Disney’s new XD cable network, which targets boys, debuted last Friday and, led by the live action Aaron Stone, posted some very strong numbers.  Disney re-branded its Toon Disney channel and added a number of live action series in an effort to replicate the kind of success with boys and tween males that the Disney channel, thanks to series such Hannah Montana and “events” like the High School Musical films, has had with young girls (see “Toon Disney to Become Disney XD”).

Last Friday during its first day on the air the Disney XD delivered some 6.5 million unduplicated total viewers including 2.6 million kids from 6-14.  Disney aired back-to-back episodes of Aaron Stone at 7pm and 7:30 pm, and the debuting series drew an average of 224,000 boys from 6-14, and 286,000 kids from 6-14—by far the best debut performance by any series that ever aired on the Toon Disney channel, and a triple-digit improvement over the audience that Toon Disney was able to attract during the second Friday in February in 2008.