Sing This! High School 2 Blows Away Sopranos

Alexandria, VA The debut on Friday of High School Musical 2 attracted 17.24 million viewers, shattering cable viewing records and proving beyond doubt that there is a demand for wholesome family entertainment. By contrast, the premiere airing of the much-hyped The Sopranos series finale on pay cable pulled in only 11.9 million viewers.

The previous basic cable record was set in 2006 with ESPNs debut of Monday Night Football, which garnered 16 million viewers.

Hollywood likes to tell us there isnt a market for family-friendly television shows, said L. Brent Bozell III, president of the Media Research Center. Those smut and violence peddlers dont have a clue. The phenomenal, record-breaking success of High School Musical 2 proves it, in spades.

HSM2 is the sequel to the Disney Channels 2006 smash hit High School Musical, which set Hollywood on its ear, attracting more than 160 million total viewers over the last year and a half. That show cost $4 million to make and has since raked in $550 million. The DVD sold 8 million copies and the CD from the movies soundtrack topped the charts last summer. In addition a concert tour and ice show have emerged from the show.

Millions tuned in Friday to watch a show without violence, sex or bad language, said Robert Knight, director of the Media Research Centers Culture and Media Institute. And my guess is that millions more tuned in when the movie was re-broadcast on Saturday and Sunday nights too. Not everyone wants to drown in a sea of sexual innuendo and violence."

Knight continued. If the bottom line is all that matters, then Hollywood should respond to this extraordinary event by welcoming more shows that showcase traditional values, family and personal responsibility.