Canadian soap ratings

[MarkH]

Roger Newcomb has a bit at yesterday's blog (unsourced as near as I can tell) that suggests that Y&R beat the usually-hot Canadian Idol in the ratings last week.

An interesting figure is that Y&R had 896,000 viewers, which was EIGHTH PLACE (of ALL TV shows!). Canada has 33,390,141 residents. The US has 301,139,947 residents, or about nine times as many residents.

Using this to pro-rate the Canadian figures, it implies that the equivalent number in the US would be 8,081,024...slightly less than double the number of counted viewers in the US.

WOW.

I've posted before about the importance of later timeslots internationally, and specifically how Canada got to have a late broadcast, but I am stunned by these numbers.

Canada and the US are different (as a Canadian-American, I should know)...but not THAT different. The lifestyles are not THAT different. Can only timeslot explain the difference?

Here is my hypothesis: I think BECAUSE of the timeslot (after work), Y&R is much more woven into the fabric of Canada. People actually TALK about it at family gatherings and what have you. (They sure do in my extended clan).

Could a soap ever do this in the US? I sure wish I knew what it would take....

[EricMontreal22]

Hrm I def know more people who watch Canadian Idol than Y&R but who knows. Also in Canada Y&R is shown almost everywhere late in the day--4pm, 5pm. I know that many adults would watch it after work. (on the other hand the ABC soaps are simulcast at the same time as the US).

I wonder if the Canadian soap ratings ar emuch diff? in its last years Another World was often one of the top rated soaps in Canada apparantly

[AddictedToSoaps]

Dayum.

[DaytimeFan]

'Another World' was ALWAYS one of the top rated soaps, if not shows, in Canada. It was always a screaming success. I remember when it was canceled with made the 5, 6 and 11 o'clock news. Linda Dano and Victoria Wyndham gave interviews, it was news.

Y&R always airs late in the day and always scores impressive ratings...the timeslot certainly makes a difference because a lot of people have Y&R playing while they make dinner...but I think Canadian audiences just click with the show.

[MTSRocks]

But Canadian Idol is so awful. I hope SYTYCDC is better! The earliest Y&R broadcast in Canada is 11:00 AM (Newfoundland), and the latest is 6:30/or 7:00 PM I believe. I get it at 4:30 here and it's the perfect time.

[Toups]

Here are the numbers....it's in PDF form.

http://www.bbm.ca/en/nat06302008.pdf

[MarkH]

Thanks Toups. That is DARN impressive, and the fact that it is so counter to the US ratings experience for Y&R strongly suggests to me...if I were CBS...I'd look north of the border for lessons.

I know we have discussed this before, but I sure wish I could get some form of ratings for ALL the soaps in Canada.

[Cat]

Fully support a move of all soaps from a lunch/early afternoon slot to a late afternoon/early evening slot.

It's not just Canada. Practically every country on earth shows their soaps between 4-8pm. Australia, UK, France, Italy, Russia, India... I don't count Brazil because that soap-mad nation shows soaps around the clock 24/7.

[FrenchFan]

Sorry Cat but in France it is not the case:

DAYS airs at 9AM

BB at 9.30AM

YR at 2PM

[JackPeyton]

does the UK have other soaps tho that DO air late afternoon/early evening?

[MarkH]

Yes, for example:

5:30 - Neighbors

6:00 - Home and Away

6:30 - Hollyoaks

7:00 - Emmerdale

7:30 - Coronation Street

8:00 - Eastenders

8:30 - Coronation Street

[Cat]

That's true... and I've watched Amour, Gloire et Beauté and Les Feux de l'Amour at the times you indicated.

But I also remember watching Top Model (aka B& and another dubbed US soap on RTL 9 at 6.30pm. I know not everybody gets that channel, but I distinctly remember watching at that time.

[sheilaforever]

...don't/didn't they show "Monde de Lisa" - which used to be #1 Telenovela (based on the same plot as UGLY BETTY) in Germany under it's title "In Love in Berlin" - at a later/early evening time slot?

I remember my cousin telling me went on a exchange to France and his male pal always excused himself at a certain time to watch "Lisa"...

[FrenchFan]

Yes you're right "Verliebt in Berlin" was aired at 7PM or something like that (it is still the case I think, I don't watch it).

That's true Cat B&B (Top Models) is aired late afternoon on RTL9 but most people watch it on France 2 at 9AM.

TF1 tried to air GH at 9.30AM just two months ago. Ratings were bad and the show was cancelled after only one week.

[ReddFoxx]

I agree, it is the time slot that makes for good ratings. I think if there was a US network soap that aired anywhere between 4-7 pm, the ratings might possibly be higher, because more people would be home to watch.