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It’s no secret that TikTok has modified the way in which we eat content material, however the extent to which it’s constructing fandom communities is nothing wanting monumental.
With user-generated content material at its core, the free on-line platform has given new life to longstanding franchises and programming (hi there, Dancing With the Stars) and united international customers by way of shared pursuits spanning trend, health, tv, gaming and so forth. By its nonstop format, fast content material and cost-free nature, TikTok inherently makes media moments extra accessible than ever earlier than.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in Sept. 2025, Dancing With the Stars professional (and social media star) Rylee Arnold defined simply how a lot — and exactly why — TikTok made an impression on the 34-season present.
“I believe TikTok has develop into actually part of Dancing with the Stars,” Arnold completely tells THR. “I believe it’s an ideal strategy to showcase who these partnerships are, what {our relationships} are like, what this present is about and the BTS of all of it. As a result of it’s arduous to solely see a present as soon as every week and get engaged with it. However as a result of we’ve TikTok, individuals are capable of get into our life to see the way it all goes down. And I believe [TikTok is] such a cool strategy to share that.”
When Arnold first turned a professional in 2023 for the present’s thirty second season, she remembers filming and posting the social media movies “only for enjoyable.” Lower to 2 years later, each single season 34 professional isn’t solely lively, however huge, on TikTok, with thousands and thousands of collective followers amongst them (and the official DWTS TikTok account boasting 5.4 million followers alone). By each posting and commenting (crushing it, Mark Ballas), the superstar dancers are capable of work together with their fan bases in a wholly new manner that’s extra intimate than ever.
And whereas leisure trade leaders could worry TikTok feeds taking eyes away from tv screens, the “case examine” of Dancing With the Stars is definitely proving in any other case. The TikTok fandom surrounding DWTS has solely skyrocketed the present’s viewership — particularly amongst adults ages 18 to 49 — with its Oct. 21 episode making TV scores historical past.
So now, the query turns into: How will different packages leverage TikTok to their benefit?