IT's TIME to move Y&R to PRIME TIME!

[Darlotto99]

I belive that the time has come that CBS, Sony and the Bell's descuss Y&R's move to PRIME TIME. Y&R has proven that it is the class of daytime and is above the rest. the 7 - 8 time slot would be the most ideal before show's like CSI start. the format of the show must stay the same in order to maintain Y&R's luster which has kept them #1. imagin Victor vs Jack in PRIME TIME Y&R would blow everyone away.

what you think Y&R in PRIME TIME a good idea?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Um no, I think a 5 day a week soap would be a complete flop in primetime, and the CBS affiliates won't give up cheap, highly rated syndicated programming during the 7-8 PM hour to anything, and I agree with them.

[DaytimeFan]

Nope.

If we were in England, I'd agree with you as 7pm is prime time for soaps...but in the USA, forget about it. The networks don't control that hour, the affiliates do. Y&R wouldn't make it in primetime unless every CBS affiliate aired it from 7-8 which, of course, isn't happening...where would 'Entertainment Tonight' go?!

[Bright Eyes]

Speaking of affiliates, would the networks have the power to force affiliates to air Y&R at this hour if they wanted to?

[Paul Raven]

I think a few primetime specials would be a good idea.Particularly in Summer,when re-runs rule or during those times when CBS is airing repeats,say January etc.

It would be great promotion for daytime and give CBS first run material they could promote up against re-runds on other channels.

Special themed episodes would be fun,so that it might make more sense for nightime viewers-perhaps just dealing with one storyline.

[SFK]

We need at least one (for the most part) consistently good serialized drama to remain in daytime. A bold statement perhaps, but Y&R is carrying the weight of the entire genre on its shoulders. Without the residual glow of gorgeous #1 Y&R in daytime, how pitiful will some of our other shows look?

[BadZoe]

I think Y&R in Canada benefits from being aired at 4:30 or 5pm rather than earlier in the day. Many people I know go home from work and watch Y&R live rather than on tape. It would be massacred in prime time. Prime time is for stupid shows that appeal to the masses and watching something daily, is a lot of work.

[MarkH]

My own feeling is that the Jay Leno template (shift primetime to two hours a night, and fill one slot -- 10 to 11 -- with Jay), to reduce costs, could work for Y&R.

In my view, 8-9 each night would be given to DEBUT episodes of Y&R (and Canadian Global TV would lose their day-aheads, so that the WORLD PREMIERE of each episode of Y&R would be primetime from 8-9). My guess is that would get 4-5 million viewers a night...a mix of usual daytime viewers plus new viewers.

Then, the following day at 12:30 pm (or whatever the current daytime slot is in various time zones), Y&R would air as always.

This would come at, effectively, minimal additional cost to CBS (and at no additional cost to Bell). It would therefore be an uber-cheap hour of primetime. I believe it would save the show, and come as relatively little cost to CBS. For all I know, it might be way more popular than 4-5 million viewers if aired in primetime. It wouldn't get those 11-16 million viewers that the blockbuster shows get...but it would do fine for little money.

[jcar03]

No, For starters just because it is the top soap in daytime doesn't mean it transcends to primetime. I don't think anymore people would start watching the show if it was suddenly on at night and then it would be cancelled because a 3.8 rating is not something that last on a network like CBS.

[All My Shadows]

No. "The Young and the Restless" is a daytime soap. If one wants to see it in a pre-primetime slot, they can watch it on SOAPnet or watch it whenever they want to via Tivo, DVR, tapes, YouTube, etc.

[ReddFoxx]

That wouldn't be a such a great idea, but what would be great is 2 primetime specials a year, something that would easily give the soap more exposure to another set of viewers. They used to do primetime specials every now and then, but that ceased a long time ago. I think the show could really benefit from such specials.

[MichaelGL]

Yeah I'd be more in favor of a primetime special.

[BadZoe]

There was talk of taking away the day ahead episodes and I think Global told them that they would just drop Y&R altogether as there is no incentive for Canadians to watch on Global if it airs earlier on cable. More prime time shows get cancelled with ratings of 6+million, what hope would Y&R have with it's 4?

They should have more prime time specials, but they must be ratings bombs since they haven't had one in years.

[MarkH]

I respectfully disagree on a number of points, but:

[a] the daytime isolation of soaps is part of what is killing soaps--that audience is no longer there. As has been said in this thread and elsewhere, daytime is NOT the timeslot for soaps internationally, and soap ratings are stronger internationally--including in Canada.

If the WORLD PREMIERE of each episode airs in primetime (not a rebroadcast, like Soapnet), it will catch a lot of live views. Indeed, Soapnet even claims that...by airing in early prime, they get live views and an audience with high loyalty (i.e., don't change channels during commercials). So, that builds the ad revenue, because LIVE counts for the most. We know that Soapnet adds an incremental audience to Y&R (per Sara Bibel)...but it doesn't really count, because the ratings don't benefit the "mothership" as it were (per Jacob Young). So, getting the eyeballs and revenue back to the primary network is part of the template for ensuring a soap has a secure base on the primary network. At least as long as the internet delivery model fails to be profitable

[c] I believe that what would happen is that many people would watch or record the primetime show (since it is the premiere). But those who prefer the daytime live broadcast would still get it the next day.

[d] The question is whether the audience would grow over the current 5+ million live+same days.

[e] Specials don't work. Bill Bell talked about their creative challenge (i.e., they have to stand alone, but they also have to fit in the daytime narrative; they are hard to find time for in addition to the regular day show). There has never been evidence ... EVER ... in the HISTORY of primetime specials ... that one of these EVER grew the daytime audience. I'm award of DOOL and Y&R primetime specials (i.e., special episodes). Are there others I am missing? Does anyone have ratings evidence to contradict my recollection?

[MarkH]

First of all Y&R gets 5+ million (it is the HH rating that is 4 or less right now).

Second of all, based on published ratings and my calculations, CBS Live+SameDay + Soapnet + Internet = 8-10 million viewers a day. So, if you make primetime the debut episode, you'll catch more of those eyeballs live and in primetime. Given that there would be NO INCREMENTAL COST for doing this, I think a primetime yield of 8-10 million might not be shabby...even if it were the fourth-ranked show in its timeslot!

Your point about Global is good. But it also proves my point. Y&R is one of the top 20 shows in CANADA (daytime, primetime, whatever). Part of the reason is that WORLD PREMIERE aspect, not left to the dying daypart. Building that incentive for the American audience could only help build the show.

Look, I know it will never happen. In part, primetime programmers have both a sexism/classism problem (they do not covet the viewers they think soaps attract), and an unwillingness to experiment.

But, if it were me, I'd take that summer rerun season and give this experiment a shot. Again, though, I realize nobody would ever risk this.

By the way...Soapnet will NEVER be a viable "early prime" broadcasting alternative. CBS has clearance in -- what? -- 97% of US homes? Soapnet has a much smaller clearance, and it is almost always on the for-pay "digital" or "enhanced" tier. Thus, Soapnet will NEVER be a viable alternative distribution system for anything.