The Disney Channel’s 15-minute Phineas and Ferb animated series drew big numbers during its daily run in February.
The series, which follows the summer vacation exploits of two nerdy step-brothers, attracted an average of 2.8 million viewers for each daily 8 p.m. episode running Feb. 1 through Feb. 29, according to Nielsen Media Research. Phineas and Ferb also generated 31.2 million unique viewers and was the top rated show for the month in the time period with kids 6-11 (1.4 million viewers), girls 6-11 (833,000), tweens 9-14 (1.1 million) and tween girls (614,000/5.1 rating).
The series, which features the voice of High School Musical and Zack and Cody star Ashley Tisdale, also notched a 12% gain in total viewers (2.8 million vs. 2.5 million); 27% in kids 6-11 (1.4 million vs. 1.1 million); and 14% in tweens 9-14 (1.1 million vs. 961,000). More importantly for the female-skewed network, Disney posted even greater gains in several boy demos, including boys 6-11 (541,000 vs. 388,000) and tween boys (432,000 vs. 342,000).
The Feb. 1 debut episode of the series generated 4 million viewers, the second-highest ever for a Disney animated series behind the 4.1 million garnered by the October 2003 premiere of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, said Disney officials.
