‘Days Of Our Lives’ Cast Released From Contracts Amid Renewal Talks With NBC

[PTBoardOp94]

Got to wonder just how many people are watching midday network TV these days -- or any TV during those hours, for that matter. The viewers must consist mainly of the elderly, the third-shift workers, the unemployed, the ever-decreasing number of stay-at-home wives, shut-ins of various descriptions ... not exactly the sort of demographic makeup that would have much appeal to advertisers. They obviously must be overwhelmingly female, because none of the networks is airing anything remotely male-skewing between 10 and 3.

Each of the remaining soaps gets a rating of between 0.47 and 0.62 in the W18-49 demo, and 2.1 to 4.0 million viewers across all demographics. If I do the math right, that's only around 330,000 demo viewers for Y&R, and 250,000 demo viewers for DooL.

I generally agree with your assessment. There's a reason that most cable networks re-air library content during the day (Pawn Stars marathons, old episodes of Love It or List It, blah blah blah)

Source

 

[CTListener]

Each of the remaining soaps gets a rating of between 0.47 and 0.62 in the W18-49 demo

And to think that in the '80s, college students were skipping classes in huge numbers so as not to miss "General Hospital"!

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

You’ve got stay at home parents (both genders, mind you), non-traditional shift workers (maybe they work weekends and have weekdays off or work 2nd/3rd shift), remote workers and more all in the mix. One population may ebb while
another flows. It’s not all 90-year-old grandmas home during the day.

Cable networks, from news and sports to the entertainment ones to premium channels, all take a piece of that pie. DVRs, streaming and on demand mean the millions of available eyeballs aren’t limited in their choices. Work at night? Great, 10 am may be your primetime, and you can far more easily make it so than decades past.

In that reality, “soaps” as commonly thought of are going to no longer make economic sense sooner rather than later.

 

[TheBigA]

I know some people who are very active soap fans, but none who watch in real time. They DVR, binge watch in free time, have Facebook chat groups about these shows where they can spend hours talking about this person or that scene.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Like everything the content spans platforms. Monetizing it adequately is that big challenge. Some do it well, others....less so. I personally don’t think soaps have the ability of some other genres to offset enough lost “traditional TV” dollars on those platforms, at least not without a significant change in the cost structure.

Releasing an entire cast might shake that cost structure up. ?

 

[FreddyE1977]

And to think that in the '80s, college students were skipping classes in huge numbers so as not to miss "General Hospital"!

Yup. They're spending that time on social media now.

This and increasing numbers of women working outside the home are why these things have taken it on the chin.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

It’s more complex.

 

[John Gallagher]

Got to wonder just how many people are watching midday network TV these days -- or any TV during those hours, for that matter. The viewers must consist mainly of the elderly, the third-shift workers, the unemployed, the ever-decreasing number of stay-at-home wives, shut-ins of various descriptions ... not exactly the sort of demographic makeup that would have much appeal to advertisers. They obviously must be overwhelmingly female, because none of the networks is airing anything remotely male-skewing between 10 and 3.

Personal anecdote: My dad's 98 and he spends most of the day napping, flipping between CNN and MSNBC, or looking for a war, detective or western movie on one of the Starz channels. I'd be surprised if he's ever watched a minute of what the networks offer in the daytime.

I think with the huge amount of streaming services available combined with many working 2 or 3 jobs just to get by, less are watching over the air TV.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

People watch plenty of “TV.” It comes in so many varieties and on many screens from many sources.

 

[TheBigA]

I think with the huge amount of streaming services available combined with many working 2 or 3 jobs just to get by, less are watching over the air TV.

Maybe, but they definitely watch shows. How they do it varies. It's not always in real time.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Each of the remaining soaps gets a rating of between 0.47 and 0.62 in the W18-49 demo, and 2.1 to 4.0 million viewers across all demographics. If I do the math right, that's only around 330,000 demo viewers for Y&R, and 250,000 demo viewers for DooL.

I generally agree with your assessment. There's a reason that most cable networks re-air library content during the day (Pawn Stars marathons, old episodes of Love It or List It, blah blah blah)

Source

Even those are better than the trash talk, courtroom shows and infomercials that make up a big part of daytime TV now.

 

[TVCOOL]

I think NBC will just have a series finale and abandon daytime 10am - 5pm and leave it to their stations to schedule syndicated programs instead.

 

[TheBigA]

I think NBC will just have a series finale and abandon daytime 10am - 5pm and leave it to their stations to schedule syndicated programs instead.

Keep in mind that NBC has access to hours and hours of programming from many sources.

Network time equals money. Giving back time means giving away money. I don't expect them to give away money.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Absolutely. There’s a lot they could do.

 

[seatownmedia]

In my lifetime, there were once 19 soap operas on the air. This would be the 1969-70 tv season. I remember being sick at home when I was around 10 and they were everywhere!

You can time travel here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969–70_United_States_network_television_schedule_(daytime)

 

[danderson6500]

The NBC shows were my grandparents favorites- Concentration, The Doctors, Another World, The Hollywood Squares and there's one more. Bright Promise? I can't remember if was that one or the game show You Don't Say.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Eepeats of prime time shows like is done on cable now was also been done in the past on the big 3, Even that would be better than turning the time back over to the local stations.

 

[Don CT]

I know some people who are very active soap fans, but none who watch in real time. They DVR, binge watch in free time, have Facebook chat groups about these shows where they can spend hours talking about this person or that scene.

Are soaps the most DVR'd program? I know they were a big reason for VCR's back in the day.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Eepeats of prime time shows like is done on cable now was also been done in the past on the big 3, Even that would be better than turning the time back over to the local stations.

I suppose if one works for a local station that might look a little different.

 

[crainbebo]

If NBC gives back 1PM ET/PT to the affiliates, expect many, many stations to air local news at 1. I can just see KING 5 News at 1 in the near future...