TV 2’s “Skal vi danse” drew 656,000 viewers for its season premiere on Saturday. But the broadcast faced immediate pushback from audience members and former participants over its late time slot and frequent interruptions. The 13 celebrity contestants took to the dance floor for the opening episode of the season, yet the structural pacing of the show sparked debate across social media regarding commercial breaks and news updates.
Linnéa Myhre Leads Social Media Backlash Over Pacing
Among those voicing frustration on social media was influencer and former “Skal vi danse” participant Linnéa Myhre, who shared her critique in an Instagram story on Sunday.
Myhre argued that the program runs too late into the evening and features excessive delays between performances. She noted that the broadcast stretches across nearly eight hours when factoring in all commercial pauses, questioning why the show cannot begin earlier to allow viewers to finish watching at a reasonable hour.
TikTok Users Target Scheduled News Interruptions
Similar grievances emerged on TikTok, where users uploaded video clips criticizing the frequency of news interruptions during the Saturday night time slot. Commenters expressed annoyance at having to sit through extended blocks of news programming rather than watching consecutive dance routines, with some questioning the balance between the competition itself and scheduled broadcasting breaks.
TV 2 Press Chief Defends Long Broadcast Schedule
Addressing the criticism, TV 2 press chief Jan-Petter Dahl told Nettavisen that the network understands why some viewers find the program’s conclusion late on Saturday nights. However, Dahl emphasized that such complaints represent a minority of overall feedback and noted that audiences appeared accustomed to the scheduling pattern from previous seasons.
Network Points to Rising Viewership and On-Demand Habits
Dahl pointed to concrete viewership figures indicating that audience numbers actually climbed steadily throughout the evening, with the final half-hour recording the highest viewership of the night.
The network also highlighted that substantial numbers of viewers tune in throughout Sunday to watch the episode, which accommodates those who prefer not to stay up late or who choose to catch up the following morning.