Summary of complaint
We’ve received complaints from people who are unhappy about the discontinuation of the premium-rate phone vote for Strictly Come Dancing.
Our response
We understand that the changes to the premium-rate phone vote is disappointing for some viewers. We know fans of Strictly who like to vote by phone will be impacted and it’s not something we would have chosen. The decision to discontinue such services was made by BT, who previously supplied this to service providers working with the ѿý and other broadcasters.
We have carefully explored phone voting alternatives that would be in-line with Ofcom regulations, including ensuring that the Strictly vote is timely and reliable. Unfortunately, no viable replacement is available and so voting will now take place online for all ѿý programmes.
Online voting is already the most popular method for voting on ѿý shows with the majority of votes in the last series of Strictly cast this way. To support those new to online voting, clear instructions will be provided during the show. All you need to cast a vote is a free ѿý account, which is quick and easy to set up. Full details are available on our “Get the Best out of the ѿý” page.