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Lifetime Renews Hit Docu-series DANCE MOMS for Third Season

Related: DANCE MOMS, Lifetime, Reality TV

Lifetime has renewed its hit docu-series DANCE MOMS, featuring renowned dance instructor Abby Lee Miller, for a third season, it was announced today by Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President, Programming, of Lifetime Networks.

Lifetime has ordered 26 all-new hour-long episodes of the series, which will return next year. Dance Moms' second season, which wrapped last month, was the number one unscripted cable series in its Tuesday 9:00pm time period among Women 18-49 and Women 2+. Additionally, season two over-delivered season one by wide margins among the key demographics, including +69% with Adults 18-49, +72% in Women 18-49, +64% among Adults 25-54 and +66% with Women 25-54. Dance Moms is Lifetime's youngest skewing current series with a season two median age of 32 years old, five years younger than season one.

Regarding the announcement, Sharenow said, "With major growth season-to-season and a bonafide star in Abby Lee Miller, Dance Moms continues to be a top performer and important franchise for Lifetime. It's become a force in the docusoap genre and we're very pleased to bring Dance Moms back with more episodes next year."

Nominated for a Teen Choice 2012 Award, Dance Moms follows children's early steps on the road to stardom and their doting mothers who are there for every rehearsal, performance and bow...all under Miller's discerning eyes. Presenting a powerful cast of characters that has inspired water-cooler talk across the country, the show immerses itself in the highs and lows surrounding dance competition season, delivering a captivating and dramatic look at the cast's intense pursuit of National Dance titles. Centered on the devoTed Miller, who runs her school and instructs her young, talented students while also dealing with impassioned mothers who go to great lengths to help their children's dreams come true, Dance Moms poses the tough questions many people have been asking since the show's launch about what really goes on behind-the-scenes in the fast-growing and controversial sport of competitive dance. The program is produced by Collins Avenue.

Miller also headlines Lifetime's all-new dance competition program Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition, which premiered on Tuesday, October 9, at 9:00pm ET/PT. The series features 12 of the country's most talented girl and boy dancers competing for a $100,000 cash prize and a scholarship to the Young Dancer Program at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. In addition to Miller, the program's judges include Robin Antin, founder of the pop group sensation Pussycat Dolls, and dancer and cutting-edge celebrity choreographer Richard Jackson (Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night"). Kevin Manno (MTV's The Seven) hosts.

A+E Networks handles global sales for Dance Moms.

ABOUT COLLINS AVENUE

Collins Avenue, a premier reality programming producer located in Los Angeles, works in partnership with Content Media Corporation. The London-based global entertainment and media company, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, owns and distributes a significant library of film, television and digital assets. Led by prolific reality producer Jeff Collins and represented by WME, Collins Avenue produces many reality and docu-series, including the highly successful Lifetime franchises Dance Moms and Dance Moms: Miami; Animal Planet's acclaimed American Stuffers; and National Geographic Channel's recently launched hit American Colony: Meet the Hutterites. Previously, Collins Avenue produced TLC's Outrageous Kid Parties and, earlier in his career, Collins served as showrunner of A&E's popular Billy The Exterminator and WE tv's highest-rated series, Bridezillas.

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime Television is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. In the Third Quarter 2012, the network posted major growth in viewership versus Third Quarter 2011, including a 14% increase among Women 18-49, +9% in Women 25-54 and +5% among Adults 18-49, marking the third straight quarter Lifetime has registered year-on-year growth among the key demographics. Lifetime Television(R), LMN(R), Lifetime Real Women(R) and Lifetime Digital(TM) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.