'High School Musical 2' Sets Cable Records
Disney Channel Says 17 Million Viewers Watched Premiere
POSTED: Monday, August 20, 2007
UPDATED: 10:01 am EDT August 20,2007
BURBANK, Calif. -- It's back to school in a big way for The Disney Channel.
The Disney Channel said that more than 17 million people were watching the premiere of "High School Musical 2" Friday night, which made it most-watched basic cable telecast of all-time.
In addition, the numbers make "High School Musical 2" the No. 1 original movie on basic cable of all time, ousting Tom Selleck's "Crossfire Trail," which aired six years ago on TNT.
The new chapter finds schemer Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) getting Troy (Zac Efron) a job at the country club. Along with it, Troy gets a chance at a college basketball scholarship.
Naturally, there's a catch: Troy will have to pair up with Sharpay in a musical for the club's talent show.
Also returning from the smash hit original movie are stars Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel. Kenny Ortega returns as director and one of the film's choreographers.
The first "High School Musical" debuted on The Disney Channel in 2006.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.