The latest season of Dancing With The Stars opened with strong ratings. Night one of the two-night premiere drew 6.67 million viewers across ABC and Disney+, representing a 24% rise from the Season 34 premiere. This made it the highest premiere ratings for the show since Season 29 in 2020. ABC said the audience was up from 5.38 million viewers for last year's premiere.
The show also saw its best performance in the key adult demographic in nine years, according to TheWrap. For women aged 18 to 34, the premiere delivered a 2.53 rating, which is the best for any season premiere in over a decade. The adult demographic aged 18 to 49 received a 1.48 rating. The 18-to-49 rating was up 40% from the Season 34 premiere. ABC's overall Tuesday night performance surpassed second-place NBC by a wide margin in total viewers and in the key demographic. ABC averaged 5.34 million viewers and a 1.06 rating among adults 18 to 49 for the night.
The two-night premiere event began on Tuesday with a focus on male celebrities from this season’s cast. Among the standout performers were Paralympian Ezra Frech and actor Harry Shum Jr. from Grey’s Anatomy and Glee. Shum and partner Jenna Johnson received the night's top score of 21 out of 30 while Frech and Daniella Karagach scored 20. Conner Leavitt and professional partner Adele Zaikman were eliminated at the end of the first night.
Wednesday's episode shifted attention to the female contestants. Featured among them were Jenna Dewan from The Rookie, Julia Stiles from movies, and Ciara Miller from Summer House. Sarah Jane Nader and professional partner Hailey Bills were eliminated at the end of the second night.
The show will return to its regular Tuesday night slot next week on ABC and Disney+. Hulu will stream the following episode the day after its original broadcast.