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Teens lather up
for CBS soap operas


Daytime numbers rise as network cooks up tie-ins

Apr 18, 2008

Ratings for soaps have been slipping for years as women join the workforce and cable lures away more viewers, and to reverse the trend the networks have been looking for ways to woo younger viewers.

It looks like it’s working for CBS.

Teen viewership for CBS soaps has risen this season. Season to date, CBS’s daytime lineup, which also includes game show “The Price is Right,” is up 17 percent, from an average 60,000 to 70,000, according to Nielsen data supplied by NBC.

Certainly it’s a small base to build from, but it comes as the other networks have seen their teen audiences decline, boosting CBS into first place. Second-place NBC is off 7 percent from 72,000 to 67,000, while ABC is off 14 percent, from 59,000 to 51,000.

“Guiding Light” has seen the biggest up tick among CBS soaps, rising 29 percent from 49,000 to 63,000, with “The Young and the Restless” second with a 23 percent jump, from 77,000 to 95,000.

Both shows are also up double-digit percentages among female teens but are down or flat among key demos like women 18-49 and 25-54.

“As the World Turns,” “Bold and the Beautiful” and “Price” are also all up among 12-17s while posting declines among total viewers and older female demos, most of it due to natural ratings deterioration seen each year in daytime.

A big reason for the CBS soaps’ increase seems to be that the network is doing a good job targeting younger viewers through stunt casting, outside tie-ins and relevant storylines.

CBS has recruited personalities known to 12-17s who wouldn’t seem a natural fit for daytime, like former “American Idol” contestants Constantine Maroulis and Elliott Yamin on “Bold” and, most recently, Kathy Hilton, mom of heiress and tabloid queen Paris, who will appear in the May 13 “Restless.”

The network also recently engineered a smart tie-in with sister broadcaster the CW. Contestants on the latter’s “Beauty and the Geek” reality show paid a visit to the “Restless” set, where actors on the show evaluated contestants in an acting contest.

CBS is also entering its third season of the online-only reality show “InTurn,” which follows a group of actors competing for a spot on “Turns.” That type of internet tie-in is vital to attracting kids these days.

The network has also gotten a lot of mileage out of its gay teen love story on “Turns.” While it’s been controversial, mainly because fans have complained that the teen boys in question don’t show enough affection, it’s also drawn in new viewers. Male 12-17 viewership has shot up 30 percent this year, from 20,000 to 26,000, following the couple’s first kiss last summer.

CBS will continue such steps to attract young viewers in the future. The network recently began using handheld cameras to shoot “Light,” the oldest show on television at 71 years, in a bid to modernize its look.

***

Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending April 6:

Among teens 12-17, Fox led with a 2.4 rating and 9 share, followed by CBS at 1.2/5, CW and ABC at 1.1/4, Univision at 0.9/4, NBC at 0.8/3, Telemundo and Telefutura at 0.3/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0.

Among kids 2-11, Fox was first with a 1.7/7, followed by Univision at 1.3/6, ABC at 1.0/4, CBS at 0.8/4, NBC at 0.7/3, CW at 0.5/2, Telemundo at 0.3/1, Telefutura at 0.2/1 and Azteca at 0.0/0.

The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” (Thu. 10:30 a.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “Go, Diego, Go!” (Thu. 12:30 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Fri. 8 p.m.); 4. Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” (Fri. 10:30 a.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Mon. 4:30 p.m.)

The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Fri. 8 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Sat. 9:30 a.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” (Sun. 7 p.m.); 4. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Fri. 8:30 p.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Sat. 11 a.m.)

The top five shows among kids 9-14: 1. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Fri. 8 p.m.); 2. Fox’s “American Idol” (Tue. 8 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” (Sun. 7 p.m.); 4. Fox’s “American Idol” (Thu. 8 p.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “H2O” (Sun. 7:30 p.m.)

TOP 10 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST & CABLE
Kids 2-5
Week Ended April 13


Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

DORA THE EXPLORER-04/10/2008

NICK

7.1

1138

2

GO, DIEGO, GO!-04/10/2008

NICK

6.9

1106

3

SPONGEBOB-04/11/2008

NICK

6.8

1089

4

DORA THE EXPLORER-04/11/2008

NICK

6.7

1080

5

SPONGEBOB-04/07/2008

NICK

6.4

1031

6

BLUES CLUES-04/10/2008

NICK

6.4

1018

7

DORA THE EXPLORER-04/08/2008

NICK

6.3

1012

8

DORA THE EXPLORER-04/09/2008

NICK

6.3

1006

9

NI HAO KAI-LAN-04/10/2008

NICK

6.1

975

10

NI HAO KAI-LAN-04/09/2008

NICK

6

967

Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research

 

TOP 10 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST & CABLE
Kids 6-11
Week Ended April 13


Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

SPONGEBOB-04/11/2008

NICK

9.8

2388

2

SPONGEBOB-04/12/2008

NICK

7.2

1740

3

ICARLY-04/13/2008

NICK

6.8

1640

4

SPONGEBOB-04/11/2008

NICK

6.7

1617

5

SPONGEBOB-04/12/2008

NICK

6.4

1552

6

BACK AT THE BARNYARD-04/12/2008

NICK

6.3

1539

7

SPONGEBOB-04/11/2008

NICK

6.3

1521

8

BACK AT THE BARNYARD-04/12/2008

NICK

6.2

1517

9

SPONGEBOB-04/12/2008

NICK

6.2

1509

10

ICARLY-04/12/2008

NICK

6.1

1472

Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research

 

TOP 10 PROGRAMS – CABLE
Kids 9-14
Week Ended
April 13

Rank

Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

SPONGEBOB-04/11/2008

NICK

6.4

1569

2

AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY-04/08/2008

FOX

5.6

1377

3

ICARLY-04/13/2008

NICK

5.3

1287

4

AMER IDL THU RSLT SP-4/10-04/10/2008

FOX

4.8

1183

5

H2O-04/13/2008

NICK

4.7

1157

6

SPONGEBOB-04/12/2008

NICK

4.7

1140

7

SPONGEBOB-04/11/2008

NICK

4.6

1135

8

ICARLY-04/09/2008

NICK

4.4

1063

9

ICARLY-04/10/2008

NICK

4.3

1058

10

ICARLY-04/12/2008

NICK

4.3

1045

Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research

 



Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.




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