Disney Channel’s June 24 original movie Adventures In Babysitting posted an audience of 4.8 million viewers whit Nielsen live + 7 viewing, according to network officials.

The movie, Disney’s 100th original movie telecast, increased in L+7 ratings from the 3.4 million viewers the movie generated in its premiere showing, according to Nielsen to become the most watched original film on cable in 2016, said network officials.

Adventures In Babysitting, which was loosely based on the 1980s film of the same name and starred Sabrina Carpenter (Girl Meets World) and Sofia Carson (Descendants), also posted double digit increases in key kids demos with L+7 viewing data compared to live + same day data including kids 6-11 (55% increase to 1.9 million viewers), kids 2-11 (54% increase to 2.4 million), and tweens 9-14 (44% to 1.7 million), said Disney.

Overall for its premiere and seven encores, Adventures In Babysitting reached 15 million total viewers, including 7 million kids 6-14, according to Disney.

Disney Channel will launch its milestone 100th original movie on Friday (June 24, with the premiere of Adventures in Babysitting. The ratings success of the Disney Channel’s original movies (or, as the network calls them, DCOMs) — Disney movies represent top four most-watched movies in cable history — have helped define the network’s brand for a generation of viewers, and has helped the programmer court a new, younger generation on both linear and digital platforms.

Disney’s original movies have served as a launchpad for a who’s who of today’s entertainment stars, from singer Demi Lovato (Camp Rock); to actress and talk-show host Raven-Symoné (The Cheetah Girls) and actresssinger Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie). Paul DeBenedittis, senior vice president of programming strategy for Disney Channels Worldwide, spoke to Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about the DCOM franchise and its influence on the Disney Channel brand.

MCN:While most cable networks have built their brand on the backs of reality and scripted content, why did you feel original movies — along with scripted shows — were the best way to reach your audience?

Paul DeBenedittis: Not many networks were doing original movies back then, and frankly not many networks are doing them right now. For us, we treat the movies as mini-tentpoles. They are tentpoles for kids and families and, to some degree, they become part of pop culture for this generation. What we’re experiencing from the DCOM 100th celebration is that the movies are a pop cultural moment for many millennials who came to the channel over the Memorial Day weekend stunt to watch their favorite movies and relive their childhood moments with a sense of warmth and admiration love and affinity. We’re excited that the 100th DCOM at the end of the month is going to continue in that tradition.

MCN:Was there a seminal movie that convinced the network that original movies could serve as that event tentpole that you described?

PD: It feels like every couple of years throughout the DCOM journey there’s been that defining title among the 100 that has just captured the audience’s hearts and souls and became a part of that pop culture. I think Zenon was one many years ago; High School Musical was that one that I think people saw it, loved it and felt the momentum from it. I don’t think anyone predicted it would reach the phenomenal success that it had, but everyone knew there was something really special and magical. Teen Beach [Movie] became that next one, and just last year Descendants became this generation’s key DCOM.

MCN:So what is the secret sauce with regards to Disney’s original movie success?

PD: I would say it’s really special scripts and story, and music plays a key driver in its success. Finally, it’s about talent — you can have all of the previous ingredients, but without talent that captures and drives that story you won’t have that phenomenal success. We found that out in High School Musical, we saw that in Teen Beach, and certainly in Descendants.

MCN:Of all the stars that have appeared in Disney films, who do you think was the biggest star to come out of a DCOM movie?

PD: I would have to say Zac Efron (High School Musical 1 & 2). Zac for us was an iconic actor for that generation of DCOMs and has gone on to wonderful success.

MCN:How has the network used the appeal and reach of the movies to build the network’s brand beyond linear into digital platforms?

PD: As we look at all of our content, we know kids and families choose to consume content in many places, so for us, it’s using our distribution to really access that audience. For us, the movies for the past couple of years have aired on both linear and nonlinear platforms, and currently our movies, such as Adventures in Babysitting, will premiere on our app [a week before the film’s linear debut] so you will have the opportunity to watch that as you choose based on your viewing habits.

We still haven’t reached the threshold of whether or not the digital airings are siphoning off viewers — one might assume there is some level of that — but at the end of the day, we’re looking at overall reach. So if my linear and non-linear still brings me the reach I’m looking for, that’s fine. It’s all about making sure we have the access to the consumer on platforms that they’re choosing.

MCN:How do you see the future of the DCOM franchise and the original movie category in general?

PD: Movies are able to define us, so in the clutter they do stand out. For us, it’s still an important part of the puzzle and our content offerings — not just as premieres but as content that then becomes part of your on-demand experience. For us, movies really are an important ingredient. To continue beyond 100 its about finding great stories that are unique, that tell a relevant story, that audiences can find a piece of themselves in, that have lessons and offer wonderful entertainment value for kids and family.

Can you make an old hit new again?

Several cable networks and OTT providers are hoping to appeal to the mature end of the millennial demographic — that is 25-to-34-year-olds — by rebooting or remaking classic 1980s and 1990s TV shows.

Cartoon Network has reanimated The Powerpuff Girls, returning the characters to its schedule with a new series some 11 years after the original ended. Netflix’s Fuller House updated the 1990s ABC sitcom Full House, with the Tanner kids now grown up and raising children themselves. MTV has reimagined Scream, the 1990s horror-movie franchise that put Courteney Cox of Friends on the big screen in its first iteration.

And Disney Channel is remixing a rendition of Girl Meets World — featuring the now-grown kid stars of 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World.

All of these shows aim to appeal to busy millennials who are increasingly viewing content on nontraditional television platforms.

Today’s millennial viewers are often defined as cable cord-cutting, binge-watching viewers who devour the latest eclectic short-form content via digital platforms. Older members of the massive 16-to-34-year-old demo, though, still watch a lot of their TV the way baby boomers and Generation Xers do, gravitating to the long-form, classic content they grew up with back when cable was still cool.

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL

The trend reflects a realization that all millennials are not the same, and not every YouTube video or short-form show will appeal to all consumers in the demo.

“All of these networks are looking at the millennial audience, and some are recognizing that [older millennials] really like reminiscing about their childhood,” David Quinn, senior brand lead for digital marketing firm Beamly, said. “It was a wonderful time and some millennials embrace that.”

Like boomers and Gen Xers, older millennials are finding that the responsibilities that come with work and family leave less time for entertainment. And, like those older demos, they’re often drawn to familiar content that resonates.

Nostalgia can be a big driver for remakes of movie and TV hits that have built-in audiences but may be sitting unused in the crowded soup of subscription VOD platforms. The challenge, of course, is to parlay that nostalgia and bring in the old crowd, as well as new viewers, without it all seeming tacky.

It’s a tricky challenge for TV’s demographic marketers, who parse the world in groups of boomers, Gen Xers and millennials.

And older millennials, particularly those with families, also watch more traditional television than their younger demographic cohorts. Millennials starting a family watch more than three hours a day of live TV — that’s over an hour more than single millenials consume, according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report for fourth-quarter 2015.

That boosts the value of franchises that date back to older millennials’ childhoods, such as Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls and Nickelodeon’s Hey Arnold!. Nick has set a Hey Arnold! special that picks up where the final episode of the animated series in 2002 left off .

Nickelodeon Franchise Properties senior vice president of content development Chris Viscardi said that franchises like Hey Arnold! and 1990s game show Legends of the Hidden Temple — which the network is turning into a live-action TV movie — give Nickelodeon a leg up on other entertainment networks trying to reach the elusive audience group.

Millennials with families are also more likely than not to introduce their kids to their childhood TV favorites, Viscardi said. That helps Nick reach out to a new generation of viewers.

“There is a huge millennial love for those series, so we know that millennial fans who grew up on them will come back,” Viscardi said. “There are some things inherent in our properties that we know a new generation of fans would love also.”

Nick is exploring several other older titles that it might resurrect and develop new episodes for, although Viscardi would not provide specific details.

Shows such as Girl Meets World — less a reboot than a 2014 spinoff of the 1993-2000 ABC series Boy Meets World, featuring grownup characters from the first series with children of their own — allows Disney Channel to reach a wide audience of both adults and kids, Sean Coccia, executive vice president of business operations and general manager for Disney Channels Worldwide, said.

To further encourage co-viewing, Disney will resurrect DuckTales, a 1987-1990 syndicated animated series built around Donald Duck’s nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie and his Uncle Scrooge, for its Disney XD network in 2017. And Disney Channel later this will year premiere Adventures in Babysitting, an original movie based loosely on the 1987 theatrical fi lm of the same name.

FAMILY AFFAIR

“For Disney Channel, it is not hard to reach these millennials if we deliver content that provides them with the opportunity to share an experience and time with their families,” Cocchia said. “Social media has also helped us by giving these millennial families platforms to talk about what they love and what they are seeing in the new storylines and characters.”

Classic entertainment franchises don’t always initially appeal to the older end of the millennial audience. MTV’s Scream series — based on the horror movie franchise of the same name launched 20 years ago — had its biggest audience among younger 16-to-24-year-olds during its freshman season last summer, according to MTV senior vice president of scripted programming Mina Lefevre.

Scream will return for its sophomore season in May.

“[Younger millennials] knew about Scream — some of them watched it and some of them didn’t — but they all knew about the value and iconic nature of Scream,” Lefevre said. “For us to reinvent it for them is where we stood. We thought we could make it as appealing and iconic to them as it was to [older millennials].”

Cartoon Network’s Miller said that networks looking to reach the full swath of millennials will ultimately have to market and promote differently to the younger and older segments of the demo. “There is absolutely a difference in how we create content for different audience segments because they all consume content differently,” Miller said. “We’ve devoted a lot of time and resources to really understanding all of our audiences and how they consume media — including millennials of all different life stages, not just ages — and we develop our strategies accordingly.”

For the older end of millennials, Beamly’s Quinn said the trend toward revitalizing 1990s classic programming is only beginning as distributors look for ways to reach an elusive audience that is looking for some familiarity to go alongside all the new content offered to them.

“I definitely think this is a trend that we’ll see continue going forward,” he said. “I think it makes perfect sense because if a network is looking to create entertainment in a crowded marketplace it’s nice to create entertainment that has a built-in audience.”

Disney Channel will produce a reimaging of the popular 1980s teen film Adventures In Babysitting as part of its 2015 slate of original movies.

Also on the slate is comedy Invisible Sister, starring Rowan Blanchard (Girl Meets World), said network executives.

Further Adventures in Babysitting pits two competing babysitters played by Sabrina Carpenter (Girl Meets World) and Sofia Carson (Descendants) who come together to find one of the kids in their charge who snuck away, said network officials.

Invisible Sister follows the exploits of teen girl Cleo (Blanchard) whose science project goes terribly wrong when it turns invisible her sister Molly (played by Disney XD Mighty Med star Paris Berelc).

"These new movies bring our viewers comedic and heartfelt stories that the entire family can enjoy together, and I'm particularly thrilled to introduce a new take on a personal favorite, Adventures in Babysitting, to a whole new generation," said Adam Bonnett, executive vice president, original programming, Disney Channels Worldwide, in a statement.