ESPN is ready to boogie with professional dancing.
On Monday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that ESPN has entered into a media rights agreement with the International Dance League (IDL), a professional dance competition that aims to bring a sporting-like structure to dance by creating teams, regular-season and post-season events, and a championship at the end of the season.
The deal with ESPN will see IDL events appear “sporadically” on ESPN2 throughout the season, with other events being available for streaming on ESPN+. The first IDL broadcast on a linear network will be this Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
“Dance already has one of the most passionate fanbases in the world,” Connor Lim, CEO and co-founder of IDL, told The Hollywood Reporter. “They watch, they share, they show up, and the engagement on social proves that. This agreement provides a chance to show a broader sports audience that dance is both an art form and a legitimate sport, on a global scale.”
It does not appear as if most broadcasts will air live, as IDL moves from city to city across the globe, but all events will still air at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 when linear coverage is available. Disney will make the league available in other markets across the world on Disney+ and the ESPN app.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.