Advertisers prefer soaps over game shows

[Toups]

As Daytime Soaps Circle the Drain, Ad Buyers Weep Loudest

[ChiTownBoi03]

Well...I know I do!

[Soapsuds]

And this viewer isn't watching the [!@#$%^&*] they replace ATWT with. So long CBS!!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Gameshows are cheap as hell to produce though, which is why networks would prefer to have them on their lineups than soaps, which are very expensive in contrast.

[quartermainefan]

Interesting that a show that gets 3.2 pulls in 0.4 from DVR. That's more than 10% of their audience. I would have thought it was higher still to be honest. Do people not have DVR or TiVo still?

[Scotty]

I don't have either one...and still use my VCR actually. Even though most of the time if I miss an episode of something, I'll just it watch it later online.

[Gray Bunny]

:::raises hand impishly::: I still use my trusty VCR too... guess I'm an old grandma at heart (I have the soap opera mugs and memorabilia to go with it!)

[Soapsuds]

You're such a dork Tim. I use my DVD recorder to record my soap when I am not at home.

[cityfan01]

I DVR all my shows. I can't stand waiting through commercials.

[Soapsuds]

When I got my cable hooked up they asked if I wanted a DVR..but I already had my DVD recorder so passed on it for now. Once my recorder hits the dust ...I'll get the DVR.

[bellcurve]

Unless they make an affordable DVR that I can buy at an electronics store that doesn't require a subscription to cable or a subscription to a company, I will just continue to stick with my digital antenna and viewing my shows on Hulu and other online avenues via HDMI cable to flatscreen.

Network TV is not worth paying for and cable television is just not for me. But I will weep when cable companies realize people are starting to "cut the cord" and internet becomes more expensive. Luckily, my service provider does NOT require I have a cable package to acquire their internet services.

[bellcurve]

Speaking to this article: Of course advertisers prefer soaps over game shows. This is not news.

Anyone can watch what airs during programs like Wheel of Fortune versus ads that air during Ellen. Ellen clearly gets the Tampax and L'Oreal commercials while Wheel gets the Hoveround and Metamucil ads. And that's because Wheel has always appealed to Households and older auds and has never appealed to the 18-49 female. That's the case with all gameshows though...they tend to bring in Households and older audiences, with the exception of the rabid, loud, mostly-male(gay and straight) fanbase that give DAYS and GH fans a run for their money in terms of loopy crazies(Golden-Road.net anyone?).

But the writeup of this ad is rather...dramatic. It's not like advertisers have no place to go in the afternoon. All they have to do is trail the scent. Where did females 18-49 go during O.J.?: Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, CSI Reruns, Law and Order Reruns, ABC Family, etc. That's where those ads are going if they are not being spent on daytime dramas.

And there's no need to "diss" game shows, talk shows, or other alternative programming as an alternative to soaps or other scripted programs. With respect to gameshows, The Price is Right and Y&R have had a very symbiotic relationship with one another, especially in markets where they air back-to-back. I would attribute both of their longterm success to the relationship they have with each other as daytime companions. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy have been successful lead-ins to primetime programming or local news broadcasts(in places where J! airs at 4:30CST before the local news). Network daytime talk shows(i.e. The View and in the 90's Leeza) occasionally promote daytime soaps.

If anything, I am glad that the networks aren't giving away their network hours in the event soaps do make a comeback in five, ten, fifteen years. Sorry that people are sad about soaps getting canceled, but I couldn't be more thrilled about the NETWORK deciding what happens to that hour instead of my local affiliate filling it with cheap sitcom reruns, a lameass Oprah protege(Oz you're excluded), or even worse, infomercials. You people in bigger markets at least have it kind of easy and don't have to wade through a full hour of infomercials to get to Days of our Lives.

[quartermainefan]

But do you get the news channels? I was told your kind of set up gets you basically what was on the old VHF. How about ESPN?

[EricMontreal22]

Me too, LOL. I'll prob get a DVR by the time the year is out, but due to money, and being happy with what I have, I'm usually slow to adapt to these things...

[marceline]

Wow! Look at all the folks on here without DVR and Tivo! I thought I was the only one! I'm waiting until I pay off all my credit cards then I'm going to upgrade but until then, I watch mainly online.

Say it loud! I'm a Luddite and I'm proud!