Disney Channel’s ‘Descendants 2’ to Premiere on Five TV Networks

The Disney Channel original movie Descendants 2 will premiere on July 21, airing simultaneously on five networks: ABC, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime and Disney Channel.

The 8 p.m. ET “block party” is designed to help Descendants 2, the sequel to Descendants, reach the widest possible audience, the company said. The original Descendants generated 12.2 million total viewers, making it the fifth-most watched movie in cable history.

Descendants 2 will also be available on the branded digital platforms associated with those networks beginning at 10 p.m. on July 21.

Descendants' fans asked for more, and we've answered their call, with more ways to watch and more ways to engage with the next chapter in their favorite TV movie,” said Ben Sherwood, cochairman of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group. “We're combining the magic of Disney Channel content with the power and reach of our linear networks and digital platforms to ensure we're everywhere our fans are all at the same time.”

Best Western Hotels & Resorts, sponsor of the Descendants 2 television premiere on Disney Channel, recently launched a “Descendants 2 and You" sweepstakes that gives fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to undergo a Descendants makeover and meet two of the movie's stars, Sofia Carson and Cameron Boyce.

On Sunday, Boyce, Carson, Dove Cameron and Booboo Stewart will make a special appearance at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards to bring fans the exclusive world premiere of the Ways to Be Wicked music video featuring never-before-seen Descendants 2 footage.

"The passion that fans—across every demographic and geographic landscape—have demonstrated for Descendants rivals anything we've seen since High School Musical. Sharing the new sequel movie across our far-reaching portfolio of TV networks and digital platforms is something only Disney can do – and we do it proudly."

The Descendants 2 soundtrack will also be available July 21 from Walt Disney Records. The soundtrack of the original Descendants movie was No. 1 on Billboard and iTunes.

A new Descendants novel, Rise of the Isle of the Lost, will debut May 23. 2.6 million Descendants books have already been purchased.

Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media will release a new Descendants 2 product line, including apparel, accessories, dolls and consumer electronics.

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Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.