CBS Daytime Free Fall

[heatherwebber]

Sony isn't involved with B&B unless something has just changed.

All the soaps are going down in ratings. They've been falling for about 20 years.

[LiasonAgent007]

People tend to ignore that fact...

Times change. Just because there are lesser viewers doesn't mean Daytime TV is dead or will be dead within the next few years.

EDIT: Just to clarify theres been a downward trend in the amount of viewers....

[Soapsuds]

Actually that's not necessarliy true. Back in 1993 soaps were up from the previous year.

1.Y&R 9.7

2.AMC 7.0

3.B&B 6.7

4.ATWT 6.6

5.GH 6.4

6.GL 6.2

7.OLTL 6.1

8.Days 5.7

9.AW 3.6

[winterguy125]

Looking at that 1993 list makes me sad I blame OJ Simpson for this, it all starting going down hill during the time when soaps were less important than his dang never ending trail. AW a now cancelled show has a higher rating that year than all the soaps other than Y&R today, that is just really sad.

[NYC123]

AMC #2. Miss those days.

[Soapsuds]

Yup, Connor Walsh was accused of killing Linc Lafferty. It was one of the major storylines going on during ATWT at that time.

AMC hasnt been #2 in years.

[NYC123]

Yup. The highest they been is #4!

ATWT needs to fire that HACk writer and bring back someone else BETTER!!!

YR needs to fire LML to get me back.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

That's true, but if we did the overall averages for the 90's, Y&R would be the #1 ranked soap, AMC would be the #2 ranked soap, and Days would be the #3 ranked soap. AMC was the last east coast soap to truly achieve above average ratings.

I miss those days though, soaps were actually worth my time watching.

[stenbeck212]

But the amount of viewers gets closer and closer to NO viewers every day. Why would the networks continue to invest in the genre with no payoff? Daytime is on life support, and TPTB are like Orlena Grimaldi on ATWT, slipping into its hospital room to finish it off.

[Soapsuds]

We are not doing averages my dear Alvin. I am referring to one year. Yeah soaps were better back then. ATWT was being written by Douglas Marland. Y&R had WJB.

[DeeeDee]

Preach.

[koos]

I think in order for soaps to survive, they need to be held to the same standards as primetime shows. No more choppy, nonsensical writing, plot-driven crap, laughable acting. The biggest obstacle, IMO, are the budgets, but if everything else is excellent, no one will mind cheap sets. What most people do mind, I think, are total lapses in logic and reality on a minute-by-minute basis, and I don't mean bleeding tree stumps or evil spas and doctors that prematurely age you (although those don't help). When was the last time you watched a soap that didn't completely fudge details or just plain not make sense at one point or another? I think some people would rather have fantasy BS that is written well, than "realism" that isn't realistic at all, but that might just be me (and I still hate fantasy crap, just not as much as error-prone writing).

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Week of September 3-7, 2007

Total Viewers (Last Week/Last Year) (Same Week: 2003)

1. Y&R 5,389,000 (+73,000/-159,000) (-300,000)

2. B&B 3,641,000 (+26,000/-569,000) (-608,000)

3. GH 3,280,000 (-46,000/+120,000) (-895,000)

4. OLTL 3,121,000 (-21,000/+100,000) (-536,000)

5. AMC 2,904,000 (+29,000/-60,000) (-760,000)

6. ATWT 2,888,000 (+253,000/-612,000) (-978,000)

7. DAYS 2,588,000 (+49,000/-662,000) (-919,000)

8. GL 2,537,000 (+70,000/-495,000) (-1,014,000)

9. PSNS 1,645,000 (-22,000/-90,000) (-848,000)

Total Viewers: Same Week 2003 (EP/HW)

1. Y&R 5.689 million viewers (Shaughnessy/Smith/Alden/Jones) Was this a magical team or what?

2. B&B 4.249 (Bell) What can I say: Extreme camp rocked back then

3. GH 4.175 (Farren Phelps/Guza/Pratt) They proved they could lure in viewers. "Could" being the operative term.

4. ATWT 3.866 (Goutman/Sheffer/Passanante) Makes you wonder about Passanante's thought process.

5. AMC 3.664 (Dadario Burke/McTavish) The duo rocked AMC in their short stint together.

6. OLTL 3.657 (Valentini/Malone/Griffith) Higley & Carlivati must be jealous of this team's "success"

7. GL 3.551 (Conboy/Weston) Daytime's most mistreated show since 1995

8. DAYS 3.507 (Corday/Wyman/Reilly/Higley) No wonder people are calling for ANOTHER serial killer story

9. PSNS 2.493 (Cazotte/Reilly) Remember Another World? NBC & Frons don't want you to. Breathe in, breathe out, you keep me alive....for only 8 years. I'm speechless when it comes to this show.

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Week of September 10-14, 2007

Total Viewers (Last Week/Last Year) (Same Week: 2003)

1. Y&R 5,462,000 (+73,000/-108,000) (-366,000)

2. B&B 3,673,000 (+32,000/-390,000) (-816,000)

3. GH 3,366,000 (+86,000/+221,000) (-466,000)

4. OLTL 2,996,000 (-125,000/-56,000) (-473,000)

5. ATWT 2,973,000 (+85,000/-210,000)(-1,022,000)

6. AMC 2,792,000 (-112,000/-198,000) (-733,000)

7. GL 2,576,000 (+39,000/-192,000)(-1,116,000)

8. DAYS 2,453,000 (-135,000/-723,000)(-1,218,000)

Total Viewers: Same Week 2003

1. Y&R 5.828 million viewers

2. B&B 4.489

3. ATWT 3.995

4. GH 3.832

5. GL 3.692

6. DAYS 3.671

7. AMC 3.525

8. OLTL 3.469

Household Ratings

2007/Same Week 2003

1. Y&R 4.0/4.5

2. B&B 2.8/3.3

3. GH 2.5/3.1

4. OLTL 2.3/2.7

5. ATWT 2.2/2.9

5. AMC 2.2/2.7

7. GL 2.0/2.4

8. DOOL 1.9/2.9

*Passions canceled/2.1

*Port Charles canceled/1.5

[stenbeck212]

Yep, 'cause there's a whole slew of viewers now who think that style of campy theatrics is a mediocrity soaps were made for.