Dancing With The Stars Is Leaving ABC In Surprise Move, But Will Still Make TV History With Season 31
DWTS is making a historic move.
If you were shocked when Dancing With the Stars changed up its hosts two seasons ago, wait until you see what the reality competition show is doing now! After 16 years and 30 seasons on ABC, Dancing With the Stars is leaving the network entirely, and will move exclusively to streaming on Disney+ for at least Seasons 31 and 32.
With the move to streaming, Dancing With the Stars will become the first live series to debut on Disney+. Deadline reports that it is also believed to be the first live streaming reality show produced in the U.S., marking another milestone for non-linear platforms. According to a statement from Kareem Daniel, chairman, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution:
NFL football will be part of ABC's plans to fill the 8-10 p.m. ET time slot that has been occupied by Dancing With the Stars. As part of ESPN’s Monday Night Football contract, beginning in 2022, ABC will exclusively air an additional MNF game, which will expand to three in 2023.
With streaming services like Apple TV+, Peacock, and Amazon's Prime Video getting more into live sports, live entertainment appeared to be one of the last areas left solely to network television. Dancing With the Stars' historic move may open the door for other shows to follow suit, especially since it's signed on for a two-season deal. Valerie Bruce, general manager of BBC Studios, Los Angeles Productions, said the two-season pickup is a vote of confidence from Disney:
The popularity and longevity of the competition show make it a seemingly smart choice to make the live entertainment jump to streaming. Dancing With the Stars has been making bold moves for the past couple of seasons, and this falls in line with its ever-present efforts to expand its audience. After Tyra Banks replaced Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews as hosts in Season 29, the show made history in Season 30 by featuring its first same-sex dancing duo. YouTuber and Dance Moms alum JoJo Siwa was paired with pro dancer Jenna Johnson, and the couple made it all the way to the finale before coming in second place to winners NBA shooting guard Iman Shumpert and pro Daniella Karagach.
There are no details yet on what other changes might be coming to the show as it jumps from ABC to Disney+. Val Chmerkovskiy previously revealed that his days as a pro partner are "probably" over, and there have been questions about if fellow pro Cheryl Burke will return. Season 31 had been expected to premiere in September, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on this shocking announcement, as well as the cast and premiere date when they're announced.
CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.