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The original Strictly Come Dancing shimmies onto UK screens this week for its sixth series but celebrities doing the cha cha cha is just as popular right around the world.
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Viewers as far afield as India, Chile, Estonia, USA and South Africa all now enjoy the glitz and glamour of ballroom dancing after ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide successfully licensed the format to over 30 countries around the world.
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Dancing with the Stars, the show's international name, continues to go from strength to strength. Bulgaria licensed its first series this year while Poland and Australia both launched series eight within the last few weeks.
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ABC will premier their seventh series in the USA on 22 September, having just announced a line up of Oscar® winners, Olympic gold medallists and Grammy® Award winners.
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A leading industry report, by Media Metrie, found that Dancing with the Stars was the No 1 Entertainment TV programme in 2006 and 2007 - based on the highest number of appearances in countries' Top 10 lists of programmes.
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The twinkle toes format has also been an award winner around the globe. The South African version won the 2007 SAFTA Best Variety award, India's own version won the Sansui Best Dance Programme 2006 and in Chile the country's most widely circulated newspaper honoured it as the best television programme of the year. The US version was also nominated for an Emmy in 2006 as the best primetime programme.Ìý
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Viewing figures continue to grow, with China achieving on average 23 million viewers per episode during the first series.
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In the US, one of the most competitive television markets, Dancing with the Stars continues to shine with series seven about to go live. The opening of series three was ABC's largest non-sports audience in its timeslot for five years and series six this year pulled in audiences of more than 20 million.
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The programme represents the first time ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide has made a US network show and has wowed audiences across the pond with the heady mix of passion, glamour and emotion that runs through every episode.
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Colin Jarvis, Director of International Format Production at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide, said: "The Dancing with the Stars format ticks all the boxes, it has celebrity, glamour, popular music and of course there is skill involved. Celebrities discover new strengths and weaknesses in their character, no matter what language they speak. That idea of a journey is also what keeps audiences captivated, and the show fresh.
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"There are minor variations in the format depending on the country - the US version has three judges instead of four for example - but I can guarantee that within 30 seconds of the programme starting, you know it is Dancing with the Stars. It is a brand that has become instantly recognisable and cemented the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s reputation as the home of entertainment."
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The format has singlehandedly turned the rumba, foxtrot and waltz into popular dances that people of all generations enjoy watching and practicing right around the world. In South Africa, there was a five fold increase in people signing up for dance classes since the series aired – a phenomenon that has happened in the UK and America.
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Cristina Dunn
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