Dancing With The Stars Is Leaving ABC
It's the end of an era at ABC. Beginning in 2022, ABC reportedly plans to air an additional "Monday Night Football" game in place of "Dancing with the Stars," with an eventual expansion to three games expected to come in 2023. After 16 years, the network's reality TV juggernaut will be moving to Disney+ in a reported two-year pickup that will begin with Season 31. The shocking relocation was first reported by Deadline on Friday, April 8.
"After over 30 seasons of the program on ABC, including two spin-offs, 'Dancing with the Stars' will move off of ABC this fall in order for the Network to showcase several 'Monday Night Football' games as well as develop and invest in new and future programming," ABC explained in a statement to affiliate stations on Friday morning. The outlet went on to explain what this means for the future of "Dancing with the Stars."
Dancing with the Stars will be moving to Disney+
Deadline reports that "Dancing with the Stars" will be moving to Disney+ as the streaming service's first live show and the country's first reality show to be streamed live. Disney+ execs hope the relocation will help boost their already massive subscriber count and expand their audience, they said in a statement Friday.
"'Dancing with the Stars' has entertained fans for 16 years on ABC, and we are excited to bring this beloved show exclusively to Disney+ as the platform's first-ever live series," explained Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. "The show's broad appeal, as well as the overwhelming popularity of its Disney-themed competition nights, make Disney+ the perfect home for 'Dancing with the Stars' while continuing to expand our demographic reach."
As pointed out by Deadline, Disney+ has had a difficult time rolling out programs not related to Marvel or Lucasfilm properties. The jump by "Dancing with the Stars" not only helps bring more diversity to the streaming service's programming but also serves as a stark contrast to ABC's typical strategy, which is to stream shows on Hulu. Dana Walden, Chairman of Entertainment at Walt Disney Television, called the relocation "a great opportunity to introduce this show to a whole new generation of fans on Disney+."