Is the TV spotlight fading for “Hannah Montana”?
The audience for Sunday’s new episode of the Disney Channel phenom fell 14% from the previous fresh episode, which aired just under two months earlier, according to the Nielsen Company.
Compared to the first original show of the year, which aired in January, viewership for Sunday’s show was down 26%.
That suggests the hubbub over series star Miley Cyrus’ questionable photos in Vanity Fair neither helped nor hurt with viewership. Rather, “Hannah” was on a decline before the photo dustup.
An estimated 3.1 million viewers tuned in for “Hannah’s” 7p.m. Sunday edition, which aired out of the network’s usual pattern for fresh episodes.
As with most Disney Channel shows that get hot, Disney programmers are faced with having a limited number of original episodes they need to be spread out over a long period. So, while the show airs multiple times over the course of a week, the time between new episodes can be very long.
There’s also been a decline in the overall audience for the show’s reruns.
But just yesterday, Bob Iger, Disney’s president and chief executive officer, said: “With a new season of shows coming up, a new record in July and a theatrical film next year, the ‘Hannah Montana’/Miley Cyrus franchise is incredibly robust.”
Experience shows that kid franchises such as “Hannah” that hit the rare white-hot phase are good for roughly 18 months, then start to fade.
“Hannah Montana” had been the top-rated show with young viewers the past two seasons, but because of the slow rollout this year, the heat has moved to the “Wizards of Waverly Place,” starring Selena Gomez (who has appeared on “Hannah”), which now holds the slot as Disney’s top show.
Despite the declines, “Hannah” merchandise still sells well. For instance, Wal-Mart has created areas just for “Hannah” items. Also, production began yesterday on the “Hannah Montana” feature film.
“‘Hannah Montana’ kicked off as the highest-rated cable premiere series ever among kids and tweens, held the No. 1 rank across all TV, second only to ‘American Idol’ [in that age group] for two years, and is now a global hit,” said Gary Marsh, president, entertainment, Disney Channels Worldwide.
