No More Day-Aheads

[GBB]

According to the Canuckdays site, Canadians will no longer see day-ahead episodes as of January 1st.

If this is true, does anyone think it might have a positive impact on ratings?

[Mason]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I really don't see how it would have an effect on U.S. ratings.

[King]

I think this is really good! Now, we can all be on the same page. I never understood why it was a day ahead anyway.

[bellcurve]

Naaaa. Damage is done. Spoilers existed before the "day-ahead phenomenon" that leaked into the online culture.

The only setback to this is that little "can't miss moments"(i.e. Dru attacking Carmen in the Newman Breakroom on Y&R) won't be spoiled by the Canadians and can't create that buzz on the internet to watch the Monday show.

[GBB]

Because fangroups are able to watch clipped scenes of "their couple" a day early now, cutting down on the need to watch the show on network television the next day.

[All My Shadows]

I personally think that one way to get ratings up is to do away with the large ellaborate sets of spoilers that come out. Blind items would work best, I think.

[fee93]

I highly doubt this will affect the ratings at all. The majority of the viewers are probably not as enthused about spoilers and all the backstage drama as the message boarders are. In fact, most soap viewers that I've run into over the years (that I haven't met from online forums) are literally stunned when I mention a spoiler. "OMG, how do you know????!!" Me: "I just do...."

[KLN]

YES!!!

I've been hoping for this for the longest time!

It sucks for sites like Prevuze, etc. and it'll suck for me if I end up missing an episode when I didn't expect something to happen that ends up happening and I didn't know ahead of time... but isn't that the point? To make us watch EVERY DAY, incase we miss something?

For once, we Days fans might actually be surprised at something! I'm so stoked about this.

I don't think it'll have much of an impact on the ratings, really... positively OR negatively. But I'm still happy about the genuine surprise factor coming back, possibly. I don't know why it took 'em so long to stop the day-aheads!

[All My Shadows]

That's what I was talking about. If you have pretty much no clue what's going to happen, your natural instinct is to make it a point to watch every single day, no matter how bad a show will get. I used to love spoilers, but I honestly think that they are waaaaaay too detailed.

[KLN]

I completely agree with you. One of the biggest reasons that I don't have the same fire for soaps that I used to is because of spoilers and the INCREDIBLY detailed day-ahead previews (especially for Days). I can just scan through the day-aheads and watch the soaps as background noise and only pay attention when I know something important is going to happen, as spoiled an entire day before in the day-ahead synopsis.

Spoilers might be detailed, but soaps still throw in the occasional shock or scene/dialogue you didn't expect... and getting rid of the day-aheads will allow us to preserve those.

This is another Christmas present for me! LoL I'm so happy about this, if it's true. Now all I need to hear is that Eileen Davidson is back in Salem and I'll be peachy!

[DaysGal]

JMO. but this probably won't help ratings that much. Only onliners know about the day ahead sites.

I think what needs to stop is releasing the spoilers ahead of time. Of course, you can choose not to read them, but those that do will make a decision whether they want to watch or not.

The bottom line for me is, if the stories are good I will tune in no matter what.

[KLN]

I agree. But it'll help with my personal enjoyment of the show, and that's all I really care about, LoL

[bellcurve]

It doesn't help when Soap Opera Digest, in really big, bold font, presents us with

Y&R: PHEILA'S ALIVE

or

Y&R: CASSIE DIES

or

DAYS TWIST: THEY ARE ALL ALIVE!

[Mason]

I agree that spoilers in general are the problem. The element of surprise needs to be there to keep an audience in soaps, and when so many fans know far ahead of time what's coming, they can easily decide not to watch. But I doubt this will really have any effect at all.

[Helena]

Canuck days site? Do you have a link?

I like Day Ahead for Y&R and Passions...but I'm sure I'll get used to not having a day-ahead episode, if it's true. I never really understood why we got episodes a day before the USA.

Day ahead isn't a big deal as far as spoilers go. We're one episode ahead...you can read what's going to happen up to a week ahead on most sites.