April 9-13, 2007

[Carolyn1980]

NBC Daytime has sunken like a stone the past year.

Check out the percentage drops year-to-year for both shows:

Households

DAYS -25%

PSNS -13%

Women 18-49

DAYS -28%

PSNS -27%

Women 18-34

DAYS -40%

PSNS -31%

Horrific.

[cal3]

If the above from last week was a new low in total viewers and the total viewers for OLTL this week is 6. OLTL 2,898,000 (-3,000/-233,000), then didn't OLTL hit yet another new low in total viewers? Also didn't they hit a new series low for the 18-34?

[cal3]

If the above from last week was a new low in total viewers and the total viewers for OLTL this week is 6. OLTL 2,898,000 (-3,000/-233,000), then didn't OLTL hit yet another new low in total viewers? Also didn't they hit a new series low for the 18-34?

[ZaraB]

OLTL certainly deserved those numbers. The past weeks, the contract negotiations were far more dramatic than the show -- I'm curious what will happen when the stories written around those negotiations hit the screen.

[David V]

Around 1999 or so, if we only count the soaps still on air, the approximate viewership numbers were:

Y&R: 8 million

B&B: 5.6 million

Days: 5.4 million

GH: 4.9 million

ATWT: 4.7 million

GL: 4.6 million

AMC: 4.2 million

OLTL: 3.9 million

Compare that to today's numbers:

Y&R: 5.6 million

B&B: 4.1 million

GH: 3.4 million

ATWT: 3.1 million

AMC: 3 million

OLTL: 2.9 million

GL: 2.8 million

Days: 2.6 million

Days has lost over 50% of its audience since 1999, whereas Y&R has lost 30% which is no more or less than most soaps have. Total viewership in 1999 (if you count the cancelled AW and SB) was around 48 million, total viewership in 2007 is around 29 million or a loss of around 40%

A further comparison is that in 1999, Days had around 67% of the viewers Y&R had whereas in 2007 it's 46%

I'm sure you'll find that the rate of decline from 1989 to 1999 wasn't as sharp as it's been from 1999 onwards.

[R!ck]

They can't

[RogerNewcomb]

Thanks Rick. Days is paying actors they are not using. I don't understand this for any of the soaps. If a vet has a guarantee, even 1 episode per week or XX in a cycle, why not at least use the minimum that you are paying? Fans seem to want to see these characters and you don't have any money by not using them the minimum amount of episodes. I think what has been show has been a creative decision more than a financial one.

[Ilovemydays]

Kristin Alfonso's contract is up this month. It is not uncommon for the writers to 'clear the slate' before writing for them just in case the actor does not re-sign. Kristen's contract could have inadvertently effected Peter Reckell or vice versa as Peter's contract is up in Aug.

There were to be certain reveals last Nov. but DAYS could not come to terms with Joe Mascolo. Perhaps John can't come out of coma until the reveal in May. I also wonder if Drake's absence is due in part to the unfortunate run in with that crazed stalker. Maybe everyone thought it wasn't necessary for Drake to come in just to film dream sequences. And if that is what they had written up for John/Marlena it explains Deirdre's missing as well. Instead if rewriting and allowing for filler they just gave her some time off.

[bellcurve]

But what kind of faith does that give you in your show or in your actors that they will resign? Instead of having a story in place ready to go DURING negotations, they stall your story. And unless Kristian or Peter really need the money, why would they want to stay on a show where they are not getting a storyline and where they are probably gonna get low-balled come negotiation time?

Everyone knows that most of the time in soaps when they don't give you a story or take you character on vacation or put them in a coma, they are probably gonna try to negotatiate your new contract for less. If Kristian and Peter's contracts are both up this year, instead of waiting for negotiations, if they had any plans to want to keep them in the future for what they are worth, they would have placed them in a frontburner story from the get-go. Why wait for boht Peter AND Kristian's contracts to be renewed to give them a story?

I don't even really like the Big Four, but they are greatly missed right now on DAYS. There's no excuse why no one can't write for them.

[All My Shadows]

ITA! I really can't stand any of those four characters, and, to be honest, I'd be happy if they were written out completely, but it's a common knowledge that they are the hugest draw to the show. No reason why they shouldn't be treated that way.

[NYC123]

No offense but DAYS I think will not rise. It has been the WROST show!!! It has been falling and it is going to be hard to get it back up. Theres np way unless the world has gona crazy. DAYS is in a major slump and I don't feel bad for them. They deserve these numebers and if they get cancelled which I am hoping for it's there own fault.

On a good note All My Children is rising! YAY!! They are great right now with the balance, vets coming back and actual storylines i enjoy! Good for them!!

[Manny]

Cancelling DAYS would cause a big effect on Daytime television in general, IMO... so wishing a cancellation of any soap right now is wishing death to the entire daytime television...

[Mason]

Nice...

[KLN]

That's so much bullsh!t, I can smell it from here.

When a show is in a slump, the only good fix it to cancel it? Should AMC have also been cancelled when it was in a creative slump? OLTL? GL? I don't understand why anyone would wish cancellation on any long-running daytime soap at the moment, because a blow to one is a blow to all -- especially considering that Days is an iconic show, one of "the big three." When one wishes cancellation on another soap rather than just hoping for it to get better, it says to me that a viewer of a different soap just wants less competition so their show can take all the shine. Let your show gain its own glory rather than winning it all by default.

[All My Shadows]

I'm gonna trust that when you use that phrase, you're copying it from somebody else. Who was the one who took it upon themselves to list the "big three" soaps? There's no such thing. Almost all of the soaps on the air have experienced a long period of extremely wild popularity.

ETA: Oh, and ITA with your post.