The Decline of Soap Operas

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Prepare for a new "production model" from the rest of the soaps now.

[Cashton]

This article scares me. The entire article on Portfolio is a must-read though. They give lots of little clues, "producers of the three CBS soaps turning a "marginal" profit ". I think they must be talking about B&B and the P&G shows, right? Y&R has to be more than marginally profitable I would think.

I shudder to think what would happen to Y&R if everyone had to take a 40% pay cut. I would imagine we could all forget seeing EB as Victor Newman.

[aMLCproduction]

Very funny article. They say Black women are the main veiwers but look at what they are subject to watching, white dominated soaps!! Has there ever been a BLACK HW of a soap?

[miajere]

Isn't that the majority of what's on television in general? soaps aren't the only ones struggling in that department. One considers themself lucky to even see a non-white cast member these days. Take away ER- last season, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Lost and I'm having a hard time thinking of a non-cable network television show with a heavily integrated cast. For the most part, every show seems to have one cast member here or there that doesn't follow suit with the rest.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

They didn't say they were the "main viewers", but they're a "large segment." Latinos are also a large segment of the soap viewing audience, yet you'd be hard to find a Latino character on any soap outside of OLTL.

GH's Michele Val Jean was a Co-HW on the show from January 2001 to April 2001, JFP stupidly dumped her and Elizabeth Korte in favour of McTavish. So far, she's the only African American that's ever been a HW on a daytime serial.

[evermore]

funny that the AARP is one of the most powerful lobbies in the country, but advertisers have no time for people over 49

[Jonathan]

I'm so tired of these articles.

[DaytimeFan]

If CBS thinks it's going to slash the license fees of Y&R or B&B before their contracts have run their course (Y&R at the end of this year, B&B in 2010) they are sorely mistaken. The Bells will sue.

And as far as a "marginal" profit goes for Y&R and B&B, that's a laugh. CBS is simply playing the press in hopes of getting the Bell shows for a cheaper fee. Forget about it.

MAB and BB are NEVER going to let their shows go the way of GL.

[Shylock]

Can't they start factoring in ratings for DVR or TiVo?

It's possible, isn't it?

If so, then why don't they just get with the program?

[SteveFrame]

They are already factoring them in. They are not released that often as even though advertisers are starting to look at them some - they have not become as widely accepted as the Same Day + 1 day rating. That rating adds 1 day of DVr in but Nielsen is monitoring ratings for any program that is watched within 7 days now.

Most shows are getting some gain but I read somewhere that even though some of them are getting up to a 40% gain in viewers in the 7 day DVR that most advertisers will not take it seriously until it gets to close to 60% of people viewing on DVR.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I can see CBS playing hardball during renegotiations with the Bell's in an attempt to lower licensing fees.

Not that it would EVER happen, but I wonder if they Bell's would ever try to sell their soaps to another network, if CBS isn't putting much money into their shows as it used to.

[bellcurve]

Maybe not licensing fees, but definitely ad revenue. And who's to say what's in those contracts? Do you have the links to any articles about how much CBS is paying?

Maybe not the way of GL, but B&B is definitely doing their fair share of on-location shooting to keep production costs down. Is it difficult to believe that Y&R may have to do the same in the near future?

I wouldn't be surprised if it DID happen. Maybe not sell their shows, but definitely move them to another network or cable company.

CBS's refusal to air the Daytime Emmys, IMO, is very telling in terms of what CBS(on a network level) thinks about their soaps and gameshow and their value to the network. A veteran game show columnist is already predicting(based on his connections with the industry and what he knows about the genre) affiliates may drop The Price is Right next season for more lucrative syndicated programming.

I also think Frons would make a major play to get Y&R on ABC, especially if negotiations with CBS go south. I think ABC/Disney would totally allow the Bells and Sony to have creative control over their product, do any and everything they can to get daytime's #1 show on the lineup. I think ABC affiliates(especially those in the midwest) would LOVE to have Y&R on their mid-morning schedule. If Y&R aired at Noon, it would benefit from a strong lead-in from The View(in case numbers drop post-network move), and The View would benefit from having Y&R on the lineup. There would also be a benefit with having that synergy with SOAPnet as well. Y&R on ABC may also boost the numbers for the remaining soaps on the lineup.

Of course, CBS would have to be nuts to let Y&R go. But why would it come as a shock to anyone if it does happen?

[DaytimeFan]

CBS is going to play hardball, but they're going to lose. With the way things are at NBC (their WHOLE network is fucked) I could see Y&R and B&B jumping ship over there as well as ABC. Rest assured, the two are a package deal...who wouldn't want them, the number 1 and 2 soaps in daytime...

Let's also not forget syndication, if Y&R and B&B left they'd leave HUGE wholes in the CBS lineup that I could see getting filled by...syndicated episodes of Y&R and B&B.

[Khan]

If CBS does play hardball, then Bell and Sony will stand their respective, proverbial grounds, and CBS will cave. No other scenario makes sense to me.

"Not so long ago"? Try over 20 years ago. Heck, maybe even 30.

[bellcurve]

I'd LOVE for Y&R and(especially) B&B to move into syndication, but what syndication company would want the burden of financing a soap opera?

I don't think the two are as packaged as you would believe. They're very much sister shows, but they are not as homogenized and as micromanaged as the ABC soaps.

I don't think NBC(or its affiliates) are interested in a daypart that includes soap operas. If they were, the affiliates would have lobbied to keep Passions on the network. But, I totally see ABC making a play for Y&R(especially if the negotations with CBS go south). It's the number one soap in daytime, number one show on ABC/Disney owned SOAPnet, and his lineup is struggling to stay afloat. Without Y&R, his same-days on SOAPnet are pretty much useless. Frons and all of ABC Daytime would greatly benefit from a Y&R network crossover, even if it meant cutting AMC to a half-hour or canceling it.