Rockin’ the world: Disney Consumer Products taps High School Musical’s global appeal to hit local tweens

With a combined global viewership of 437 million and counting, Disney's TV movies High School Musical (2006) and HSM 2 (2007) seem to contain the songs that make the whole world sing - especially that notoriously fickle tween demo. To keep its legion of fans ages eight to 14 humming along, Disney is prepping HSM 3 for its big-screen debut around the globe in October. And while the largely female fanbase waits to find out whether or not Troy and Gabriella will head off to separate colleges and end their grand romance, Disney's been busy putting the considerable weight of its channel, consumer products and music divisions behind the franchise to keep those tweens engaged in the meantime.