Ratings from the 80's

[kalbir]

Maybe international money was coming in? I know Another World had a sizeable following in Canada from the 1970s until the end. It was also exported to Australia and Italy but I don't know how popular it was in those countries and how long the runs were.

[Contessa Donatella]

WOW! Jason, it's like you're a cultural anthropologist who dabbles in linguistics, all rendered mathematically. But I think I'll just call you a Nielsen Natterer. 

Yes, AW was the #1 soap in some provinces & the #2 soap in some other provinces, where it was carried, of course. Canadian AW fans were so furious that their ratings didn't count. They felt disenfranchised. 

[kalbir]

I can tell you where in Canada it wasn't #1, Toronto. That city has been Y&R turf since the 1970s.

[Contessa Donatella]

I know that the show sent actors to Toronto to events so perhaps it was #2 there & they were promoting. I used to be on email listservs with Canadian fans & they only talked about 2 soaps - AW & Y&R! They were passionate about both! 

[will81]

Another World aired at 10am in the 80's in Australia and Search for Tomorrow was on too but may have only been in certain parts of the country. I know by the 90's AW was on at like 5am. At least where I lived. 

I don't think it was super popular, but enough that I do think it aired to the end in 1999. Days and Y&R were by far the two biggest. Santa Barbara was extremely popular too and eventually B&B.

[GLATWT88]

I wouldn't be surprised if it could have performed well beyond that. Just a few months earlier it was able to get a 5 with 157 stations and 80 pct clearance. Unfortunately EON never got full clearance or anywhere near it after its switch to ABC. 

[Paul Raven]

I doubt that any money made from international broadcasts would make a difference.

I would imagine the Australian networks got the show at bargain prices. They wouldn't want to pay much for programming at 10 am in the morning. I think that the distributor would get a piece from the sale and the rest back to P&G. 

Did the actors receive anything for overseas sales? Probably a check for $1.29.

[JAS0N47]

Yes, much more than that. The 1991 "Days" contract I was sent by a U/5 had these as the AFTRA minimums for 1991. So these were just the rates that U/5s got. Principal actors would have gotten much more:

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[Paul Raven]

I think you are right about Thanksgiving football rating better and maybe Wimbledon?

But with sports I think a number of factors come into play.

One is the 'prestige' the networks associate with having exclusive rights to a sporting event. Obviously they want the ratings and on weekends and evenings they hope to get them but daytime is a different proposition. There would be a hue and cry if they got the rights to an event and didn't show weekday games for the soaps. Bad Optics.

Also the type of viewers they would get (men)would be different and I'm sure the products advertised would reflect this. 

It's a similar situation with news pre-emptions. The networks want to be seen as news leaders and even though they lose money interrupting the soaps it is seen as important to the image of the network.

It's also a reflection of the attitude of the networks that news and sport are more worthwhile and daytime is treated as an afterthought. Obviously major news events should take precedence but often the interruptions were unnecessary. But the news division had the power to preempt.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Well, that horrible example of the network switching to "Heidi" at a nail-biter moment of a football game tended to color the decisions that were made after that. 

[EONGLOLTL]

I don't know why ABC or P&G didn't fight for Edge of Night.  It did very well in the markets that carried it.  I personally think it was a very good fit following General Hospital and capturing the kids after school.  I hope in 2024 that Jason is able to post the ratings and affiliates from the network switch from CBS to ABC.  It's really still really beyond me that CBS didn't move it following the Guiding Light when As the World Turns expanded though it may have faced cancellation when Guiding Light expanded.  Sigh.....

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 10/25/82-10/29/82 & 11/1/82-11/5/82:

 

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FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 11/8/82-11/12/82 & 11/15/82-11/19/82:

 

[TVFAN1144]

There were probably very few markets that aired EON after GH at 4.   Most aired between 9 and 11

[Soapsuds]

Here in Texas I recall EON airing after GH at 3pm.

[will81]

Wasn't the demo more male and P&G just didn't care for that audience. I feel like they tried to force it to become something it wasn't to get the female audience they felt they needed to sell their products.

ABC, not sure. Edge was the only show they never ended up getting ownership of. Maybe if P&G had sold the show ABC might have worked harder to clear it in more markets and worked harder to give it the 4pm/3pm slot around the country. Granted I have no idea how hard ABC worked to get it added to more local schedules. 

Edited August 20, 2023 by will81