‘High School Musical 2’ sets basic cable record

Looks like a lot of people couldn’t wait to get back to high school.

Friday’s premiere of “High School Musical 2” on the Disney Channel smashed ratings records, with a total audience of 17.2 million, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research. That makes the bubble-gum-pop extravaganza the most-watched basic cable telecast of all time and also more than doubles the tally for the original “HSM,” which became a surprise hit last year (7.7 million).

The previous cable record was 16 million for a “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN in 2006.

The sequel did especially well among viewers who are far too young for the prom: Disney officials bragged that “HSM2” was the most-watched show in TV history among kids ages 6 to 11, with 6.1 million viewers in that age group.

The results bode well for Disney’s plans to turn “High School Musical” into the company’s latest monster franchise. Also sure to be taking notice are executives at rival networks. Broadcasters have pursued a strategy of reruns and reality series this summer, only to watch millions of viewers defect to basic cable.