the buzz log

What the world is searching for...

Searches Through the Hourglass

Jobs are a mixed blessing. They give us money, but they keep us from watching TV in our underpants at noon on Tuesdays. That unpleasant truth must explain soap opera searches. Folks cursed with jobs need to catch up. Regular as clockwork, searches on "soap operas" rose 126% at the start of the week. Women are responsible for 83%, and over half of these searches are from fans 35-54 years old. Additionally, searches on "abc soaps," "cbs soaps," and "nbc soaps" surge weekly, as do searches for "spoilers." "Dustin's Days of Our Lives Page," which chronicles the show's many twists and turns, regularly appears among the Buzz's top 6,000 searches. Not bad for a fan site.

While we haven't been sucked into a good soap opera in years, we understand their appeal. In soaps, love is always forbidden, twins are always long lost, and a baby's paternity is always disputed. Real life pales in comparison. Below, we list the eight most searched-on soaps. Now get back to work.

1. Days of Our Lives

2. General Hospital

3. Passions

4. All My Children

5. Young and the Restless

6. Guiding Light

7. Bold and the Beautiful

8. As the World Turns

I wonder what the 9th one is!

That list, while it makes sense, doesn't make sense. There's 9 soaps. They list the 8 top soaps. Any idiot with half a brain knows what the 9th one is. Are they trying to pass out the symbolism that OLTL is the "forgotten soap" again?

And I have to wonder, do TPTB read reports like this? You have there, right in your face in black and white, that 83% of the people who go on the Internet and do soapy things are women over the age of 35. It's not rocket science.

Thanks for posting. It seems the only place where soaps get respect is online. lol

That list, while it makes sense, doesn't make sense. There's 9 soaps. They list the 8 top soaps. Any idiot with half a brain knows what the 9th one is. Are they trying to pass out the symbolism that OLTL is the "forgotten soap" again?

Yeah, I also find that odd. How hard would it be to list one more? It's not like it's the Top8 out of 100.

OLTL not even mentioned

I have been saying all along more people watch soaps than what we get in the Neilson ratings, and DAYS/GH is probably really close to Y&R in reailty and PSNS probably isnt the least watched soap. But thats just my opinion.

Thanks for posting Rick!

I have been saying all along more people watch soaps than what we get in the Neilson ratings, and DAYS/GH is probably really close to Y&R in reailty and PSNS probably isnt the least watched soap. But thats just my opinion.

I think that Neilson is way off too b/c they probably aren't counting things like college dorms and retirement homes, both of which would boost all three networks' ratings. Plus, so many people tape or use DVR to watch soaps, and I can't possibly figure out how Neilson could be counting those people in. Also, I'm under the assumption that the majority of CBS viewers don't even use the internet.

I think that Neilson is way off too b/c they probably aren't counting things like college dorms and retirement homes, both of which would boost all three networks' ratings. Also, I'm under the assumption that the majority of CBS viewers don't even use the internet.

Yeah you are probably right with the CBS viewers being less likely to use the internet, but I still have always remembered DAYS being THE soap to watch from online polls, real life just asking what soap do you watch, and by magazine sells. I am biased because DAYS is my soap, but I just find it hard to believe DAYS ratings arent better than what they are getting. That goes for all soaps as well.

Anectodotal evidence, but recently I was on a college campus and much to my surprise Y&R was the 1pm choice of viewing in the commons.

The fact that they didn't list OLTL as #9 makes me think something else was #9. If correct that makes it even sadder for OLTL.