By Gina Keating

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - After plenty of fanfare, Walt Disney Co won record pre-teen audiences for its made-for-TV movie "High School Musical 2", the highly-anticipated sequel to its surprise hit musical of 2006.

Disney said on Monday that "High School Musical 2" drew more than 17.2 million viewers to the Disney Channel cable network for its world TV debut on Friday, making it the United States' most-watched basic cable movie ever and the most watched TV telecast for children aged 6 to 11.

Many kids got together at specially organized parties to watch the latest escapades of the singing and dancing teenagers from the fictional East High School.

"We'll really never know for sure how many kids and adults really watched because of all the viewing parties," said Disney ABC Networks spokesman Kevin Brockman. The show was repeated on Sunday evening.

The success of the first movie, described as a modern version of "Grease," took Disney by surprise. It was watched by more than 200 million viewers in 100 countries and its soundtrack became the best-selling album of 2006.

This time the company was fully prepared, with "High School Musical 2" expected to eclipse the success of its predecessor.

The sequel reunited the original cast but in a more expensive, glitzier production set at a posh country club owned by the parents of drama queen Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale).

Sharpay's romantic designs on basketball star Troy (Zac Efron) threaten to tear apart his romance with brainy science whiz Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) and his friendships,

But all is resolved at a country club talent show where the team sing "We're all in this together."

New York mother Randi Wood-O'Leary watched Friday's debut with her 8-year-old daughter Georgia O'Leary and was full of praise for the snappier dance numbers and more sophisticated music.

"She loved it," Wood-O'Leary said of her daughter. "The kids, when they watch it, they learn all the songs and the dances. The (characters) are nice ... they learn to work it out in the end. That's a good message."

She plans to buy the DVD and soundtrack for the second film, just as she did for the first -- and Disney is all geared up this time for the demand for merchandise.

The company plans to have far more licensed products in stores by year's end ranging from clothing to books to video games. A North American stage show adapted from the franchise opened on Aug. 1 and an ice-skating show launches next month.

With the success of "High School Musical" building, Disney already has plans for a third movie. This time the teenagers from East High School will be heading to a haunted house for the movie, which is to debut in movie theaters in 2008.