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for soap operas
Only 'General Hospital' and 'Passions' are up
By Kevin Downey
It may seem hard to believe for anyone who watched it, but it’s been more than 20 years since Luke and Laura said “I do,” propelling that “General Hospital” episode to the highest rating in soap opera history.
The past two decades have not been kind to soap operas, however, with ratings declining for years, including dips for eight of 10 daytime dramas in fourth quarter, based on Nielsen Media Research data released this week.
Nor has time been good to Luke and Laura.
The characters divorced shortly before their 20th anniversary and only managed to generate a modicum of interest among daytime viewers with a revisit to the wedding last September. ABC used a programming stunt, coinciding with the departure of actress Genie Francis, in which flashbacks from that famous wedding were shown.
Still, daytime viewers are drawn to the show, which posted a modest 2 percent increase in its rating in fourth quarter, compared to the same time last year.
“General Hospital” ranked No. 1 with a 2.8 rating among women 18-49 and had a 21 percent increase in its rating for women 18-34.
“In that week with Genie leaving the show, there was certainly some nostalgia,” says Brian Frons, president of ABC Daytime.
He points out, however, that ABC research suggests fourth-quarter ratings were driven more by two ongoing love stories and a murder mystery.
“It’s really young love that has always driven ratings on ABC.”
ABC’s daytime dramas were the highest-rated of any network’s in fourth quarter with a 2.3 rating, compared to NBC’s 2.1 and CBS’s 1.9.
NBC, however, tied for No. 1 in the demo when all daytime programs are included.
CBS ranked No. 1 in overall viewers with an average of 4.5 million people watching their daytime dramas. ABC was No. 2 with just under 3.9 million and NBC was third with 3.5 million.
Outside of “General Hospital,” only NBC’s “Passions” posted an increase in ratings in fourth quarter.
The show is still one of the lowest-rated daytime dramas, at least among women 18-49, but its rating was up 20 percent compared to the same quarter last year, to a 1.8 rating.
“Passions,” like ABC’s “Port Charles” puts much of its focus on reaching younger viewers. Both shows have become notable for outrageous stories and faster story lines. “Port Charles,” in fact, is one of only two daytime dramas to air for a half-hour.
“We get a premium when we can deliver women 18-34,” says Frons. “The way we can do that is with dynamic love stories, especially among people in their 20s.
“They seem to have a halo effect in which they also bring in teens and thirtysomethings.”
While both “Passions” and “Port Charles” have succeeded to some degree in attracting younger viewers, it’s still older women who make up the bulk of the daytime drama audience. Both of the younger-skewing shows were among the lowest rated of 10 network soap operas.
“General Hospital” was the highest-rated soap with a 2.8, compared to CBS’s “Young and the Restless” and NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” both of which were down from last year, to a 2.5 among women 18-49.
ABC’s “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” both had a 2.3 rating, while CBS’s “Bold and the Beautiful” had a 2 rating.
All of CBS’s dramas posted year-to-year declines.
NBC’s “Passions” ranked No. 7 with a 1.8 rating.
CBS’s “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light” came next with a 1.7 and 1.4, respectively, and ABC’s “Port Charles” had a 1.2 rating.
January 9, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
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