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Strictly Come Dancing came and conquered Europe, Americas, Australia and Asia, but it seems that BBC do not want to stop in conquering countries. Now, they are setting their eyes on the Arab World.
In October 2012, Lebanon will have its own version of Dancing with the Stars - the worldwide format of Strictly Come Dancing.
The dance show will be produced by Lebanon's Murr Television (MTV). Murr Television and BBC1 had partnered for two years. This marks a gigantic event as this is the first time that a tailored version of Strictly Come Dancing will be gracing the television in the Arab world.
According to Guinness Book of World Records 2010, Dancing with the Stars holds the title for the most successful reality TV format. The reality show already shown to 42 countries around the world, including America, Australia, China and India.
In a blog post, worldwide senior sales executive Cynthia Kennedy noted that the deal was made possible by the collaborative efforts of the BBC and Lebanon's MTV for two years. This partnership has brought the show to Arab viewers.
"Ever since Strictly Come Dancing took to air on BBC One in 2004, audiences around the world have been captivated by the heady combination of celebrity, dance, glamour and competition," she said.
"The local versions are licensed to international broadcasters by BBC Worldwide's Format Licensing team. As a member, of this team, one of my responsibilities is to look after our formats business in the Middle East region.
"Dancing with the Stars is a format that needs no introduction; in the Arab world, however, there are unique cultural sensitivities that made it difficult to persuade broadcasters to produce a local version with local stars."
Prior to an agreement, being finalized, Kennedy had held "numerous discussions" with broadcast partners and production companies in the Middle East since 2010, but the deal was only made possible now.
She believes that the only way to find Lebanese production company Iprod, as it had the "expertise, skills and experience" required to produce a "quality show on this scale".
"I then looked for a broadcaster who was willing to invest the time and resources to make Dancing with the Stars a television event for their audience and MTV Lebanon came forward as the company to do this. MTV has negotiated a two-season commitment to Dancing with the Stars, starting this Autumn," she said.
"The Lebanese version of Dancing with the Stars will go to air nearly two years after I started the conversation. It's taken a long time, but I know it will be worth the wait. I look forward to seeing it on air on MTV and throughout the rest of the region in the coming years."
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