plus the perfect home for Dancing with the Stars while continuing to expand our demographic reach.”
“Dancing With the Stars has been a beloved staple on ABC for 30 seasons and brought so much joy to millions of viewers,” said Dana Walden, Chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television. “As we’re significantly expanding our unscripted slate at ABC, this is a great opportunity to introduce this show to a whole new generation of fans on Disney Plus. We’re so grateful to our incredible partners at BBC Studios and look forward to continuing our relationship with them on this spectacular series, which will continue to be overseen by Rob Mills and the talented Walt Disney Television Alternative team.”
“The fact that our iconic global format Dancing With the Stars will now set the record as the first live series on Disney Plus represents a major growth opportunity and a bold next step forward in the evolution of the franchise,” said Valerie Bruce, general manager of BBC Studios, Los Angeles Productions. “This unprecedented move, combined with our two-season pick-up, is a testament to the proven power of Dancing With the Stars and a resounding vote of confidence from our great, supportive partners at Disney, showing how much they value and believe in the brand.”
This is being seen by many analysts as a bold move and only a hint of what may be to come in the future for networks. With more and more streaming services launching, bringing in content with an established audience makes a lot of sense as the war continues for subscriber numbers.
The question then becomes of what will the networks be left in the future.
