ITV said on Friday it will keep Strictly Come Dancing's results show on Saturday night linear television with a simultaneous ITVX stream, after Barb overnight figures showed the 2026 series premiere ahead of the equivalent 2025 audience.
The decision ends speculation that ITV might move spoiler-heavy segments exclusively to streaming, a path US networks tried with mixed results. Strictly remains a co-production with BBC Studios under a long-term format licence, but ITV controls ad sales and scheduling on its flagship channel.
Ratings and revenue
Overnight data cited by ITV put the launch at roughly 4.8 million consolidated viewers, up from 4.5 million last year, with a further 620,000 quarter-hours on ITVX within seven days. Supermarket advertisers booked early slots around the results window, when social media traffic peaks. Media buyers said Strictly still delivers older demographics that streaming-only dramas miss.
Hosts and judges contracts run through this series; producers confirmed no format changes to the public vote aside from clearer on-screen timing to discourage betting leaks. The Guinness World Records attempt scheduled for Movie Week remains in place.
Competition on Saturday nights
Rivals have stacked autumn franchises — football on pay-TV, reality imports on streaming — but linear still wins for family co-viewing. ITV's head of entertainment told trade press the simulcast strategy trades a small streaming uplift for guaranteed advertiser reach.
For viewers, the practical effect is unchanged: results air after the Sunday repeat is advertised, and ITVX holds full episodes for 30 days. Fans attending the Elstree studio tapings this October will see the same broadcast clock as home audiences, a symmetry producers argue protects the live-event feel that fuels Strictly's social clips.
Advertising and streaming balance
ITV's ad sales team told agencies that live Strictly slots still command premium CPMs compared with on-demand-only reality formats. The broadcaster is investing in louder studio audiences this year after pandemic-era quiet floors dampened energy on screen. Strictly's BBC Studios format fee is fixed in sterling, so ITV's margin story depends on ratings and ad yield rather than currency hedges.
International sales of the format continue in dozens of territories, but the UK parent show remains the profit engine that funds ITV's drama slate through the winter.