Disney’s new series Coven Academy recorded 11.4 million global hours viewed for its first chapter during its opening week on Disney+ and Hulu, according to internal Disney data reported exclusively by TheWrap. The show follows a group of teenagers at an elite boarding school for magic in New Orleans and is built around episodes running 10 to 15 minutes.
Disney introduced the series on Freeform on 1 October, and the full season began streaming the following day on Disney+, Hulu and Freeform on demand. Nielsen figures cited in the report put Coven Academy at number one among streaming series for viewers aged 12 to 17 across its premiere weekend, and in the top five among all audiences. Freeform, Disney+ and Hulu are all part of Disney’s television business, giving the company several outlets for the same launch.
The company also placed the first chapter on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube on 2 October, the same day as its Disney+ debut. That generated more than 30 million additional social views, in total, with about 18 million on TikTok, 11 million on Instagram and 2.4 million on YouTube. The approach puts a younger generation of viewers, often described as Gen Alpha, at the centre of the launch.
The first season runs to 21 chapters, a format that sits between the microdramas popular on social platforms and the roughly 21-minute episodes common across Disney’s television output. Creator Tim Federle told TheWrap that the team filmed 10 episodes and then cut them into the 21 chapters, aiming for frequent cliffhangers and steady forward momentum without losing character moments. “What if we did more episodes, more cliffhangers, more propulsion,” he said of the thinking behind the structure, adding that it is hard for new shows to break through. The short running times also make individual chapters easy to share on social platforms.
The cast is led by Malina Pauli Weissman, Malachi Barton, Jordan Leftwich, Ora Duplass and Louis Thresher, with Tiffani Thiessen, Devon Sawa, Swayam Bhatia, Brendon Tremblay, Keegan Connor Tracy, BJ Harrison and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre also appearing. The official logline describes the story as following three teenage witches and their dangerously charming warlock peers. Sawa’s casting had been announced separately ahead of the launch. Disney has not yet announced plans for a second season.
