October 5-9, 2009

[Brady_fan]

‘DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ MATCHES ITS TOP WOMEN 18-49 RATING SINCE DECEMBER

VERSUS THE SAME WEEK LAST YEAR, ‘DAYS’ IS UP 13 PERCENT IN WOMEN 18-34 AND 21 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS

FOR THE ‘09-10 SEASON TO DATE, ‘DAYS’ IS DELIVERING THE BIGGEST YEAR-TO-YEAR GAIN OF ANY MAJOR-NET DAYTIME SERIES IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND IS THE ONLY DAYTIME DRAMA UP IN WOMEN 18-49

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. ? October 16, 2009 ? NBC’s “Days of our Lives” has extended its hot start for the 2009-10 television season with strong results for the week of October 5-9, delivering gains versus the same week last year of 13 percent in women 18-49 viewers and 21 percent in total viewers.

For the week of October 5-9, “Days of our Lives” (1.4 rating, 9 share among women 18-49, 1.0/7 among women 18-34) tied for #2 among network daytime series in both the women 18-49 and women 18-34 demographics. “Days” matched its highest women 18-49 rating in nearly 10 months (since the week of December 8-12, 2008), and matched its strongest women 18-34 rating in nearly four months (since June 8-12).

Compared with the same week last year, “Days of our Lives” generated increases of 13 percent in women 18-49 viewers (946,000 vs. 838,000) and 21 percent in total viewers (3.0 million vs. 2.5 million).

Season to date, “Days of our Lives” is tied for #2 in the women 18-49 race and ranks #2 outright in the women 18-34 category.

Season to date, “Days of our Lives” is up 10 percent in women 18-49 (920,000 vs. 839,000), up 7 percent in women 18-34 (362,000 vs. 339,000), up 11 percent in women 25-54 (987,000 vs. 887,000) and up 17 percent in total viewers (3.0 million vs. 2.6 million). “Days” is generating the biggest year-to-year total-viewer gain of any daytime series on the major networks and is the only daytime drama up in women 18-49 viewers.

Ratings reflect “live plus same day” data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of “live plus seven day” data except for the two most recent weeks, which are “live plus same day.”

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/10/16/days-of-our-lives-matches-its-best-women-18-49-rating-since-december/30654

[JaneAusten]

What is happening to B&B? Days might just catch them.

Days is doing great. So impressed with how they have turned things around.

Sad about ATWT especially with some of those former ABC'ers showing up.

ABC - eh - SSDD. GH can crash and burn. The show still sucks.

[Raven04]

I would love to see total viewers for every soap...

Honestly, I could see DOOL bump B&B out of 2nd place in the next couple of weeks.

[jfung79]

GL was canceled in the belief that something else, known likely to be a game show, could be more profitable in its timeslot. So while it was not canceled for LMAD specifically, it was canceled for that something else game show.

But a "something else" will NOT be more profitable. And since LMAD is that something else game show right now, I look forward to it going down in flames. A "something else" other than soaps failing will help ALL remaining soaps stay on the air.

I've never commented on Wayne Brady, and I don't agree with people attacking him personally. I agree he has nothing to do with GL being canceled.

My hate is toward the idea that "something else" will be more profitable. And I'm not just hating on the "something else" either -- I'm hating on CBS, period.

About losing viewers, CBS didn't invest in the series. CBS didn't give P&G/GL any extra money for GL's 70th anniversary when GL was the Emmy darling of 2006 and 2007, and when GL was having year-on-year gains in viewers from 2005 to 2006 -- nor did CBS promote the anniversary on its own. Ellen Wheeler had to figure out the Find Your Light stuff herself from the show's already declining budget. Then it was CBS's budget cuts later that forced the new production model (which I liked, but which others didn't). Even so, GL's ratings were beginning to stabilize with Phillip back, before CBS made its cancellation decision.

Oh, and the fact that LMAD only had a few months to get on air is not an excuse for anything ... CBS knew that there was only limited time. If CBS needed more time to develop, they could have extended GL's end date be later than September 18, 2009, which would have given GL more time to turn around like ATWT's year reprieve. So it's 100% fair to compare LMAD to GL. I have my fingers crossed that LMAD will start low in the ratings and go lower!

[BlueLick]

I'm glad you brought that up as I just read somewhere that they cancelled it and OLTL is now in danger of being cancelled next year. OMG! I don't know if I could take it if another soap is actually canceled. They did say it could go back to HD when they retry it again next year. The economy is the reason for the cancellation to HD. They might not even cancel the show but anything is possible at this point. ABC should've just moved OLTL to LA like they did with AMC.

Source:

http://www.soapcentral.com/oltl/news/2009/1012-hidef.php

[KevC1980]

Go Days. I'm very happy they got a 2.2 rating. Last week was their best week in months. And this week has been pretty good too. I hope they can overtake Bold and Beautiful soon, maybe during November Sweeps.

[JaneAusten]

Any idea what Days has planned for sweeps?

[SteveFrame]

Every one has a right to wish bad luck on any show whether it's Let's Make A Deal or whatever. But to think that LMAD's failure is going to bring back GL, or that it would have saved GL or any other soap is totally thinking in dreamland.

The writing was on the wall for GL just like it is for ATWT. The same way it was for every radio soap in the 1950's when they began to fail. Nothing at that point could have saved them.

Live viewing is the only thing that can save the shows right now. Everyone wants to blame the ratings system or yell and hollar about the fact that people are watching online or people are taping it or DVRing it. All that you can say is kudos for all those but the sad fact is that budgets are STILL not based on that. We are a product of the times just like the soaps were in the 50's. Did it matter to the radio fans who loved their soaps that they lost them because technology was moving in a new direction?

I have read articles that fans of GL on radio were just as angry in 1956 when CBS radio chose to end broadcasting GL on radio in favor of the TV production which was getting better ratings. Not everyone at that point had a TV or could afford a TV so many missed GL at that point.

The sad fact is that things are in transition right now and technology and new forms of viewing are moving faster than the ratings panel can catch up. They still have not worked out a good and effective way to monitor fully online viewing to determine just how many of those views are unique views and how many are repeated views. Until that catches up advertisers are not going to switch to an unproven method of viewing esp. when they are having to be more cautious in how they spend their advertising dollars. They are going to stick with what they know and that is live viewing.

Live viewing is what is killing every soap right now. Many people are working and the ones who are at home just are not watching live. And that is what is determining who is getting saved at this point. Add to that the fact that the soaps are not doing anything to make viewers want to stay or to tune in. I have quit watching individual soaps many times over the last 10 years and usually always go back. Last year I quit watching every soap for a short time for the first time in 39 years of viewing them. Still I kept up with what was going on.

12 weeks ago I quit watching every soap cold turkey. I owe that to the state of Y&R. I got so mad at what was going on with the P3 mess that I just turned it off and every soap with it. For the first time in 40 years now that I have viewed soaps I have not read one weekly summary, kept up with what was going on at all. For the first time in 40 years my love is completely gone for any of the 8 remaining soaps. I tuned in to see the next to last day of GL and that is the only episode I have watched in 12 weeks. I just don't care anymore. I'm done and I doubt I will ever return. And I owe it all to the fools who running the soaps. They made me not care. I have read one spoiler and thats it even on them. No one would have ever convinced me I would walk away that easyily.

Back to my point, the writing was on the wall for GL. And I am sorry for the fans of the show for it's loss, but for me GL ended a long time ago. It was a shell of it's former self. The last 3 to 5 years it has been suffering a long agonizingly painful death. Last March I just could not watch it die any longer. It was just too painful to watch the show I loved suffer the way it was. For me it was a relief to know that the suffering is over and that no more damage can be done to this show I loved so well and to the characters I loved so well. Many of them had become so unrecognizable. And I think that is why it has been so easy to quit all the shows is the destruction that has been done to so many of the characters I knew and loved. So many of them are not the characters I loved anymore.

GL was going to end no matter what. It is a point that I had to realize with AW. AW's end was already determined and nothing that we could have done could have saved it. NBC and P&G were both determined and no matter what show replaced it or whatever it was done. The same with GL. And nothing at this point is going to bring it back.

[KevC1980]

[DRW50]

I haven't seen anyone here say that not watching LMAD will bring back GL.

I do think if people are wary of watching a non-soap program because they are afraid this will further hasten the death of soaps, they have a valid point.

[Soapsuds]

Anyone know LMAD numbers for this week? ATWT is a goner. Last week was pretty good for ATWT..well I thought..lol. I guess fake Lily isnt cutting it in the Damian/Lily/Holden redux. I guess ATWT will be cancelled soon. My days of watching soaps is almost gone...lol. B&B I dont watch and Y&R has gotten way too bizzare for me to watch.

[aMLCproduction]

WOW go DAYS!!!. The show is so slow and low key. Can't beleive they are getting good numbers like this. I know Corday and team are sitting on top of the world right now.

ATWT will be canned within a year or so.

[Daphne]

I'm not an avid ATWT viewer but I've been pulling for them to raise their ratings so they don't have the stench of being daytime's lowest rated soap.

[jfung79]

ATWT, AMC, and OLTL are all pretty much in a bunch for total viewers. ATWT is not consistently last in total viewers or households.

I hope its ratings go up too, of course! The ratings do need to go up. And thanks for your rooting for us ATWT viewers. Just don't want this "last place" stigma out there prematurely when that's not in the numbers.

[jcar03]

Y&R used to be one of the top streamed shows. Go DAYS!