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Disney Junior's SOFIA THE FIRST Launches in Royal Fashion

Related: SOFIA THE FIRST, Disney Junior, Disney Channel

Friday's premiere of Disney Junior's "Sofia the First" ranked as the #1 preschool series launch in cable TV history in Girls 2-5 (673,000/8.6 rating), Adults 18-49 (948,000/0.8 rating) and Women 18-49 (710,000/1.1 rating), and was the #2 weekday preschool cable 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). In Kids 2-5, "Sofia the First" virtually tied "Doc McStuffins" as the network's #1 weekday series launch ever in Kids 2-5 (1.0 million/6.3 rating).

Moreover, 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 Parents and Moms.

- "Sofia the First" easily ranked as Friday's #1 TV telecast in Kids 2-5 and Girls 2-5, and was the #1 preschool cable TV telecast in Total Viewers and Women 18-49.

- "Sofia the First" powered time period highs in Girls 2-5, and was the network's most-watched telecast in the time period in over 1 year in Kids 2-5 and in 6 months in Total Viewers - since 12/30/11 and 7/13/12, respectively.

- "Sofia the First" outperformed all recent preschool series premieres on Nickelodeon, including "Bubble Guppies" (1/24/11) by 1 million Total Viewers, or by 59% (2.7 million vs. 1.7 million), by 14% in Kids 2-5 (1.0 million vs. 881,000) and by 74% in Women 18-49 (710,000 vs. 407,000).

- "Sofia the First" surged over year-ago time period averages across the board, including by 50% in Total Viewers (2.7 million vs. 1.8 million), by 19% in Kids 2-5 (1.0 million vs. 839,000) and by 75% in Women 18-49 (710,000 vs. 406,000).

Disney Junior reflects the emotional connection generations of consumers have to Disney storytelling and Disney characters, both classic and contemporary. It invites mom and dad to join their child in the Disney experience of magical, musical and heartfelt stories and characters, while incorporating specific learning and development themes designed for kids age 2-7. Disney Junior's series blend Disney's unparalleled storytelling and characters kids love deeply with learning, including early math, language skills, healthy eating and lifestyles, and social skills. Disney Junior launched in February 2011 with a daily programming block on Disney Channel. In its first year, Disney Junior posted the network's biggest yearly audience in the daypart in Total Viewers, Kids 2-5, Boys 2-5 and Women 18-49, increasing by double-digit margins among preschooler demographics over year-ago levels. On March 23, 2012 Disney Junior added a cable and satellite channel in the U.S. Disney Junior channels in Japan, India and Disney Junior Portugal launched in fall 2012, bringing the total number of channels to 33 worldwide.

Source: NTI, U.S. ratings, 1/11/13, Live + Same Day.