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Axed: Dancing with the Stars

Seven confirms long-running entertainment show is officially off its dance card.

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Seven has officially confirmed the end of its long association with Dancing with the Stars.

A Seven spokesperson has told the Daily Telegraph, “We’ve had a great deal of enjoyment and fun during the incredible 12 years of tulle and twirling Dancing has given us all. The audience numbers from the last season were disappointing though, and the show will not return in 2017.”

During its 12 years the show was a mega-hit for Seven -first with Daryl Somers and later with Daniel MacPherson. At its height it was pulling over 2 million viewers, a plethora of media coverage and even celebrity romances. But the 2015 season with Shane Bourne struggled to keep longterm fans of the show tuning in and the show is expensive to produce.

While it didn’t appear this year, Seven had kept its dance card open on the format. But with Seven’s Upfronts due on Wednesday, the confirmation will avoid likely questions.

It may also be a hint that another network has moved towards the show given’s Seven’s rights would presumably lapse after 12 months off air. Nine previously pounced on Australia’s Got Talent as soon as rights had expired. Could another network be circling the show for their own stable of stars…?

A year ago a Seven spokesperson said, “Another series of Dancing With The Stars was never in doubt — of course it is back next year.”

30 Responses

  1. I will miss the camaraderie between Todd and Helen. They always stirred each other and it was funny when she put him back in his place. They had a good relationship.

    1. The only reason it’s more superior is because the US has better celebrities, even their CDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUZWXYZ-list celebrities are better then ours.

  2. I remember hearing somewhere it depends of whether they find enough celebrities to compete. If they find enough celebrities then they will go ahead with it. Hopefully 9 or 10 will pick it up, it will be nice to see some personalities from other networks competing.

  3. This deserved another chance. When it started on Seven in 2004, it had basically no other big hits. Blue Heelers and All Saints were in decline and this, Border Security and Forensic Investigators were pretty much the only new hits they got after airing the Athens Olympics. Fast forward to 2016 and they have got no new hits off the back of an Olympic Games broadcast. For the best part of 5-6 years, Dancing was a pivotal part of their line up, at times churning out two seasons every year and obliterating everything in its path on Tuesday nights. This is shabby treatment for a format that still had more life left in it.

  4. Its a shame, I remember when this started in 2004, it had a real quality about it and that there was nothing else like it on TV made it must watch.

    Shane Bourne was an absolute disaster as host, you just knew early that it wasn’t going to be around much more after last year

      1. Couldn’t use the name SCD in Aus since the ABC had Strictly Dancing at the same time, so had to come up with another title. The rest of the world then went with the other title also.

  5. Dare I suggest Australia has run out of “stars”? Referring to the 2015 series, I could see why a Sydney Swans footballer could loosely be called a star, but his wife on the same show? I’m sure she’s nice lady, but can a wedding planner be called a star? No, DWTS was best retired before it descended into irrelevance.

  6. I used to watch a few episodes of DWTS with Daryl Somers back then but in late 2007, he left the network. (I wasn’t sure why he left 7). Unfortunately, this show lost the plot.

  7. It would be silly for another network to give Dancing a go. It skews to the ‘older’ demos, and they just aren’t advertiser friendly – (don’t shoot the messenger). The show has a bad smell about it.

  8. Channel 9 would be stupid taking on this show, tried twice with Australia’s Got Talent axing it after each time. Maybe channel 10 but most probably no one, just too expensive to produce.

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