SoapNet hits ratings highs

[dragonflies]

Yet they drop the AMC marathon

[MarkH]

Well, I saw this thread too late.

Some of us are discussing it over in the weekly ratings thread.

Brimike, in the ratings thread, I put the two charts below (interpretation is in the other thread). I think these numbers are first useful for Soapnet. A growing viewership on a product that will likely continue to be around for a while is a good deal for advertisers. Couple that with the demographic (female) and high viewer loyalty (reported elsewhere...they watch live, and they don't change the channel) makes this a real deal. That's what it is about.

They are highlighting their successes, just like ABCD does weekly with the network ratings. The absence of NS and Days is meaningful. I gather neither will be back. I wonder when the Days contract runs out?

Second, the numbers are useful for fans of daytime. It says that, while there may be shrinkage in viewers, NETWORK RATINGS OVER-ESTIMATE the amount of shrinkage.

THAT IS A VITAL FACT. It means that (a) there is still audience, ( audience is fragmented but trackable. If the total number of viewers remains fairly stable--even if it is across platforms--that can only predict survival for the soaps.

That is not a problem. Not a problem at all!

For the same reason Soapnet numbers are not a problem. It shows where there are trackable viewers on other platforms. The COMBINED viewership is the critical number with regard to soap viability. In other words, if your ad dollars shrink on the network daytime, but you can prove that you can make up the viewers elsewhere (online, Soapnet), then that lets you shift where you are making your money from. But as long as you're still making the money, the shows can survive.

I feel this is all very good. They are starting to get a handle on their fractionated audience, AND figure out how to quantify it for advertising investors.

Let us also add that Soapnet and online are BETTER for advertisers. Soapnet has that live-viewing-lower-DVRuse-less-commercial-skipping benefit. The legal streams (CBS does them at Hulu, Fancast, MSN, Youtube) have embedded, non-skippable ads. They also have fewer ads and fewer advertisers per episode--all of which leads to higher brand recognition and ad retention! THESE ARE HIGHER QUALITY ADS, and the advertisers know it.

Thus, what is lost in terms of NUMBERS of viewers is made up in QUALITY of viewers (their recollection). Also, online viewers tend to be demographically better (younger, richer)...and that is what the advertisers covet.

So 'spat' out the Youtube hits! Spat them loud! That is the economic future of daytime.

Steve Frame nailed it.

Days was put on right after One Tree Hill and (90210?). It was MEANT to capture that youth demographic, and give Soapnet a "youth block" (advertiser desirable) from 5-8 pm.

It didn't work. Days did worse (in numbers, in demographic) than Y&R had done. (Contrary to other posters here, and I know this 'cause I watched, Y&R _first_ had the 7 pm slot). Then, when they acquired Days, Y&R got shipped to 11 pm, and Days got 7 pm (and TANKED). It didn't hold on to those young viewers, it did worse than Y&R, and it did worse than Y&R _with_ young viewers.

So, Soapnet flipped 'em (Days got 11 pm, AND frequent pre-emptions). Days continued to tank (probably tanked WORSE), but Y&R (as the press release shows) has continued to grow...INCLUDING in the desirable demographic. Simple math says it was the right choice.

If I were a Soapnet executive, I would take a CAREFUL look at that 11 pm slot...because it is failing. Evidence:

Soaptalk failed there

Y&R failed there

Days failed there

GH:NS (at least this season) failed there

If they do a GH:NS again, it needs to get the 7 pm or 8 pm slot. WATCH IT FLOURISH!

11pm should get something cheap that they don't care about...say Ryan's Hope or Knot's Landing.

The network makes all of its' coin from the youthquake (5-7, 90210/OTH) and from its' same-day rebroadcasts (7 pm - 11 pm). Everything else is filler.

Marathons won't work. Classic soaps won't work. They have enough years of data to prove that now.

Sunday Night Movies bring in the viewers. (Heck, even _I_ tuned in "Mommie Dearest" last week. What a campy treat...and with a soap tie-in thanks to Christina Crawford's soap stint). It is not a problem that Soapnet has dropped marathons and classic soaps...since the viewers did not support them.

We need the network to make money. We are seeing proof that they are helping to keep Y&R, AMC, OLTL and GH alive. That's not a bad thing, IMO.

[YRBB]

The difference between THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS ratings and all of the rest is just But I ain't complaining....

[MarkH]

I wonder if it will last? In January, I'll plot the long-run averages again. I'll be eager to see if the rate of decline in Y&R is faster/slower than the other shows. Y&R has had some BAD falls this year!

[Gray Bunny]

Interesting stuff here.

I wonder though, at what point did DAYS take such a big nosedive in the Soapnet ratings? I'm surprised to hear it's bombing so badly.

And also, any feedback from the Nielsen rep regarding why Soapnet has to pull some shows off their schedule completely? Surely one episode of Another World, Dallas, Melrose Place, Dynasty, etc. in the wee hours of the morning wouldn't hurt, or do they lose the rights to air certain shows after an amount of time?

[MarkH]

My guess is that the AW/Dallas etc. list: (a) pulled in so few viewers that advertising did not cover costs; and ( the viewers they pulled in were sooooooooooooo old (over 49!) on average, that it hurt the demographic profile of the network. And bye-bye vintage!

[Snark]

The deal was for five years. It was announced in December of 2003, and episodes began airing on March 15, 2004.

[DaytimeFan]

Thrilled for Y&R, those are great numbers.

Additionally, although I loathe Brian Frons and ABC Daytime...I am happy to see that at least their base of shows (GH, OLTL and AMC) net sizeable ratings, there IS a market for them. I like to see Susan Lucci employed, so I'm all for it.

Good luck to DAYS, the show needs all the money and exposure it can get. Hopefully it'll get renewed on SOAPNet.

[All My Shadows]

DAYS deffo came before Y&R did...beat it by two years...

[MarkH]

Okay, so how did it work?

Days at 7 pm

Then Y&R comes, Days goes to 11 pm

Then Soapnet switches it, so Days returns to 7pm (this is when they also debut OTH)

Then Soapnet switches Days BACK to 11 pm

Is that right? Because I do know when Y&R started, it was on at 7pm.

===

ETA: I have some facts and figures.

According to this press release, Soapnet premiered DOOL March 15, 2004. At this time, it initially ran at 7 pm, right?

According to Wikipedia, "On April 24, 2006, SOAPnet began offering same-day episodes of The Young and the Restless." I know at this point, Soapnet gave Y&R 7 pm...so DOOL must have gone to 11 pm, right? Or was it even later? (midnight, since I seem to recall that SoapTalk aired at 11).

According to this release, the "youth-quake" experiment (90210 at 4, OC at 5, OTH at 6, Days at 7) started April 9, 2007. At this time, Y&R and Days traded places.

But when did they switch back, such that Y&R returned to 7 pm, and Days went to 11 pm? Certainly, according to the comment at the bottom of this page, by the end of October 2007, Days was already back at 11 pm.

[JackPeyton]

Days was at soapnet a good year, maybe two before Y&R came. I remember the 'Days At Night' billboards with Sami, Marlena, etc stating you can get your Days at 7pm now.

I *THINK* it went Days at 7pm,. then they got Y&R and moved it to 7pm and days to 11, then they flipped it back with the oth/oc/days lineup, and then they flipepd it back again to Y&R at 7, Days at 11.

[MarkH]

Thank you...I found a *few* facts and figures and added them to my previous post. It's interesting how details like this get lost.

[JackPeyton]

SoapNet got Days in early/mid 04, Melrose in sept 04, 90210 in jan 05, Y&R in april 06, and the oc/oth in april 07.

im working on more details for you...

[Snark]

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA341755.html

Days Gets Additional Lives on SoapNet

Acquisition of popular soap is a coup for the cable channel

By Allison Romano -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/15/2003

After a long courtship, Disney-owned cable channel SoapNet is adding replays of Days of Our Lives to its soap opera lineup.

Acquiring the Sony Pictures Television drama, which runs on NBC, is a coup for SoapNet, which has promised cable and satellite operators it would be more than just repurposed ABC shows. Until this Days of Our Lives deal, however, SoapNet has existed solely on ABC's shows and older hour dramas like Dallas and Dynasty.

Beginning March 15, episodes of Days will rerun on SoapNet same day at 7 p.m. ET and again in Sunday-night marathons. Although 7 p.m. isn't technically considered prime time, SoapNet sells advertisers an "extended" prime time that runs from 7 p.m. to midnight ET. SoapNet also gets rights to some episodes for stunts and promotions.

The five-year deal is said to be worth $30 million. Several other cable nets were also in the hunt for the show.

Thanks in part to its Disney ties, SoapNet has pushed into nearly 35 million homes, mostly with analog distribution. It delivers strong ratings for a niche net, a 0.6 in prime time for November, and has one of adult cable's younger median ages: 42.

Still, the channel has lusted after big-name shows like Days of Our Lives, as well as Sony's other hot soap The Young and the Restless, which runs on CBS. Two other CBS soaps, As the World Turns and Guiding Light, are Proctor & Gamble properties.

SoapNet and Sony finally started negotiations for Days last summer, but, says network General Manager Deborah Blackwell, who has headed the channel since June 2001, "they've known about our desire since I've been here."

The opportunity for SoapNet opened up earlier this year when Sony renewed its broadcast deal with NBC. Sony tacked on rights to repurpose the 38-year-old soap somewhere on cable.

Adding Days, the top-rated soap for women 18-34, will be "transformational" for the channel, Blackwell says. "The big idea is to have all the shows. I really hope that this clears the way to make the next acquisition easier."

Sony Pictures Television President Steve Mosko said SoapNet "is a really good cheerleader for this genre." Both the show and NBC will benefit from the association with the channel, he said. "It will now be an active promoter of Days."

SoapNet has room for one more strip in its prime time. After that, a current soap would have to be pushed earlier into fringe or deeper into late night. That's where the grand plan for SoapNet comes into play: creating a multiplex of SoapNet channels. Disney chief Michael Eisner is known to be a proponent of the idea.

But Blackwell cautions that spinoffs are a "long-term plan" and are not something Disney has approached operators with yet. "For now, we're focused on getting full distribution for SoapNet."

[MarkH]

Snark you are breaking my heart. They once had hopes for this network!