After 30 seasons on ABC, “Dancing with the Stars” is moving to Disney+.
Driving the news: Disney+ announced Friday that its iconic reality competition show “Dancing with the Stars” will have a new home on the streaming service.
- The series received a two-season pickup for Disney+.
Why it matters: This is the first live series to debut on Disney+, signaling a potential shift for how content will work on the platform. Disney+ has often relied on series and movies for its content.
- A live series is new territory — something that has been more common on its sister platform, Hulu, which has a live television feature for some subscribers.
What they said: “‘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+.
- “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 bigger picture: Disney+ is searching for new content as it looks to grow. There have been a lot of discussions behind the scenes on the direction of Disney+ — specifically whether or not to keep it family-friendly.
- Disney+ has tested the waters of changing its content by adding a slew of TV-MA Marvel television series that used to be on Netflix.
- Due to the mature ratings, Disney+ updated its parental controls for families.
- “Moon Knight” directors told me that they held production meetings about how to make the show darker and received approval from Disney+ for its violent content.