The premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants 2—which debuted with an unprecedented programming event on Friday, July 21, airing simultaneously across six networks within the Disney|ABC Television Group—reached 13 million Total Viewers on Disney Channel, ABC, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime and Lifetime Movies. The movie’s telecast on Disney Channel ranked as Friday’s No. 1 scripted TV telecast in Total Viewers, with 5.3 million.
On Disney Channel, Descendants 2 was the No. 1 top-rated cable TV telecast since the original Descendants premiered on July 31, 2015, among all major youth demographics—Kids 2–11 (2.2 million/5.7 rating), Kids 6–11 (1.8 million/7.4 rating) and Tweens 9–14 (1.9 million/7.7 rating). It is the No. 1 most-watched telecast across kid cable TV networks since Descendants in Total Viewers (5.3 million). This now gives Disney Channel the Top 7 rated cable TV telecasts of the past three-and-a-half years in Kids 6–11, the Top 6 cable TV telecasts in Kids 2–11 and the Top 5 most watched kids cable TV telecasts in Total Viewers—since January 18, 2014, and March 29, 2014, respectively.
The original Descendants movie, which introduced the teenage sons and daughters of Disney’s most infamous villains in its 2015 premiere, remains the fifth most-watched movie in cable TV history (12.2 million Total Viewers—Live + 7 Day ratings) and has reached more than 100 million Total Viewers worldwide.
In addition to its impressive TV ratings, the sequel also broke social media records for Disney Channel, driving more Video Views (174.1 million), Impressions (90.8 million) and Engagements (14.6 million) than any social campaign in the network’s history.
On DisneyMusicVevo, Descendants 2 videos have amassed more than 135 million views, with more than 7 million views for the movie’s music and dance numbers coming since Friday, when they were first released.
When this far-reaching and unprecedented premiere was announced in April, Ben Sherwood, co-chairman, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney|ABC Television Group, said, “Descendants fans asked for more, and we’ve answered their call, with more ways to watch and more ways to engage with the next chapter in their favorite TV movie. We’re combining the magic of Disney Channel content with the power and reach of our linear networks and digital platforms to ensure we’re everywhere our fans are all at the same time.”
Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, added, “The passion that fans—across every demographic and geographic landscape—have demonstrated for Descendants rivals anything we’ve seen since High School Musical. Sharing the new sequel movie across our far-reaching portfolio of TV networks and digital platforms is something only Disney can do—and we do it proudly.”