Usually straight-to-DVD movies aren’t huge events when they make their television debut. No surprise, if the movie didn’t warrant a theatrical release, there probably aren’t many people clamoring to watch it.

Here's one exception: “Bring it On: All or Nothing. " The reason: It features one of TV’s biggest new stars, Hayden Panettiere of NBC's "Heroes."

"Bring it On: All or Nothing" was the last thing she did before rocketing to fame on “Heroes." “Bring it On: All or Nothing,” filmed in 2006, is the second straight-to-DVD sequel to the original 2000 Kirsten Dunst cheerleading movie.

Thanks to Panettiere, "Bring it On" aired record numbers among teenagers last Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.

The movie averaged 1.5 million viewers 12-17, including 1.2 million female teens, and boosted ABC Family to its best-ever weekly average in that demographic, 389,000. It was the network’s most-watched movie ever in those demographics, and it more than tripled the network’s average on the same night a year ago among teens. 

It also did very well in older demographics, but was especially dominant among teens, where “Heroes” is one of the top scripted shows on broadcast.

In “Nothing,” Panettiere plays the lead role as a high school cheerleader who moves to a different city and clashes with her new squad. The movie, which also stars Solange Knowles-Smith, Beyonce’s little sister, follows the same basic premise as the earlier “Bring it On” movies, climaxing in an acrobatic final competition.

The “Nothing” role may have been particularly interesting to “Heroes” fans, as Panettiere also plays a cheerleader on the NBC show. Her “Heroes” character is able to heal herself and has already come back from the dead once.

Panettiere already had a small but loyal following from her stint on CBS’s “Guiding Light” from 1996 to 2000. She’s one of several actresses who have portrayed Lizzie Spaulding. The current Lizzie, Marcy Rylan, also appears in “Nothing.”

That drew in soap fans as well on Sunday as posters on Soapcentral.com’s messageboards alerted others to their appearance on the ABC Family movie.

“Nothing” was reasonably successful as far as straight-to-DVD sequels go, though that’s a very limited business. It was the No. 2 straight-to-DVD movie in sales last year behind “American Pie: Band Camp.”
 
Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending March 25:

Among teens 12-17: Fox was first with a 3.0 rating and 10 share, followed by CBS at 1.5/6, the CW at 1.5/5, ABC at 1.4/5, Univision at 1.2/4, NBC at 1.0/4, Telefutura and Telemundo at 0.2/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0.

Among kids 2-11: Fox led with a 2.1/8, followed by Univision at 1.2/6, ABC at 1.1/5, CW and the CW at 1.0/4, CBS at 0.9/4, NBC at 0.8/3, Telemundo and Telefutura at 0.2/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0.

The top five shows among kids 2-5: Tie-1. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Saturday 9:30 a.m.); Tie-1. “The Backyardigans” (Nickelodeon, Thursday 10:30 a.m.); 3. “The Backyardigans” (Nickelodeon, Monday 10:30 a.m.); 4. “Blues Clues” (Nickelodeon, Thursday 10 a.m.); 5. “Blues Clues” (Nickelodeon, Monday 10 a.m.)

The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 2. “Naked Brothers Band” (Nickelodeon, Saturday 8:30 p.m.); Tie-3. “Ned Declassified” (Nickelodeon, Saturday 8 p.m.); Tie-3. “Ned Declassified” (Nickelodeon, Friday 6 p.m.);  5. “Big Fat Liar” (Disney, Friday 9:05 p.m.)

The top five shows among 9-14: 1. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 2. “American Idol” (Fox, Wednesday 9 p.m.); 3. “Bring it On: All or Nothing” (ABC Family, Sunday 8 p.m.); 4.  “Big Fat Liar” (Disney, Friday 9:05 p.m.); 5. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Friday 8 p.m.)