via press release:
Friday’s premiere of Disney Junior’s Sofia the First on Disney Channel became the #1 preschool series launch in cable TV history in Girls 2-5, Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49, and was the #2 weekday preschool cable TV launch in over 12 years in Total Viewers (2.7 million) – since 8/14/2000 – behind only Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2.8 million, 5/5/06). In Kids 2-5, Sofia the First virtually tied Doc McStuffins as the network’s #1 weekday series launch ever in Kids 2-5.
With Sofia the First and the March 2012 debut of Doc McStuffins, Disney Channel holds the Top 2 preschool cable TV series launches ever with Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49, and outperformed all recent preschool series premieres on Nickelodeon, including Bubble Guppies by 1 million Total Viewers, or by 59% (2.7 million vs. 1.7 million).
Leave it to Disney to put the hook in when the viewer is 2-years-old.
It’s no surprise the show fared well; Disney Junior and The Disney Channel have been promo’ing the hell out of it for the last 8 weeks. I’m surprised my 11-month old’s first words weren’t “Sofia!” after hearing the commercials so often.
And since the special got almost matched Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation! on ratings, that’s kinda not a suprise (5.15 million to 5.21 million).