Disney Shores Up Free-TV Deals on HSM2

CANNES, October 8:
Disney-ABC International Television has licensed High School Musical 2, which broke cable-TV viewership records when it
premiered on Disney Channel in the U.S. in August, to free-TV broadcasters in
more than 40 countries, including the U.K., Italy, Germany, Russia and China.

The film recently had its
Dutch free-TV launch in the Netherlands on Net 5, where it garnered a
20.5-percent share in kids 6-12 and raised the broadcaster’s average audience
share for the slot by more than 600 percent.

Other terrestrial networks
slated to air the original movie include BBC in the U.K., RTI in Italy,
ProSieben in Germany, M6 in France, RTE in Ireland, Channel 1 Russia, SABC
South Africa, CCTV6 China, Seven Network in Australia, TVNZ New Zealand and
Studio 23 in the Philippines. Other key markets are due to come on board in the
coming months.

Announcing the new deals,
Ben Pyne, the president of global distribution at Disney Media Networks,
commented: “As its success on Disney Channels around the world indicates, High
School Musical 2 is as loved as
its predecessor, resonating with kids and tweens in countries across the globe.
We're confident that this success will be repeated as we premiere on free TV
over the coming months. And if the results from our launch on Net 5 in the
Netherlands is any indication, we’re well on the way. All of these efforts will
help reinforce and position this important franchise to our consumers around
the world.”

The High School Musical
2 U.S. premiere in August broke
Disney Channel ratings records, and stands as the most-watched cable telecast
ever, drawing over 17 million viewers. It has since set ratings records on
Disney Channels in the U.K., Italy, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and
Hong Kong, and is set to premiere on other international Disney Channels
throughout 2007. To date, High School Musical 2 has reached over 55 million unique total viewers
worldwide.