‘Dancing With the Stars’ leaving Disney+ for next season
“Dancing with the Stars” is waltzing back home to ABC.
After living on Disney+ as an exclusive for the past year, “DWTS” is returning live on ABC for its upcoming 32nd season, Vulture reported on Tuesday.
The return to its prized slot on the network comes just a year after it became the first live series hosted on Disney+.
At the time, the move was justified by Disney’s desperation to expand their “demographic reach” as well as an upcoming Monday Night Football schedule that would trump the tenured dance competition.
“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,” Kareem Daniel, the former chairman of now-defunct Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division, said at the time.
The transition followed a major shakeup in the last few years, which included the exit of executive producer Andrew Llinares who oversaw the replacement of co-host Tom Bergeron with Tyra Banks for Season 29.
Now, “DWTS” veteran Julianne Hough will replace the notorious supermodel as co-host alongside Alfonso Ribeiro for the upcoming season, which is slated to air this fall.
The competition’s return to its coveted slot on ABC has not been officially announced by the network nor Disney, but Vulture reports that Disney+ subscribers will have the best of both worlds: the episodes will continue to be live-streamed via the platform, in addition to being available next-day on Hulu.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will return as judges in the upcoming season, but without their legendary fourth panelist Len Goodman.
The long-time judge and professional ballroom dancer retired at the end of Season 31 months before his passing in April at the age of 78 after battling bone cancer.
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