December 11-15, 2006

[Ilovemydays]

Perhaps my feelings about the way AMC has treated Julia Barr (and others) are coloring my opinion that AMC deserves to be in 7th or 8th place.

[alwaysAMC]

Yeah - probably.

[Angela]

Like (almost) everybody mentioned, Nielsen is not doing it blindly, the full ratings probably looks something like this and thus the rounding is accurate:

AMC

Monday 2.44

Tuesday 2.43

Wednesday 2.34

Thursday 2.34

Friday 2.34

11.89 = 2.378 = 2.4

OLTL

Monday 2.50

Tuesday 2.40

Wednesday 2.50

Thursday 2.41

Friday 2.41

12.22 = 2.44 = 2.4

Understandable.

[ademption]

At this point, I don't know what Days' fans want. I thought that they wanted couples reunited. Check. I thought that they wanted more family-centric scenes. Check. I thought that they wanted a balance of various storylines with no character/couple dominating airtime. Check. There seems to be a HUGE disconnect b/w what fans want and what Days is providing to fans. What is it that lapsed Days' fans want? Do they want a return to the 90's? The 80's? Do they or don't they want Stefano to return? Maybe the show is listening to the wrong group of fans, who said that they wanted certain things, but when push comes to shove and the show starts delivering them, these same fans can't be bothered to watch the show. What is it that they want? B/c NOW is the time to tell Days PTB in VERY CLEAR SPECIFIC TERMS. Quite frankly, I wonder whether Days fans even know what they want. They say one thing and then they do another. If Days fans wanted family-centric scenes and to see Bo and Hope get back together for example, then there's no excuse for them to have skipped the show on Thursday and Friday. There were some incredible family bonding scenes during those shows. If they wanted to see an adventure storyline with a prominent supercouple, they got one with J&M's search of Stefano. They got nice love scenes for the supercouples earlier in the week. After seeing these numbers, I'm thoroughly disgusted by Days' fans. I guess they want the show canceled. That's the only conclusion that I can come up with to understand these abysmal numbers. If NBC does decide to cancel DAYS, I don't want to hear the uproar from these supposed lapsed fans. They had the opportunity to save the show by simply watching it and they refused to do it. Screw 'em!!

IMHO, the ratings report 2 weeks from now will be make or break time for Days. It appears the show is investing a lot of capital, fast plotlines on next week's show. If Days doesn't do well during the Christmas holiday week, I wonder how NBC execs will react?

[SpiritualJunkie]

GL again is soo close to tying or surpassing those 4 other soaps right in front of it. Too bad they didn't get better ratings for Friday's show...I thought it was really good.

[jadestar]

I can only speak for myself but as a Days fan who left during JER's tenure and came back when I found out he was leaving, I never necessarily wanted the couples reunited. I don't really care that much about any of the couples so therefore them being back together is not a draw for me. Maybe it was too much too fast in regards to the couples because in just the short time that Hogan has been there we've had Lumi, JM, Bope, and Steve/Kayla getting back together. From the ratings it looks right now that those couples being together aren't making the show improve its ratings so maybe it wasn't a good idea to put them back together and especially not so quickly...I know some of these couples have been apart for a long time but I'm talking about quickly in regards to since Hogan came aboard.

I don't think I would stop watching Days now that JER is gone because I was a long time viewer and I enjoy most of the characters but I don't enjoy that certain couples are the "it" couples of the show and that because of that, it seems I'm stuck with seeing them together over and over. Maybe the supercouple aspect of the show worked in the past but possibly some fans (and that includes me) are tired of seeing the same couples together that were together 15 or so years ago.

[SteveFrame]

ademption. Since this is not a Days thread I will comment on your post. One thing clear that Days fans do want is the show to focus on Steve and Kayla. I personally don't like them together but fans do. They are the only couple who can bring the ratings up.

Last week when the show switched focus off them viewers tuned out again. I said it in another post here - even fans who didn't know Stefano was coming back saw the writing on the wall. I just don't think the average fans wants Stefano back. Sure alot do but if these ratings are any indication at all they don't. You didn't have to be in on the know - the writing was right there clear as a bell that John & Marlena was going to find Stefano. It was predictable and something Days has done over and over and over and over and over again.

I know it is disappointing to fans.

It is clear that the average Days fans want Steve and Kayla on all the time and in something more than what Hogan gave them in November. Days is a couple based show and Days fans get hooked on one couple and it is sad but the majority of them watch it that one couple or two couples for some. This is how TPTB get the notion that certain performers or couples should be on everyday. I hope Hogan doesn't give into the temptaion and start putting Steve & Kayla on everyday like ABC does with John and some others. It gets too boring too fast.

I stopped trying to figure out what Days fans really want a long time ago - or any shows fans for that matter. I single Days out here because this is about them. Hogan is doing a good job. As I have said before he and I disagree about certain aspects of the show especially about Stefano. But he has a long road ahead of him. He does things well but he is not used to writing for fanbases like Days has. Either he is going to have to change to suit them to raise the ratings or Days fans are going to have to change - or meet in the middle somewhere.

Who knows if that will happen at this point.

[SteveFrame]

It always seems like that happens with GL. The best days seem to be the ones that don't get the best ratings. It is puzzling.

I love that they are getting so close to the 4 shows ahead of them, and could very easily be right there in the middle of the pack at any point.

[pranji]

IMO, the problem with Days right now is that it's boring. Very boring. Even though the show is CBS boring, I would rather watch it now than at any time JER was writing.

I also think that the "new" characters may also be a problem. You have recasts and new characters that haven't been received very well. And, then there are characters like Billie and Chelsea that still haven't been accepted, while well liked characters/actors have left, getting quite a bit of story.

[Lskreet]

Daytime Insights for the week of December 11th, 2006

ABC ranked 1st for the week in women 18-49 rating (1.6), followed by NBC (1.5) and CBS (1.3). NBC

won the week in women 18-34 (1.6), followed by ABC (1.2) and CBS (0.9). ABC was 1st in women 25-54

(1.9), followed by CBS (1.6) and NBC (1.5).

Compared to the prior twelve weeks of the season, NBC was flat in women 18-49 and women 18-34, while

women 25-54 was down -0.1. CBS was flat in women 18-34, but dropped -0.1 in women 18-49 and women

25-54 vs. the season-to-date averages. ABC was flat in women 18-34 and down -0.1 in women 18-49 and

25-54 demos vs. the prior twelve weeks.

DAYS' 1.8 women 25-54 rating was the show's lowest in the demo since the week of 10/2/06 (also a

1.8). CBS's ATWT drew an all time-low in all women 25-54 (1.3). Y&R posted its best women 18-34

rating (1.4) since the week of 10/9/06 (also a 1.4). ABC's GENERAL HOSPITAL drew a 2.1 women 25-54

rating, its lowest rating in the demo since 10/9/06 (also a 2.1).

In women 18-49, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1.7) ranked #3 this week (tied with THE VIEW). PASSIONS (1.3)

ranked #7 in women 18-49 (tied with B&. Among women 18-34, DAYS (1.7) was #1, ranking first in

the demo for the 584th week out of 592 weeks that it aired. PASSIONS (1.5) ranked 2nd in women

18-34 rating. For women 25-54, DAYS (1.8) ranked #5 (tied with AMC). PASSIONS (1.3) ranked #10

(tied with ATWT and PRI). For the season to date, Most Current time-shifted data, DAYS and PASSIONS

are the #1 and #2 ranked Daytime programs in women 18-34 (GENERAL HOSPITAL is tied with PASSIONS for

#2).

The most time-shifted Daytime program of the week was Y&R, which received a 0.11 lift from Live to

Live + Same Day in women 18-49 rating. AMC (+0.09), DAYS (+0.08), and GH (+0.08) also received

significant time-shifting. The remaining Daytime serials received a Live to Live + Same Day lift of

between +0.02 to +0.04. THE VIEW was up +0.07 from Live to Live + Same Day in women 18-49, while

both editions of PRICE IS RIGHT were up just +0.01.

For the season to date, Most Current data, in women 18-49, NBC (1.6) and ABC (1.7) were both flat

versus the comparable period last year, while CBS (1.4) was off -0.1. In women 18-34, NBC (1.7) was

down -0.1, CBS (0.9) was down -0.3, and ABC (1.2) was flat. For women 25-54, NBC (1.7) was up +0.2,

while ABC (2.0) was flat and CBS (1.7) declined -0.1. Among the NBC programs, DAYS OF OUR LIVES was

flat in women 18-49 rating while PASSIONS was down -0.1.

DVR sample as of 12/17/06: 925 homes (11.5% of sample)

[PhoenixRising05]

I am through with the ratings.

They don't recognize quality and they are flawed big time.

Days rocked last week and them going down had nothing to do with Stefano. That was one day and most people were happy J&M had a story and working together. People knew Stefano was coming so they would've tuned out awhile ago not just week. The majority do want Stefano back but in Joe Mascolo's form so that was the only real complaints I seen for the story.

It had nothing to do with Steve/Kayla either. They were given an awesome reunion and Monday's episode, in particular, was amazing for all the couples and that episode didn't even get a bump.

Days fans wanted this. They wanted more action and quaility. They wanted their couples and, like ademption said, they got all that and the ratings drop. I sure hope it was because of the Christmas shopping and college students having finals and so on because I have never been as perplexed as I am right now looking at the numbers. There is no excuse for it. Last week was everything the fans said they wanted and Days gets nothing.

It was a sorry week for all of daytime. Hell, Days only dropped to 4th and is right with alot of shows. These numbers are scaryfor everyone but moreso for Days because they are doing everything the fans wanted and it gets them nowhere. They got better numbers under JER for heaven's sake. I am so frustrated All I wanted was at least a 2.6.

[Soapsuds]

Another reason to fire Jean Passanante and Christopher Goutman. And the soap is so close to tying its record low in HH's.

Jean P NEEDS TO GO!

[PhoenixRising05]

There are only two new characters since Hogan began and both are barely on. Billie and Chelsea I see your point but they haven't been featured alot this month either.

The show was boring the first few weeks but this month we had J&M in Italy and finding Stefano, the reveal of EJ's identity, Sami taking a job with EJ and learning his connection to Stefano, Max and Mimi learning about Philip and getting nabbed, Kate learning about Philip along with many others, Bope and Steve/Kayla reunited, etc. The fans wanted all this and, like ademption said, it is beginning to look like they don't know what they want and I have been saying that for years. They flip flop their desires so much that the show has no idea what the hell to do. This is very sickening and worrisome.

[SteveFrame]

Been saying that for weeks myself. Glad you agree. I see that as one of Hogan's biggest mistakes in the midst of all the good he has done. Fans were having a hard time getting used to fan faves leaving. You don't bring in new characters in the midst of fans (esp. Days fans) losing their faves and give them front burner stuff like he has Willow and Nick.

[SteveFrame]

Wow the demos even make the ratings seem even worse. So many of them reached/tied/or got lows in keys demos.