Dancing with the Stars is a ratings juggernaut every week. It has even broken ratings with scoring. Yet, viewers still can’t watch the older seasons on Hulu or Disney+.
Key Takeaways
- DWTS fans are miffed that they can’t stream past seasons.
- The old episodes are expensive to acquire.
- Disney is not willing to put out the money.
DWTS’ Iconic Older Seasons
The dance competition just celebrated its 20th birthday. But DWTS fans can’t view the older seasons of the long-running series. According to a report via The U.S. Sun, there’s a reason why the show is not streaming its iconic older seasons on Hulu or Disney+.
Currently, only seasons 31-34 are available to stream on Disney+. Meanwhile, Hulu includes the latest episodes that are airing on ABC. Apparently, almost anything older is expensive to acquire, and Disney doesn’t want to fork out that kind of money.
“The reason Dancing with the Stars seasons aren’t available on streaming is that production cannot afford what it would cost for music licensing,” an insider told The U.S. Sun.
Naturally, clearing the popular songs used for the celebrity/pro dance routines and other performances could cost Disney millions. “So, there are no discussions to change that anytime soon. No active talks and it’s not a priority to the network,” the source concluded.
Additionally, the show would have to pay out residuals to previous cast members, which could also prove costly. ABC knows it can’t make money from its previous seasons. So, it’s not part of the business talks. The show is focused on its current season, which is approaching the semifinals.
Tom Bergeron’s Message For ABC
Original host Tom Bergeron returned to DWTS on Tuesday night. He served as a guest judge for the show’s 20th Birthday Party episode. At the end of the live episode, he issued an urgent message to ABC.
Bergeron asked the network to return to its original format. He used his final moments while critiquing Alix Earle and Robert Irwin’s relay dance. “You guys were great. But in my last comments as a judge, I want to talk directly to the network.”
Bergeron urged ABC to bring back the results show. “Let the whole country vote. Let everybody vote,” he said as the crowd erupted in cheers. As reported by E! News, Bergeron’s request referred to the two-night episode format of DWTS, which saw the performances on one night followed by a results show the next night.
That’s when the couple with the lowest score and votes were eliminated, and it also included more behind-the-scenes content and live guest performances. In the meantime, DWTS is seeking to revamp its scoring system.
