Disney graduates from high school to the beach

The Disney Channel premiere of Teen Beach Movie on July 19 drew more than eight million viewers, more than half of which were kids ages two to 11. That's more than the 7.7 million viewers that tuned into High School Musical in 2006 - and five times more viewers than Syfy's much-Tweeted Sharknando premiere.

July 22, 2013

The Disney Channel premiere of Teen Beach Movie on July 19 drew more than eight million viewers, more than half of which were kids ages two to 11. That’s more than the 7.7 million viewers that tuned into High School Musical in 2006 – and five times more viewers than Syfy’s much-Tweeted Sharknando premiere.

The multiplatform musical , which has become the number-one TV movie of 2013 to date, also attracted a solid adult audience, with roughly 1.6 million adults ages 18 to 49. Meanwhile, the five-day preview on the WATCH Disney Channel service resulted in 550,000 views, driving the year-old service to its most-watched week.

Teen Beach Movie now stands as the network’s number-three original movie ever, behind High School Musical 2 and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie. The movie preceded the preview of new sitcom Liv & Maddie, which delivered 5.8 million viewers. The show will premiere on the channel in September.