6 SEP 2023

Sweden's TV4 pauses long-running primetime shows "Let’s Dance" and "Talang"

The broadcaster has cited declining viewership and an overall content renewal as the main reasons for putting the shows on hold but emphasized that it is a pause, not a cancellation.

6 SEP 2023

Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Linkedin
  • Whatsapp

TV4 has decided to put a temporary halt to the long-running primetime shows "Let's Dance" and "Talang" (Swedish adaptation of "Got Talent"). "Let's Dance" has run for 18 years and "Talang" for 12 years, of which 11 have been on TV4. "Talang" has previously had a break between the years 2012 and 2016. The broadcaster has cited declining viewership and an overall content renewal as the main reasons for putting the show on hold but emphasizes that it is indeed a pause, not a cancellation.

"Despite the fact that 'Let's Dance' is still a program with more than one million viewers every week, the viewership has been falling steadily in recent years. We want to break that trend, and then we need a break to review how we could renew ourselves and return in 2025 with new energy," said Fredrik Arefalk, Content and Channel Director at TV4.

The decision to pause the two primetime shows comes shortly after the merger of C More into the new enhanced online platform TV4 Play, as well as the company's implementation of a savings package. Arefalk also stated that TV4 will not buy as many international films and series in the future. One show that will most likely replace "Let's Dance" or "Talang" in a primetime slot is "Bäst i Test" (Swedish adaptation of "Taskmaster"). Last spring, it was announced that TV4 had acquired the rights to the popular show, which SVT previously had for seven years.