Swapping from ABC to Disney+ as the home of Dancing with the Stars, the formula was changed to fit in the new format. As a long-running network reality series, some shifts had to be made to fit on the streamer. Specifically, the time and amount of content audiences are served had to be adjusted (via Variety).
Network TV eats up the time of a show with commercials. For a two-hour slot, with 43 minutes between each hour, or a total of 86 minutes of drama and dancing, there is plenty of time for advertisements that take up the remaining space. Now that Dancing with the Stars streaming on Disney+, the producers had to find a way to fill the time without any commercials. Due to the 16 contestants upping the normal bar of dancers, there are plenty of people to focus on to fill time during the first episodes of the series.
“What we’re going to do is use what would have been traditional ad breaks as a way to create more programming and to further engage our audience,” Michael Paull of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. “So it’s a pretty exciting task for the team, because it’s a very different format than what it had been historically.”
Disney+ changed Dancing with the Stars after going away from ABC
A major hurdle was how to reset the stage. Back when it was on ABC, ad breaks gave people breathing room and time to set up for the next act. Disney+ not having ads takes that away from the crew of Dancing with the Stars. So, it became a challenge for host Alfonso Ribeiro to take up time while the crew prepare for the next pair of dancers. The host will be in the skybox, which was not seen for the last few seasons, but bringing it back will assist the new format.
“We definitely needed to bring back an area of the set so that we can clear the stage and actually move stuff around,” executive producer Conrad Green said. “So we brought back the skybox, and that meant bringing in a co-host as well.”
This season of Dancing with the Stars on Disney+ has a load of celebrity guests. Reality TV stars, musicians, and more make up the roster of guests. They can take up plenty of room for the first few episodes, but as they wither away from being eliminated, the flow will need to be adjusted to fit the whole two hours. Bringing back the dance troupe, judge Len Goodman may have master classes, and time in the skybox will help the series settle in its new home.
