Could the Leno/O'Brien fiasco hurt DAYS?

[tylerbo20]

is anyone else worried that NBC will be broke after this entire conan thing is over? i mean they have to pay conan they have to pay his staff they have to pay jay and now they have to fill 5 nights of programs at 10pm slot. where is the money going to come from? and will this cause DAYS OF OUR LIVES which is making money for NBC to have more cut backs to be canceled to make room for a cheaper one hour extra of the today show.???

[bellcurve]

They don't have to pay Jay an enormous severance package. He agreed to stay with the network. But that doesn't mean anything.

And besides, did you really think NBC would keep DAYS past 2010? Even without all the money they are getting from other places? The only hope for Sony/Corday is to get this show the hell away from NBC/Universal if they have any chance of building on their momentum and keeping this show on the air for another few years. They can't sustain these numbers and build on them with the lack of promotion on NBC *AND* another budget cut. DAYS' word of mouth has helped them, but that is simply not enough.

If the show moved to CBS, the network would have the three highest rated soaps on the air. If the show moved to ABC(and the network axed OLTL and moved AMC to the 2PM slot), it would, by default, become ABC's highest rated daytime soap(and their reasoning is that it would, hopefully, bring new viewers to AMC and GH) and by keeping DAYS on at 1, fans who don't follow the internet/media would be able to find the show much easier.

The ratings are up, but that doesn't mean anything to NBC. Either the show is gonna be cancelled or it's gonna swap networks. I would be very surprised if a.)NBC wanted to keep the show, despite the ratings growth and b.)If Corday/Kent even wanted to stay on NBC.

[JaneAusten]

How do we know Days is making a ton of money for NBC? We don't. I'm not saying any of these shows are losing money but the days of being cash cows for the broadcast networks are gone. And with Zucker's model being managing by margin, I'd expect Days gone from NBC or more cuts coming. But that would probably happen no matter where they'd end up. And NBC Entertainment represents less than 5% of all of NBC Universal revenue. That covers I believe Daytime, primetime, and late night.

[DaytimeFan]

DAYS should jump to CBS if it has to make a move. At ABC, it would be under the control of Frons and I just can't stomach that idea.

I'd really prefer the show just stay on NBC...I wonder how Comcast feels about all this sh*t that Zucker has orchestrated.

[ChitHappens]

NBC should have let Leno retire when he planned to after Conan took over. I don't watch either show, but it is a huge embarrassment right now. Moving Leno to prime time was ridiculous, and I hope NBC can get back some of their credibility...

ANDREA

[Jack]

NBC has tons of cash, it's owned by Comcast. $45 millions is nothing. It won't effect anything. The only issue NBC will have is what to do with the 10PM hour Monday thru Friday. If they really wanted to boost DAYS they should just run same day episodes (or if that conflicts with SoapNets agreement with Sony run episodes on a week delay). It's programming that NBC already has and it's NEW episodes every night never a repeat. That's something ABC and CBS could not even match. NBC would have nothing to lose and all to gain. It would expose DAYS to new viewers and get it more attention in the media airing in primetime. NBC could do this until the Fall when they can pick up new programing for the vacant 5 hours.

[Guest dc cubs]

I agree about Frons. I don't want him anywhere near Days. Although Days may have a better shot at a longer future on another network, I don't see it leaving NBC.

The Comcast deal, Zucker and these pay outs for Conan do raise serious questions about the future of Days. However, I still think NBC gives Days gets a short renewal of a year. If Days is very lucky it could get two years but that isn't likely. If they get another renewal, all bets are off regarding anything past that point. I'm sure it will have to take another cut in licensing fee but hopefully it will be a small one as they are running pretty lean as it is now after their 40% cut with the last renewal.

Right now NBC should be focusing on fixing their mess of a primetime lineup. My hope is they will make this their priority and leave Days be for a short while.

[Scotty]

I doubt Frons would be able to control DAYS like he does the ABC soaps, since it is still owned by SONY, and not the network.

[JaneAusten]

This has nothing to do with how much cash Comcast or NBCU may have. The issue is is this something they want to invest in. Comcast is not buying NBCU for NBC they are purchasing it for the cable business. Their primetime lineup is a disaster. The whole move to putting Leno at 10:00 was to limit investment and maximize profit. That's why NBC didn't care that Leno was getting shitty ratings. The cost was so low, the show was still making a profit. The affiliates were the only reason Leno's show was cancelled. NBC may renew Days for another year or may want to just so they don't have to worry about the time slot for the time being. I doubt NBC is interested in investing any more into Days. Aren't they already moving that Southern Housewives show to NBC daytime or whatever the crap it's called?

Which is why he wouldn't want it.

And they may get an NBC renewal for a year just for that reason

[GladGirl]

I really don't think this is any crazier than putting Leno on five times a week at 10. I just wish NBC would do it.

[JaneAusten]

I don't think I could handle another one of King Zuckers experiments.

[tylerbo20]

im scared, its just cheaper to cancel days and run another hour of the today show or put in a cheap game show or even cheaper run repeats of a reality show.

[RoseVioletDaisy]

NBC broadcasting being such a small cog in the NBC/Universal/Comcast machine might actually help Days. The conglomerate has an enormous asset pool from which to earn revenue and cut costs that as long as DOOL doesn't lose money, it might stay on the air.

The problem was that Leno didn't want to retire and told NBC that long before his run on "The Tonight Show" ended. But NBC had already contracted with Conan O'Brien to take the show over and they didn't want to have to buy him out. Leno then asked to be let out of his contract so he could get a show elsewhere but NBC refused. That's when they came up with the idea of giving Conan "The Tonight Show" as planned and putting Leno in primetime. Leno's show did actually did fairly well, considering it's considerably lower cost but, as someone mentioned, the affiliates got hurt by having fewer viewers being brought in to their late local news. With Conan, "The Tonight Show's" ratings took a nosedive and that didn't help affiliates either. O'Brien's humor was too obscure and fanbase too small to carry an 11:30 show. Despite the buyout cost, NBC is thrilled to be rid of Conan.

[JaneAusten]

NBC Broadcasting has been a small cog for NBCU for the last few years and it hasn't stopped the Days cancellation talk. I said before what I expect will save it for another year may be the need for NBC Entertainment and Gaspin to focus all their efforts on primetime. And the fact that Days has maintaining or even increased viewers from a year ago which even Leno's tonight show could not do his last few years.

You won't see me defending NBC's decision to bring Leno back. It's all short term vision which is why Days might get another year. People forget Leno's demos went from 2.0 in 2006-2007 to 1.8 in 2007-2008 to 1.4 in 2008-2009. The margin between he and Letterman already narrowing before he left.

[Scotty]

After the way they have treated both David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, NBC is nothing more than a joke these days IMO.