21 Million Viewers Tune In to Simulcast Premiere of Disney's DESCENDANTS 2

In Live + 3 measurements, the simultaneous premiere of "Descendants 2" (Friday, July 21, 2017, 8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT) has now reached 21 million Total Viewers, including 8.1 million Kids 2-14 and 6.9 million Adults 18-49 on ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime and Lifetime Movies.

Besting two years of cable TV ratings and the high bar set by the original "Descendants" (July 31, 2015), the Disney Channel Original Movie premiere ranks as the #1 cable TV telecast among all major youth demographics: Kids 2-11 (3.9 million/10.0 rating), Kids 6-11 (3.1 million/12.8 rating), Tweens 9-14 (2.8 million/11.7 rating) and Kids 6-14 (4.2 million/11.6 rating), and is the #1 most watched telecast among kid cable TV networks in Total Viewers (8.6 million) - all since the original "Descendants" premiered (July 31, 2015).

"Descendants 2" is #1 in the iTunes TV Top Seasons chart and the "Descendants 2" soundtrack (released Friday, July 21, 2017), and by Monday, July 24, became the #1 album on iTunes and has held currently at #1. Its six singles hit the Top 10 Soundtrack Songs less than 24 hours after the movie's premiere. They include "It's Goin' Down," "What's My Name," and "Chillin' Like a Villain."

This movie's strong linear TV performance now gives Disney Channel the Top 8 rated cable TV telecasts in close to six years in Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Kids 6-14, and the Top 5 most watched kids cable TV telecasts in Total Viewers in nearly 5 years - since October 2011 and November 2012, respectively.

"Descendants 2" videos on DisneyMusicVevo have garnered over 153 million views, including 65 million views for the official "Ways to be Wicked" video and over 10 million views of the movie's music and dance numbers, released on premiere night.

For Live + 3 versus Live + Same Day ratings, "Descendants 2" surged by +61% in Total Viewers (8.575 million vs. 5.328 million), by +76% in Kids 2-11 (3.928 million vs. 2.233 million), by +73% in Kids 6-11 (3.058 million vs. 1.767 million), by +52% in Tweens 9-14 (2.844 million vs. 1.876 million) and by +59% in Adults 18-49 (2.445 million vs. 1.535 million).

"Descendants 2" smashed social media records for the network driving more Video Views (185.5 million), Impressions (108.7 million) and Engagements (16.3 million) than any social campaign in Disney Channel's history.

An inspiring story about the teenage sons and daughters of Disney's MOST INFAMOUS villains, the original "Descendants" (2015) remains the fifth most watched movie in cable TV history (12.2 million Total Viewers - Live + 7 Day ratings), reaching well over 100 million Total Viewers worldwide.

"Descendants 2" stars Dove Cameron as Mal, Cameron Boyce as Carlos, Sofia Carson as Evie, Booboo Stewart as Jay and Mitchell Hope as King Ben; and ushered in new villains China Anne McClain as Uma, the daughter of Ursula; Thomas Doherty as Harry, son of Captain Hook; Dylan Playfair as Gil, son of Gaston; and Anna Cathcart as Dizzy, daughter of Cinderella's evil stepsister Drizella and granddaughter of wicked stepmother Lady Tremaine. Also starring are Brenna D'Amico as Jane, the daughter of Fairy Godmother; Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother; Dianne Doan as Lonnie, the daughter of Mulan; Jedidiah Goodacre as Chad, THE SON of Cinderella; Zachary Gibson as Doug, THE SON of Dopey; Keegan Connor Tracy as Belle and Dan Payne as Beast.

Emmy Award and DGA Award-winning director Kenny Ortega ("Descendants," "High School Musical" movies) is the director, executive producer and choreographer of "Descendants 2." Wendy Japhet ("Descendants," "An Education," "The Italian Job") is also executive producer. Writers Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon ("The Starter Wife," "Runaway Bride"), who won a 2016 Writers Guild Award for "Descendants," wrote "Descendants 2" and also serve as executive producers. Kara Saun ("Descendants," "Project Runway") is the costume designer. The production designer is Mark Hofeling ("Descendants," "Teen Beach Movie," "High School Musical"). Tony Testa ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "This Is It") is the choreographer with Ortega. Shawn Williamson ("Adventures in Babysitting") is producer. David Lawrence ("High School Musical" movies, "Teen Beach Movie" and "Teen Beach 2"), who was nominated for an Emmy for his "Descendants" score, returns as composer. The casting directors are Natalie Hart and Jason La Padura, C.S.A. ("Descendants," "High School Musical" and "Teen Beach" movies), as well as Kendra Patterson ("Teen Beach Movie").

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