LATEST RATINGS: May 4-8, 2020

[GLATWT88]

I would love to have ATWT back, but as was mentioned, it was more of an issue of P&G wanting to get out of the soap business than the network. Also, so much time has passed since cancellation, I'm afraid the numbers wouldn't be there and it would eventually just fail and be off our screens soon after. More should have been done to save GL and ATWT from cancellation and AMC and OLTL for that matter. I feel of the two P&G soaps, ATWT had the most potential for being saved because it was actually performing better but P&G wasn't interested in injecting time, money or effort into a dying genre. It's unfortunate but networks have become complacent and they're okay with keeping these soaps on as long as they're profitable or they don't have a viable cheaper product they to replace them. Look at AMC and OLTL being replaced by cheap talk shows that quickly disappeared from the schedule. 

 

As soon as Passions was cancelled and then GL and ATWT, there was so much chatter about soaps not making it into 2020. The cancellations of OLTL and AMC soon after only added to that concern. The fact that we still have 4 soaps in 2020 is amazing. 4 soaps with great potential but unfortunately no one knows what can be done to save them or whether it's even possible. I hope they can last, but I also hope they can thrive. 

[lucaslesann23]

Like ATWT and GL were P&G OLTL and AMC was frons. all these cancellations were poor decison making, Wasn't passions doing well in the 18-24 demos?

[Faulkner]

I think the timing of soaps‘ decline was unfortunate (That excerpt from Elana Levine’s book dates it to 1984, but let’s say 1999 was when daytime really divested, as that was the last year a new soap was launched). They couldn’t hold out until a new platform could support a lasting transformation  (AMC/OLTL were tantalizingly close). As of now, we’re stuck with the remaining soaps operating at a much lower frequency, with no real purpose, basically on to fill time, while all these other TV genres have spent the last few decades plundering all of daytime’s conventions, reaping the benefits, and executing them with style and production values. When my younger colleagues talk about the shows they watch, I can barely keep up. And a few of my co-workers are former soap viewers (one 30-something is a RHOBH watcher who grew up loving Lisa Rinna as Billie on DAYS). That daytime still exists is barely on their radars. But they sure love Little Fires Everywhere.

Edited May 17, 2020 by Faulkner

[Fevuh]

I know Carla Hall and honestly I don’t know why ABC cancelled The Chew and Pandemic show is floundering- Strahan, Sarah, and Kiki stinks.  Just because one person on The Chew has sexual harassment issues but costs were low, viewership was better than now and they cancelled them.  ABC would be smart to give that another shot or reboot All My Children.  And I’ve never watched ABC.  For CBS God no more game shows. Wayne Brady is awful and for 2 years keeps popping up everywhere.  Aside from the Liam, Wyatt, Hope, Steffy half hour - I turned B&B off because of baby snatch storyline with Wayne.  Won’t ever go back.  The Real is doing a great job broadcasting from their homes.  

[VanessaReardon]

Thanks Errol for the Live +7 numbers. My observation on the Live +7 ratings is that there is nothing to brag about in Daytime Live +7. The percentage gains in daytime are pathetic compared to primetime and cable. Many many primetime shows gain 100% or even more in viewers and demos. Daytime gains very little. And Errol, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the C3 ratings all that advertisers care about and not Live+7? I get that networks want to embellish the numbers by  touting how many viewers they gain in 7 days, but does that translate into advertising dollars and profits? Or is it just bragging rights that really don’t mean anything dollar wise? 

[Faulkner]

When I worked in cable, C3 were what mattered. The delayed numbers didn’t matter as much (especially considering a lot of ads, like getting people to see movies on opening weekend or getting foot traffic into a department store to take advantage of a weekend sale, have a short shelf life).

[GLATWT88]

Yes, Passions did well in the 18-24 demos in comparison to other soaps but that isn't saying much. I wonder if Passions had better numbers from delayed viewing since it did skew a bit younger than the other soaps. However, those numbers aren't worth much if they're still relatively small and there isn't much revenue that can come from them.

 

That's why I'm always curious about the streaming numbers. If they are significant like some seem to think they are because DAYS is usually at the top of the app - then that would mean there is a possibility to profit from those views but if the L+7 numbers are an indicator than that might not be the case. Although, I will say that I don't really DVR many programs unless I plan to watch the same day as I already know that I can just stream it the following day or later. 

[Errol]

 

Yes, when it comes to ads and networks making money off of delayed viewing it's all about C3, C7, etc since those figures include commercials watched over a period beyond L+SD. Live+7 is just a nicer way to look at the audience watching a particular show and it plays into the season to date viewership from that perspective. 

 

"Passions" was a young female demo darling (W12-17 and W18-34). Unfortunately, the demo that sold ads was and has remained W18-49 and W25-54. It didn't do well in that demo compared to the other shows. "Passions" would be a cash cow today if it did today what it did then in the extremely younger female demos since any daytime show would kill to generate any semblance of young viewers. GH is daytime's youngest skewing show and its median is essentially retired.

 

Ben Sherwood, who pushed for The View to be merged into ABC News and took over from Anne Sweeney, wanted to again try to capture the "GMA" audience for a third hour. The problem is that "GMA3" aired hours after the original ended. No one is going to watch it with that schedule. Didn't work in 2012 with "Good Afternoon America" either. Lucky for Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest that Disney continues to be successful with "Live with Kelly and Ryan," or else GMA3 would have been tried right after "GMA" even though "Live" is syndicated (it airs on a majority of ABC stations though).

[titan1978]

 It is so frustrating when you remember that all four of them were having a resurgence in ratings/attention around the same time around 2013-ish.  Several of them were hitting numbers they had not seen in almost a decade, the press was commenting positively on the renewed interest.

 

Then it all just slowly unraveled over the next few years, to the lows we have now.  The only thing I think that could rally them again is if they come back from the current hiatus with renewed energy and purpose.  

[GLATWT88]

 

Do you know to what they attributed this resurgence in the ratings? I can't think of anything in particular that happened in 2013 that may have caused this to happen. I wasn't really watching soaps then either as I had gone off a bit - so it's interesting to hear this news. 

[Errol]

 

It was talked about extensively with industry folks: 

 

Soap Secrets Revealed: ‘GH’s’ Anthony Geary, ‘B&B’s’ John McCook, ‘DAYS’ Casting Director and More Discuss 2013’s Resurgence of The Soaps!

https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2014/01/soap-secrets-revealed-ghs-anthony-geary-bbs-john-mccook-days-casting-director-and-more-discuss-2013s-resurgence-of

[Khan]

Like so many shows on the air, "The Talk" suffers from a perennial lack of identity.  What could your average viewer gain from watching that show that they can't from "The View" or anything else?  I know Sara Gilbert pitched it to CBSD as a talk show by, for and about working mothers.  However, I've always believed that premise to be weak and not at all sustainable.  Unfortunately, time has proven me right.

[GLATWT88]

Thank you so much! Definitely going to give it a read. 

[Faulkner]

It’s such a silly show. Without the political content (and gladiatorial atmosphere) of The View, it’s just a forgettable chat about celebrity gossip and lifestyle between ladies who barely seem to know each other. The chemistry of Chenbot, Aisha Tyler, Sara, Sharon, and Sheryl briefly held it together, but it imploded when Julie/Aisha/Sara left in quick succession. (They brought the intelligence that elevated the conversation.) Good riddance to Julie Chen Moonves, but she was a key component on the show.

[titan1978]

I know for GH it was both purpose and luck.  They brought back many fan favorites during their 50th anniversary year, writing little mini arcs for many of them while integrating some of them back into the show.  Some of those stories worked better than others, but we got to see people that had not been in the show in a long time.

 

The luck part was Kimberly McCullough agreeing to pop back in and out of the show when her schedule allowed it, being held captive by Faison.  By the time she came back and reunited with Robert, Anna and Patrick they had old fashioned payoff momentum in their ratings.  Which only happened because she put off returning to finish the story.  But they kept the thread alive to build to a payoff.

 

I know people are sick of them now, but I remember reading that B&B was at the time really playing the Hope/Liam/Steffi storyline and it was very popular with viewers, as their ratings were also up.

 

I can’t really remember what the talk was about Y&R or DAYS, but they had increases too.