It’s been over a week since Selena Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place aired its series finale and the numbers reveal it went out on a big note, making its exit the biggest in the history of the Disney Channel. The finale, which aired January 6th, drew in a whopping 9.8 million viewers, a staggering amount compared to the fourth season’s average viewer count of 4 million. I’m not sure Disney was prepared for the serge in viewership for the finale. They might have inspected a bit of an increase, but when you average 4 million you’re not counting on a 245% increase! That’s huge!
This is the Disney Channel keep in mind. It’s popular among children 6-14, making its appeal narrow, so the number is even more impressive considering the audience they have. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS’ A Gifted Man premiered with only 1.5 million, and CBS usually tops in the ratings. I’m literally dumbfounded at Wizards impressive numbers. Someone needs to round up a large group of people to head over to the Disney headquarters and give them a round of applause.
I think it should go without saying this was the most-watched episode of the series as well as the most-watched finale on the Disney Channel. I cannot overstate how impressive this is. In kids ages 6-11 alone the show raked in 4.2 million views. I wonder how many of the viewers were over 18. I know of quite a few people in their 20s who watched the finale, but I’d be interested in knowing how many there were all together.
