I decided to put my calculator and brain to work I went back 10 years and averaged the total viewers for that year and compared them to present day numbers.

1995 Total Viewers - 42.9 million overall viewers

1. Y&R 7,155,000

2. AMC 5,891,000

3. GH 5,343,000

4. B&B 5,247,000

5. OLTL 5,152,000

6. DAYS 5,056,000

7. ATWT 4,865,000

8. GL 4,198,000

9. PSNS* 2,116,000

2005-2006 Total Viewers - 31.3 million overall viewers

1. Y&R 5,521,000 (-1.63 million)

2. B&B 4,323,000 (-92,000 )

3. GH 3,451,000 (-1.89 million)

4. ATWT 3,346,000 (-1.52 million)

5. DAYS 3,263,000 (-1.79 million)

6. AMC 3,253,000 (-2.64 million)

7. OLTL 3,184,000 (-1.97 million)

8. GL 2,812,000 (-1.39 million)

9. PSNS*2,098,000 (-18,000)

*Passions is based on it's first full year average (2000) 2,116,000

Daytime as a whole has lost about 11.6 million viewers. Compared to the erosion of Primetime shows from only 5 years ago, Is Daytime really that bad off? Nah

It seems like production costs would be much higher now and all those actors (like on Y&R for instance) are making way more than they did then. So the shows need to make more advertising money to be successful and profitable, not the same amount. So to really compare fairly, you somehow have to work the $$$ inflation into the mix to measure the true impact. Don't ask me how to do that though LOL.

With Soapnet and stuff like that, it's possible that those soaps are getting additional money that aren't reflected in the broadcast ratings.

A show like ATWT has switched to a cheaper studio. So much has changed in terms of cost. Obviously the sets of a lot of these shows have gone away so they've cut in so many places. I'd love to know how many viewers they need to have decent sets and to be able to hire good writers.

IMO, the soaps should go with much smaller casts and consider moving back to half an hour.

ABC soaps have apparently taken the biggest hit. AMC, OLTL, and GH were the three biggest losers. Maybe Frons will get his very own pink slip soon.

I think that having some of the soaps go back to a half hour format is an excellent idea. For GL or Passions, it might be a way to create a healthier, more vibrant product. The networks could then use the second half hour to experiment with telenovas, if they wanted to try attract some new viewers with a different type of show.

IMO, the soaps should go with much smaller casts and consider moving back to half an hour.

Smaller casts would seem a natural move.

I agree with the half-hour thing in theory -- especially because it would allow for less "filler" time onscreen -- but it's more financially effective to produce an hour-long show. Although it would free up time for the affiliates, so maybe that's a worthwhile tradeoff...

Very interesting. Thank you so much for posting this.

AMC is in a class all their own. I'm not surprised it suffered the greatest loss but I'm suprised at how large it was compared to everyone else.

AMC has been in turmoil for over a decade now and it just keeps declining. In terms of quality it has had its peaks and valleys but overall its been on the decline. No show has suffered the destruction AMC has, not even GH.

^^

Well, how about we compare the 1997 numbers to today - then DOOL would have lost the most. You can't pick one year and make it a clear picture of the grand scheme.

AMC has gone downhill (very much so), but every soap fan will say the same thing about their favorite soap.

^^

Well, how about we compare the 1997 numbers to today - then DOOL would have lost the most. You can't pick one year and make it a clear picture of the grand scheme.

AMC has gone downhill (very much so), but every soap fan will say the same thing about their favorite soap.

Very true. Although I think no matter what the base year AMC will be one of the most affected. Since Felicia Behr left as executive producer, coinciding with the Disney take-over pretty much, the show has been pulled in so many different directions, more than any other show. Consistency is key but from year to year AMC is unrecognizable. Someone who watched the show last summer and tuned in this summer would barely recognize the show. How are you going to get the teens that way?

I just don't get why the network will not leave AMC alone. It's treated like the little child lagging behind that needs constant attention or it will die off. AMC, when left alone, is a powerhouse that can compete with the likes of the Y&R. It's this attention from ignorant network executives and young, out-of-touch marketing "whiz kids" that's slowly but surely killing the show.

^^

Well, how about we compare the 1997 numbers to today - then DOOL would have lost the most. You can't pick one year and make it a clear picture of the grand scheme.

AMC has gone downhill (very much so), but every soap fan will say the same thing about their favorite soap.

Fair enough.

I'll do 1990-1997 later tonight

Fair enough.

I'll do 1990-1997 later tonight

Rick! I didn’t mean that you have to do that. I was addressing those saying AMC has gone downhill the most because of what these numbers show. The point I was trying to make is that you can’t really get an accurate picture. You have to dig a little deeper on an individual basis. Like I could compare AMC’s current ratings to the ratings it was getting during the baby switch. Since that story unusually spiked the ratings, comparing them to now would look awful. But let’s say I compared the current ratings to the ratings AMC was getting during the summer of 2005. Then it wouldn’t look so bad because those numbers were lower.