Tweens Dig Nick’s Zoey 101

Brittany’s little sister did big tween numbers for Nickelodeon Sunday night.

The debut of Nick’s new live-action comedy series, Zoey 101, starring Jamie Lynn Spears, was the network’s highest-rated premiere among tweens in almost eight years, according to Nick officials.

Zoey 101 averaged a 7.9 rating and attracted 1.6 million viewers among kids 9-14 from 8 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Jan. 9, a 53% improvement over the time slot in 2004, according to Nielsen Media Research data.

The following episode in the next half-hour did even better, garnering an 8.1 rating, a 93% improvement against that demo.

Gauged on a household basis, both episodes averaged a 2.9 rating, with the first installment capturing 3.4 million viewers and the second some 3.3 million watchers.

Zoey 101 spotlights Spears as Zoey Brooks, a 13-year-old whose independent nature is put to the test at the newly coed Pacific Coast Academy.