Tween Drama The Next Step Lands in the U.S.

Universal Kids has snapped up the U.S. linear rights for the first five seasons of the hit tween drama series The Next Step, which has been broadcast in more than 120 territories around the globe.

The Next Step follows the lives of a group of elite dancers. The show will begin airing on Universal Kids at 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday as of September 9. Universal Kids acquired 154 half-hour episodes of The Next Step from Boat Rocker Rights and BBC Worldwide. The channel also entered into a production partnership for the 26×30-minute sixth season.

“Universal Kids reflects all that is universal about being a kid, and The Next Step captures the essence of this with its friendship, passion and determination,” said Dea Perez, the VP of content strategy and acquisitions at Universal Kids. “International hits are an important part of our content mix, and The Next Step has resonated with audiences across the world. It is the perfect complement to the Universal Kids launch slate.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Universal Kids on this incredible brand,” added Jon Rutherford, the president of Boat Rocker Rights. “The Next Step has been such a strong global success story over the past five years and we are confident that in the skillful hands of the Universal Kids team, it will be an equally powerful brand in the U.S. market.”