Gawker
Hannah Montana, the kids' show starring exploited teenager (or, alternately, picture-posing strumpet) Miley Cyrus, ran its first new episode in two months last Sunday. And the ratings were down 24%! Could this be the end for our hero—done in by Annie Leibovitz, Vanity Fair, and a child-unfriendly wave of bad publicity?
The Daily News' Richard Huff points out that ratings for the previous episode, which aired before the photo controversy broke, were also down:
Compared to the first original show of the year, which aired in January, viewership for Sunday's show was down 33%.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.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has the obligatory quote about how the Miley "franchise" is "incredibly robust." But Huff suggest that she could already be on an inevitable downward slide, at least among young fans. Which would certainly cause her advisers to tell her to grow up, quick.
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.
Comments
Kid's attention spans are like shooting stars. They flash then fade away. The VF controversy is already forgotten by her demographic.
She really shouldn't have had sex with Governor Spitzer.
Kiss of death for her career.
Wizards of Waverly Place is the Shiznick.
Its the Cyrus family curse I tells ya. First Achey-Breaky backlash and now this...
Then Miley Cyrus should get pregnant or something, if her show sucks so bad.
So? The 45-55 Male demographic has far more disposable income.
What?! You mean the longevity of a pop star's career is now subject to the fickle capriciousness of teenager fans? My reality has been shaken to its very core.
This was much more suspenseful when it was Jessica Biel.
It's what Jesus would want.
@HamptonShmampton: Also, she's the daughter of a legit country music star. The country music demographic doesn't give a shit about Annie Leibovitz or Vanity Fair and adores cute teenage performers. This is not a Dina Lohan / Lynn Spears ne'er-do-well parents situation.
Disney will be suing Annie Leibovitz for damaging its brand.
Maybe they all finally realized that it is one of the most histrionic, overacted shows that has ever existed (not that I've, um, watched it). Then again, it is the Disney Channel...overacting is a prerequisite.
@EleanorRigby:
I don't know.
I've only channel-surfed through a few scenes, but I find it insufficiently Raven.
They'll be back in three years when they discover masturbation and that she's legal. The show's format might be different though.
@Knucklehead Babylon: Could be, except that her dad has been acting and singing for years since his first hit song.
Granted, it was his biggest claim to fame, but he has still remained very prevalent.
I think it's more that the show sucks, she's not a very good singer, and kids lose interest very quickly.
@valarmorghulis: I'm straining and I just can NOT make a porn name out of Hannah Montana. Good foresight Disney?
@GOKOR: And also Miley looks like a ferret.
Done in, I think, by exploitative parents.
um, it may have to do with the fact that Hannah Montana is no longer a little girl (though not yet a woman, tee-hee) -- there's no place for almost-grownups on Disney. go to nickolodeon!
I'm sorry, but this time of year, isn't it natural for ratings to go down because people finally emerge from their winter hibernation and actually do things aside from zone out in front of the tube?
Next stop 4th floor. DUI, rehab and rocker boyfriends.
There's alway the Lilliputians, so square those shoulders, chin up and forge ahead!
The Simpson's will no doubt be cancelled when Marge is on next month's cover of penthouse.
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