May 25-29, 2009

[Rakesh]

Wow, just wow....

[SteveFrame]

The network or show usually decides taht. For some reason NBC or Sony or Tomlin or Corday decided not to make Days count. They possibly felt that it would hurt their overall weekly rating and chose to count it as a special. Lately holiday ratings have been low and most of them choose to count it as a special.

[rhinohide]

I have mixed reactions to the OLTL ratings (it's the only soap I watch anymore or care about). I'm clinging by a thread to continue watching this show, and I honestly don't know why. Part of me is satisfied that the ratings reflect my own malaise and disconnect with the show while another part is saddened that the road to ruin is paved by more bricks labeled GIGI, REX, STACY, JOHN, MARTY, MESS (referring specifically to Jessica's alters, not Jessica), STARR.

[Daphne]

I feel the same way. I'm barely hanging on with the hope that things will turn around come Fall, but these pathetic ratings don't bother me. It's obvious many of us are becoming disenchanted with the show. But I'm still giving the show a chance to turn itself around. I know it won't be overnight.

[rhinohide]

My dilemma is . . . should I just tune out for now and stay engaged on the boards in case it gets more interesting? Or . . . should I just quit? That's where I am. I'm not watching this. Well I will, but I'll hate it.

[Daphne]

Basically I only watch the episode based on the recaps I read. The show is still on my DVR and I'm not ready to delete it completely because that means I've given up on the show. But like I posted in a different thread, I am thisclose from taking it off my DVR completely. OLTL is the only soap I watch so sadly I don't have a backup soap I don't have high hopes for the show this summer. From what I am reading

. I'm pretty much only watching for the supporting cast and vets But I won't do this forever. The deadline for me is September 1. If the Fall previews are the same old stuff we've been fed all year, I'mma bounce. If RC wants me back as a viewer he will have to woo me back

[august1229]

HH

1. Y&R 3.6/12 (+.1/same)

What is the meaning of the number after the slash (in this example, 12)?

[Sylph]

Share.

[Ann_SS]

I did not realize that the re-runs did not count to the overall ratings. Boy, does that suck hard for ABC. LOL! The only good thing for ABC is that GH's 18-49 women demo only decreased .1. Could have been worse.

[SteveFrame]

It is the share of the audience the program receives at the time. As the other ratings have dropped the shows shares have dropped too.

Basically what it means is of all the TV's turned on at the time Y&R aired, they only had 12% of them tuning in.

[BlueLick]

The 18-49 ratings for the soaps this past week were pretty good but these soaps need to find a way to stop the bleeding of viewers every year.

Someone came up with this idea last year but maybe its time to for the networks specifically ABC to shuffle their lineup some.

GH Has Been Resurrected Thanks to Michael

GH has finally woken up as this was a great week for that show. Michael and now Kristina has rescued that show like Cole and Starr did on OLTL. I like seeing the growth of these two characters.

I wonder if they are still looking for a home for Guiding Light b/c I would really like to see how the soaps do on a mainstream cable network.

[MarkH]

SteveFrame, let me just say I love the educational approach you take. Very generous. You explain it, and don't make folks feel stupid for asking! Thank you.

[cara mia]

Does anyone know what a typical soap share was like 10 years? For example, would Y&R have had a 20 share?

[typoprone]

Yes.

From the June 29, 1999 issue of Soap Opera Weekly:

"Several soaps gained ground the week of May 24. The same can't be said for the following week, which began with the Memorial Day holiday. Five shows dipped, but AW, Days, and OLTL increased. Days and OLTL increased substantially, thanks to the high drama both shows offered (Sami's execution and Jessica's tragedy, respectively); OLTL even managed to squeeze GH out of the top spot among women 18-49, the first time OLTL has held that rank in the past 10 years. As for the May sweeps period in the coveted women 18-49 demographic, GH ranked first, followed by Days, AMC, OLTL, Y&R, B&B and GL (tie), ATWT, PC, and Sunset."

Week of May 31-June 4, 1999

1. Y&R 6.4/23

2. DAYS 5.0/17

3. B&B 4.5/16

4. GH 4.3/15

5. ATWT 3.9/14

5. AMC 3.9/13

7. OLTL 3.8/13

8. GL 3.5/12

9. AW 2.5/9

10. PC 2.1/8

11. SB 1.8/7

Women 18-49

1. OLTL 3.3/22

2. DAYS 3.2/23

2. AMC 3.2/21

2. GH 3.2/21

5. Y&R 2.8/22

6. B&B 2.4/16

7. GL 2.2/16

8. ATWT 2.0/14

9. PC 1.5/11

9. AW 1.5/10

11. SB 1.1/9

Week of May 24-28, 1999

1. Y&R 6.4/24

2. B&B 4.7/17

2. DAYS 4.7/17

4. GH 4.4/15

5. AMC 4.0/14

6. ATWT 3.9/15

7. OLTL 3.6/14

7. GL 3.6/13

9. AW 2.4/9

10. PC 2.2/8

11. SB 1.8/7

Week of May 17-21, 1999

1. Y&R 6.4/25

2. B&B 4.6/17

2. DAYS 4.6/17

4. GH 4.4/16

5. ATWT 3.9/15

5. AMC 3.9/14

7. GL 3.6/14

8. OLTL 3.6/14

9. AW 2.3/9

10. PC 2.1/8

11. SB 1.6/7

[SteveFrame]

Thanks MarkH

Here is what I can find for you on some of the Share Ratings for some of the shows back as early as the 1960 to 1961 season and then forward for some key years like 40, 30, and 20 years ago.

First number where they ranked for the season, 2nd number is the HH and the 3rd number is the Share - just doing the shows that still currently air.

1960 to 1961 (closest I can get to 1959 that has both HH & Share)

1. As The World Turns 10.4/44

2. The Guiding Light 9.9/40.4

1968 to 1969

1. As The World Turns 13.8/46

7. Days of Our Lives 9.3/31

9. The Guiding Light 8.9/31

10. General Hospital 8.8/30

13. One Life To Live 5.4/19

1978 to 1979

1. All My Children 9.0/33

2. General Hospital 8.7/28

3. Young & the Restless 8.6/34

4. As The World Turns 8.2/29

5. Guiding Light 8.1/28

6. One Life To Live 8.0/28

10. Days of Our Lives 6.8/24

Then the next rating I have saved that has both HH and Share is from the week of January 19 to January 23, 2004:

1. Y&R 4.6/15 (+.1)

2. DAYS 3.6/11 (+.5)

3. B&B 3.5/11 (+.1)

4. ATWT 3.2/10 (+.2)

5. GH 3.1/9 (-.1)

6. OLTL 2.8/9 (same)

6. AMC 2.8/9 (same)

8. GL 2.5/8 (same)

9. PSNS 2.2/7 (+.3)

As you can see Y&R was a 15 share then so they have only dropped 3% as far as share of the audience in 5 years which is not too bad.

The further back share ratings are not really fair to look at because the further back you go there was less competition for that time slot. So of course the share rating is definitely going to be lower now just due to that fact.

Also just to throw a little more information at you that might help some to understand things a little more. It is hard to even really compare HH ratings from year to year because Nielsen changes what the HH point means from year to year.

Just look at the 80's which is the last full decade I have the info for right now:

Year / Total Households For Each Ratings Point (1.0)

1980-1981 - 763,000 Households (i.e. 763,000 Households are represented in each rating point)

1981-1982 - 799,000

1982-1983 - 815,000

1983-1984 - 833,000

1984-1985 - 838,000

1985-1986 - 849,000

1986-1987 - 859,000

1987-1988 - 874,000

1988-1989 - 886,000

1989-1990 - 904,000

So each year they up it a little.

Note on the 1989 to 1990, Wikipedia reports that it represented 920,000 households. I copied this list out of a magazine years ago. So for now I am goign to stick with it.

I am not sure what the rating point equals right now. If I have seen it I forgot to write it down.

So even each year you have to tabulate a little into the rating to reflect the change. Even if a show stays the same in 2009 as it did for the same week in 2008 - it is probably acutally up some in HH's just due to the simple that a ratings point in 2009 will represent more houses than it did in 2008.

Thanks I had ratings from 1999 but didn't have the shares listed. Y&R really dropped a lot between 1999 and 2004, which I would say is typical as cable and satellite TV really grew during those years, and more stuff was offered as competion.