UPDATED: After spending just one season as a Disney+ original series, “Dancing with the Stars” is returning to ABC for Season 32, becoming the first series to simulcast across both ABC and Disney+.
Although the show will continue to stream live to Disney+ subscribers who transitioned last season while also airing live on ABC, there’s no indication of how advertising will be incorporated into the dual broadcast as only the lower-tier Disney+ subscription includes limited ads. A higher-tier subscription is commercial-free. Meanwhile, with its return to broadcast television, Hulu will also be able to make each week’s episode available the next day as it did during much of the show’s original broadcast history. Per Disney, the changes allow the beloved show to reach audiences across multiple Disney platforms in their respective time zones.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 3, ABC confirmed the show’s return to the network and confirmed the show will continue streaming on Disney+.
“Welcoming ‘Dancing with the Stars’ back to ABC offers us the unique opportunity to capitalize on the breadth of Disney Entertainment and reach audiences across all our platforms,” said Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group. “Wherever viewers want to watch, we have a home for them to tune in and root for their favorite couple in the ballroom.”
“Season 31 gave us the opportunity to introduce ‘Dancing with the Stars’ to a new generation of fans on Disney+, and we are excited to build on that with our partners at ABC and Hulu,” said Alisa Bowen, president, Disney+. “We’re looking forward to giving our viewers a front-row seat to the dance floor on another great season of the first-ever live series on Disney+.”
“It’s a privilege for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ to become the first live series simulcast on ABC and Disney+,” said Valerie Bruce, general manager, BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions, which produces the competition series for ABC. “This demonstrates the belief that ABC and Disney have always shown in our iconic format and how it’s become a pop-culture powerhouse with millions of fans. We’re thrilled to embark on this new phase in our partnership which has been going strong for nearly two decades.”
Season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars” sees the return of Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough as judges. Alfonso Ribeiro is stepping up to hosting duties, replacing Tyra Banks. Meanwhile, Julianne Hough will take over as the show’s co-host which includes interviewing the celebrities and their dance partners before and after their televised performances.
Former judge Len Goodman retired at the end of Season 31 and sadly passed away last week. He was 78 years old.
While no official reason has been given as to why Disney decided to return “Dancing with the Stars” to ABC, the likely scenarios would be the network being able to lock in programming for its 2023-2024 schedule that would otherwise be in doubt due to a potential long-term writers’ strike, which is now in effect by the Writers Guild. Secondly, it reverses a decision made by former Disney management who made streaming the top priority for the company despite any potential financial hardship that would directly impact the broadcast network.
In April 2022, it was announced that “Dancing with the Stars” had received a two-year renewal for Seasons 31 and 32, with the caveat being the show would transition to Disney+, making it the first live series to air on the streaming service and the first live-streaming reality show to air in the U.S. and Canada.
It was also reported that ABC affiliates were blindsided and were upset by the decision. A statement released by ABC to affiliates at the time stated, “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.” To help offset the shift in programming, ABC began airing additional “Monday Night Football” games, simulcasting the ESPN broadcast, directly competing against “Dancing with the Stars” airings on Disney+.
During the 2022-2023 broadcast season, ABC aired a combination of shows, including “Monday Night Football,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “The Great Christmas Light Fight” and “The Bachelor.” “American Idol” has also aired on select Mondays, and beginning Monday, May 8, “Jeopardy! Masters” takes over the slot for the remainder of the traditional broadcast season (September-May).
Viewing figures for “Dancing with the Stars” on Disney+ were never released by the service. However, according to data released by third-party tracking firms, the show continued to perform high in social media engagement.
Vulture first reported the “Dancing with the Stars” news.
