Ultimate Spider-Man Leaps to Ratings #1

Spider-Man action figure topping retailers' Christmas recommendation lists

A new animated series, Marvel's has stormed to record ratings on Disney XD UK.  The show is the on the boy-focused, girl-inclusive channel launched in August 2009 , reaching a huge 4+ including and in its first six weeks on air.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120816/554700 )

The premiere episode of was the best performing show in its timeslot with boys 8-12 on any kids TV channel in the UK, including those available in twice as many homes*.  Over the first six weeks, the series also boosted year on year Disney XD ratings for its timeslot by 77%.

"The success of demonstrates the demand for Marvel content from a new generation," comments Boel Ferguson , General Manager, Disney Channels UK & Ireland . "Following the incredible success of 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 . Beginning 17 August, Marvel Universe will become the TV home for everyone's favorite Super Heroes."

, a dedicated programming block airing every Friday at 3.30pm on Disney XD, will feature some of the most popular Super Heroes in the world - ,   & .  The Disney XD block will be home to all of Marvel's action-packed animated series including hit programs and .

The success of Spider-Man on TV screens has been mirrored by the success of the franchise across UK retailers, with both Argos and Tesco having included the Web Shooting Spider-Man action figure from Hasbro in their top Christmas recommendations**. 

is written and guided by the most star-studded creative team in Super Hero television history, including Marvel's Chief Creative Officer, Joe Quesada , and Marvel's EVP - Head of Television, Jeph Loeb , Supervising Producer Man of Action Studios ( Joe Kelly , Joe Casey , Steven T. Seagle & Duncan Rouleau ), Creative Consultant/Writer Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Lost), and Consulting Producer/Writer Brian Michael Bendis (Marvel's Ultimate Comics Spider-Man comic series), is a series of many firsts, extraordinary given the enduring popularity of the character within the Marvel Universe.  In the storyline, a teenage Peter Parker (voiced by actor Drake Bell ) juggles the relatable challenges of high school with the extraordinary challenges of being a Super Hero. Nick Fury (voiced by actor Chi McBride ) invites Parker to train with his S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, where Peter's alter-ego, Spider-Man, will join forces with four other teenage Super Heroes - ,   and , on the greatest action and adventure ever as they work to become Ultimate Super Heroes!

Notes to editors:

- Executive Producers: Alan Fine (Marvel's , , ), Dan Buckley (Marvel's , ), Joe Quesada (Marvel's Chief Creative Officer), and Jeph Loeb (Marvel's EVP - Head of Television) ( and ); Co-Executive Producers:  Stan Lee ( ) and Eric Radomski ( ); Supervising Producer: Man of Action Studios' (creators of and ) Joe Casey , Joe Kelly , Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle ; other Supervising Producers: Dana Booton ( ) and Cort Lane (The Super Hero Squad Show); Creative Consultant (and Pilot Writer): Paul Dini ( , ): Consulting Producer: Brian Michael Bendis (visionary behind Marvel's Ultimate Comics Spider-Man comic series). is produced by Marvel Animation.

Ultimate Spider-Man stars Drake Bell (Drake & Josh) as Peter Parker /Spider-Man, Chi McBride ( ) as Nick Fury , Clark Gregg ( ) as Agent Coulson, JK Simmons ( ) as J. Jonah Jameson , Steven Weber (Wings) as Norman Osborn , Greg Cipes ( ) as Danny Rand /Iron Fist, Ogie Banks as Luke Cage /Power Man, Caitlyn Taylor Love ( ) as Ava Ayala /White Tiger, Logan Miller ( ) as Sam Alexander /Nova, Tom Kenny ( as Doctor Octopus, Matt Lanter ( ) as Harry Osborn /Flash Thompson, Tara Strong (The Fairly Odd Parents) as Mary-Jane Watson , Misty Lee ( ) as Aunt May, and recurring guest star Stan Lee ( ) as Stan the Janitor.

About Marvel

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years.  Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.

About Disney XD

Launched in the UK in August 2009 , Disney XD is a boy-focused, girl-inclusive channel for kids aged 6-14 years. Disney XD includes a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure, music and humour.  Disney XD branded content spans television, online and VOD platforms. The programming line-up includes series, movies and short-form content.

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