Skating with the Stars...will it succeed?

Skating with the Stars debuted in the states for a second time last Monday. The first time, with a different name on Fox, crashed and burned in 2006. So why go for a second run?

For those of you that don’t know, Skating with the Stars is very popular
overseas. England has successfully run this show since 2006 with Torvill and Dean (Dancing on Ice). It was so popular in Russia that they ran two versions during the same time on competing networks. So apparently the BBC thought they had a successful format that would succeed this time in the U.S. on ABC.

In my opinion, no matter what the format, I do not believe this show can be successful in America. Why is that? Think about this: Something entertaining in one location can be considered awful in another. I have skated routines that make people bust out laughing, but when performed in another country, it was received with a lukewarm reception. My fellow French comedian skater has a routine that tanked in the states, but in France, the audience laughed so hard they had tears in their eyes.

A good business plan must consider if the demographics will buy what they are selling. Just because something works in one location, doesn’t mean it will in another. Ask yourself, why is soccer so popular everywhere except in the U.S.? Or why football is only popular in America?

I think things like ballet and figure skating is embraced overseas in a way that the U.S. does not. Plushenko is treated like a hero in Russia. America does not come close to treating their skating champions like that, not since Michelle Kwan.

I am not saying anything negative about the skaters, stars, or the judges of this show. I think a Skating with the Stars, regardless of the format, does not have a big enough interest in our society. (Now if they had A-list celebrities and let Wayne Gretzky take slap shots at them while they attempt to finish their programs, THEN we would have a top rated program that Americans would tune in to watch!)

What are your thoughts? Do you like the show? Do you think it will
make another season?