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| Dayparts update | |
Lives,' a heartening turn Ratings are up smartly for the long-running soap Oct 16, 2009
In an era of diminishing audiences for daytime soap operas—witness the recent demise of the venerable “Guiding Light”—NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” is on a winning streak. Ratings for “Days” in the two key demographics of women 18-49 and women 25-54 are up for the first two weeks of the 2009-2010 season, compared with the equivalent weeks last year, according to Nielsen ratings compiled by NBC. Women 18-49 are up 8 percent, from a 1.2 to a 1.3, and women 25-54 are up 15 percent, from 1.3 to 1.5. All other network soaps are either down or flat in those demographics in the same two weeks. For the 2008-2009 season, which ended for soap operas on Sept. 20, “Days of Our Lives” showed neither growth nor loss in the two key demographics, but that’s good news compared with most other soaps, which, again, were either down or flat. And “Days” actually saw its total audience rise year to year, from 2.8 million viewers to 3 million. But of course, this being a soap opera, there's a sudsy element to the story, indeed a cliffhanger for fans of the show. Back in January 2007, NBC Universal Television’s president Jeff Zucker said “Days” would likely not continue past 2009. Though it was recently renewed, it's only until next September. The series is NBC’s one remaining daytime soap opera. For the past decade, daytime dramas have been disappearing like sands through the hourglass. “Days” may have bought itself more time. But has it? Will Zucker, so driven by the bottom line, cancel the show regardless? Will Comcast acquire NBC and boot Zucker, as some speculate? Would Comcast then give "Days" a reprieve? The questions are endless. We will all stay tuned.
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