Hollywood scandals work, but not for kid stars. A semi-nude Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) in Vanity Fair could be the cause of an additional slide in ratings for the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana.
According to the Nielsen Company, the brand new episode of Hannah Montana which aired after the photos were released saw a 14% decline in viewers when compared to the previous fresh episode. However, longterm figures suggest that Hannah Montana ratings were declining prior to the nude pics - numbers are down 26% compared with the first original show of the year, which aired in January.
One issue is that once a show gets hot, programmers are stuck with a limited number of original episodes and must spread them over a long period. This means that as the time for new content increases, tweens fill their time with new shows.
And this is exactly what has happened.
Hannah Montana has now been replaced as Disneys top-rated show by Wizards of Waverly Place, which stars Selena Gomez who has previously appeared on Hannah, reports the New York Daily News.
The ratings decline has not effected merchandise or retail partners. Wal-Mart has created areas just for "Hannah" items and production has just began on the "Hannah Montana" feature film.
"'Hannah Montana' kicked off as the highest-rated cable premiere series ever among kids and tweens, held the No. 1 rank across all TV, second only to 'American Idol' [in that age group] for two years, and is now a global hit," said Gary Marsh, president, entertainment, Disney Channels Worldwide.