‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ Swings to #1

There’s a new star in the Disney XD lineup as Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man animated series has rocketed to record ratings on Disney XD UK. The show is the top-rated animated title on the channel, reaching 1.2 million individuals 4+, including 683,000 kids 4-15 and 265,000 boys 8-12 in its first six weeks on air.The premiere episode was the best performing show in its timeslot with boys 8-12 on any kids TV channel in the UK. The series has also boosted year-on-year Disney XD ratings for its timeslot by 77%.“The success of Ultimate Spider-Man demonstrates the demand for Marvel content from a new generation” comments Boel Ferguson, General Manager, Disney Channels UK & Ireland. “Following the incredible success of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble in theatres across the UK we wanted to give our viewers a go-to TV destination for more excitement and energy of the latest Marvel series like Ultimate Spider-Man. Beginning 17 August, Marvel Universe will become the TV home for everyone’s favorite Super Heroes.”Ultimate Spider-Man, which follows a teenaged Peter Parker, is written and run by a star-studded creative team including Marvel’s CCO Joe Quesada; Marvel EVP-Head of Television, Jeph Loeb; supervising producers Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Steven T. Seagle & Duncan Rouleau (Man of Action); creative consultant/writer Paul Dini; and consulting producer/writer Brian Michael Bendis. The voice cast stars Drake Bell as Spidey and Chi McBride as Nick Fury.Additionally, the success of the show is being reflected in retail trends, with Argos reporting last week that 6 out of their top 10 toy lines were Spider-Man products, and that the web-shooting Spider-Man action figure tops holiday gift recommendation lists at UK retailers Argos and Tesco.