Just Miley Cyrus

The pester power of young girls appears to be recession-proof. Disney said today that Hannah Montana, its television series featuring a girl who lives a double life as a rock star, shipped over a million albums, TV and movie soundtracks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) last year as the series, already hugely popular in the US, was boosted by a new film.

The series has already made Miley Cyrus, its star and the daughter of the US country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, a multimillionaire at the age of 17.

Spin-offs from the series have helped boost Disney’s coffers. Close to 50 million Hannah Montana books and almost six million sticker packets have been sold around the world as the company uses its marketing power to move its stars across its platforms.

A dedicated mini Hannah Montana website is one of Disney’s most popular to date, receiving an average of 1.25 million unique visitors per month across the EMEA region.

The film Hannah Montana: The Movie, which was launched across EMEA in April 2009, took $53 million in the region and more than $150 million worldwide.

At the same time, Disney’s theme parks have suffered during the recession as consumers around the world count their pennies. It is also worried about the future of DVD sales. The company has been on the offensive with acquisitions, and has bought the animation studio Pixar and the comic book company Marvel in the past couple of years to help to boost its revenues.

Nicoletta Gelli, vice-president of brand marketing for Disney Channels EMEA, said: “As we have successfully seen with High School Musical and Camp Rock, which first burst onto the scene as Disney Channel programming, Hannah Montana has likewise gone on to spawn popular consumer products, soundtracks and a spin-off feature movie, proving that television is critical in creating a number one teen franchise. Disney is committed to the long-term growth of the franchise across the region with further launches and the much anticipated premiere of season four in 2010.”