‘Dancing With the Stars’ Fans Angered By Season 31 Move to Disney+ Say It’s ‘All About the Money’
For the first time in 16 years, Dancing With the Stars didn’t premiere on ABC this fall. Instead, the celebrity-studded dancing competition switched to airing exclusively on Disney+. Disney, the parent company of ABC and the streaming service — along with other platforms including ESPN and Hulu — aims to make way for network programming that appeals to a broader audience, particularly since DWTS’ ratings have fallen in recent seasons.
A more optimistic outlook is that Disney hopes to boost its streaming numbers and add older demographics, which have been loyal to DWTS. But many fans are saying they’re not planning to make the move to watching on a streaming platform, and are angered with the switch.
‘DWTS’ moved from ABC to Disney+ this season
DWTS is in its 31st season, but this is the first one that isn’t airing on ABC. The show has crowned winners including Shawn Johnson, Hines Ward, Bindi Irwin, Kaitlyn Bristowe, and now-host Alfonso Ribeiro. This is the first time Disney+ has hosted a live event, per Deadline, and is also the first live reality TV series to be hosted on a streaming service.
This season features 16 contestants, including Wayne Brady, TikTok influencer Charli D’Amelio, Teresa Guidice, Jordin Sparks, and Gabby Windey. The roundup also includes actor Selma Blair, who is competing despite a multiple sclerosis diagnosis. While Disney executives are hoping the switch to a streaming service breathes new life into the competition, many longtime fans aren’t happy about the switch.
Many fans say they ‘will not be paying to watch’ via streaming
In the leadup to the new season and now multiple weeks into it, many fans have come out against the switch to a paid platform. “Too bad that you have lost the majority or [sic] your viewers since you decided to leave network TV. Most, including myself will NOT be paying to watch this show,” one follower wrote in the comments of People’s Facebook page, where the publication had posted an article about Blair and Ribeiro.
“Don’t understand the switch but I’m watching. But I hate that they’re excluding many fans by not offering it on both. Just show it the next day on Disney. I don’t think they thought about how old the majority of their audience is,” another fan wrote on the page. A fellow commenter replied, “They obviously don’t care! It’s all about the money!”
Disney+ includes access to Disney classics, along with franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic that it has acquired over the years. The base plan is $7.99/month, with bundles to add ESPN+ and various Hulu options for additional charges.
On DWTS’ own Facebook page, fans have continued to air their grievances about the switch in the weeks since the show premiered on September 19. One commenter mentioned that NBC has begun to do a similar thing by moving some shows to its streaming service, Peacock, but another viewer pointed out that many of the Peacock offerings are still free. “At least they don’t charge you for peacock. This is an outrage moving a show to a network to make you pay for another Channel. They need to bring Dancing with the Stars back to where it belongs,” they wrote.
Disney hopes its first live streaming show will draw older fans to the platform, and younger fans to the show
Though taking the show to a streaming platform does have some other advantages, there are certainly some financial incentives from Disney to do so. DWTS has dropped in viewership ratings over the past few seasons, particularly in the coveted 18 to 49 age group. As Tech Crunch summarized, that age group made up the smallest viewership for Season 29 of the show. Instead, the median age of DWTS viewership is 63.5 years old.
Disney has stated its goal with moving the show is to free up network programming with new opportunities, while also drawing older fans to its streaming service. Only 9% of the subscriber base to Disney+ was 55 or older, Tech Crunch added. “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, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, told Deadline.
This fall, ABC will also exclusively air a Monday Night Football game, with plans to air even more in 2023. The Bachelorette has also had some successful fall installments in past years. The network also said it looks forward to exploring “new and future programming” now that DWTS is on its streaming platform.
DWTS streams on Disney+ Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern.
