“Dancing With The Stars” made the move from ABC to Disney+ last night and was the first live broadcast of a series on the streaming platform.  Fans from across the US and Canada could enjoy the 2 hour live show, and the format change has allowed for fans in these countries to also vote for the first time, since previously, only those watching on the East Coast and in Central timezones could.

With the shift from ABC to Disney+, there were some differences in the format, since the show didn’t feature commercials, so in order to give the teams the time to change sets and get prepped, there was now a Sky Box, where Alfonso Ribiero would speak with guests.   This format shift, makes it more in line with the British version of the series, which airs on the BBC without commercials.

However, moving to Disney+ didn’t go entirely smoothly.  Many fans of the show have been complaining online that they’ve not been able to watch the show, since they don’t want to pay for Disney+, as they’ve previously enjoyed thirty seasons of the show on ABC on cable.  Other complaints have been that older family members, who don’t have access to Disney+ haven’t been able to watch the new season.  The move has also caused some confusion among existing viewers of the show, who haven’t fully understood that the show has moved to Disney+.

There were also some technical issues with the broadcast, while the majority of people had a smooth experience, some users have reported on social media that they had some blurry and pixilated moments during the livestream.  Some of those technical issues included troubles voting online, especially near the end of the show, or users just having issues logging into their Disney accounts to vote.  And some of these issues can be down to user error and also local internet issues.

“Dancing With The Stars” will no doubt pull in a different demographic of viewer than the traditional Disney+ Original series.  As Disney+ continues to grow, we will see more general entertainment content move from linear channels to Disney+.   Which is one of the main reasons the show has moved from ABC to Disney+ (along with ABC now airing NFL instead), and had it not moved to Disney+, the show could have been cancelled.

Hopefully, as the show continues, these technical issues can be ironed out before the next live episode next Monday.  There has also been lots of praise for the show removing commercials, resulting in more time being spent with the dancers and with the show now airing live.

The premiere episode of “Dancing With The Stars” is available to stream now on Disney+ in the United States and Canada.

Did you suffer from any issues watching “Dancing With The Stars” on Disney+?

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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