"Let’s Make a Deal" ratings are up but... mostly made up of older viewers

[DAMfan]

LMAD is so exciting - that CBS is begging GL viewers to come back - they keep sending me email and I send emails back - telling them I will not watch that stupid game show and I have not watched CBS daytime since they took off GL - I miss GL- however I do not miss CBS and now since I upgraded my cable with a new DVR - there are less reason to watch CBS and another thing with menu on my DVR - I can see what is on 4 channels at a time - which means I don't even have to look at any channel like CBS.

[EastMA2]

I have to admit that LMAD's are higher than I expected them to be. I expected about a 1 household rating. That aside, I was kind of hoping LMAD would fail miserably, but it had nothing to do with GL. I am realistic and know that GL really died a long time ago and LMAD had nothing to do with GL's demise. The only reason I hoped LMAD would tank is so that other soaps (namely ATWT) don't get cancelled because now CBS knows that it can replace soaps with much cheaper programming and get similar ratings. If ATWT stays in the 1.6-1.8 rating range, I really think CBS will cancel the show and replace it with a game show, knowing that they can get a similar rating for a cheaper cost. Let's hope that doesn't happen but the door has been opened and given Nina Tassler's comments recently about ATWT, if LMAD sustains its ratings, I think ATWT is a goner.

[MarkH]

This is a very, very legitimate concern.

I think, to some extent, it all depends on how much of a lesson people extract from Leno.

Roger Newcomb linked a wonderful critique of the Leno experiment. And one of the lessons was something like: "Don't try to offer a cheaper product to an audience that is used to something better". Put differently, they will lose their drama audience. I think, in the long run, that will hurt them...because it means CBS will increasingly be known as the "procedural" network, which skews old.

Who knows what will happen, but I do think the fact that LMAD has held onto, or exceeded, GL is a real threat to the rest of the daytime drama lineup.

[DRW50]

I think at the very least they expected LMAD to do the same as GL, or better. It's those very old demos that may be alarm bells.

[MarkH]

Huge alarm bells. I think the next big test will be when the Real Housewives come to daytime. They need to get those 22 year olds.

[DRW50]

I'm not really that sure if young people will care much about older women, most of whom look even older than their actual ages thanks to bad plastic surgery, playing out bad scripts, in a very small amount of repeats. NBC has such low standards they may consider it a success but I think that and LMAD aren't going to be the manna which the networks are looking for.

[bellcurve]

Laguna Beach and The Hills are already in Domestic Syndication, courtesy of Trifecta Entertainment.

[MarkH]

Do you have any idea how they're doing, number-wise? I'd be really fascinated.

[bellcurve]

No clue. I don't think any numbers have been released on their performance. Seeing as how Trifecta's entertainment(American Idol: Rewind, Cribs) is usually acquired by low-power affiliates(some FOX stations, MyNetworkTV, CW), I assume it's not doing so hot but good enough for those affiliates to be happy.

[kalbir]

Come on now, I know I wasn't the only one thinking about that comparison

[Ann_SS]

In my market, the CBS affiliate has moved the two episodes of Who Wants to be a Millionaire to 4:00 p.m. after LMAD which airs at 3:00 p.m. I have no clue what that means. Good? Bad?

[MarkH]

Just trying to build a game show block, I'll bet...synergy and all.

[alphanguy74]

Mark, here's what I never understood. Exactly why do they go for young demos on all the shows, and why aren't the sponsors heading this off at the pass? Think about how much money Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, and Eli Lilly put into television sponsorship... and with the exception of Birth Control pills and a couple other, 90 percent of their products are geared toward the older demographic. And the drug companies have VERY DEEP POCKETS. I'd think the networks would be kissing their asses to have program that would cater to their target demographic. We see on Y&R commercials for meds for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes testing supplies... don't these sponsors tell the network... "Hey!!!! Your'e muscling out our target audience, if you want our advertizing dollars, you need to have a few shows that caters to that." I think the networks just haven't gotten a clue that senior citizens are the only ones at home during the day anymore, now that almost every family seems to have two working parents.