DAYS of Our Ratings Success Story; Even With Franco GH Slides

At least OLTL is doing okay in the key demo that the networks care about:

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 1,114,000 (-25,000/-48,000)
2. DAYS 946,000 (+34,000/+126,000)
3. GH 840,000 (-136,000/-69,000)
4. OLTL 722,000 (-84,000/-108,000)
5. B&B 708,000 (-9,000/-106,000)
6. AMC 694,000 (-58,000/-64,000)
7. ATWT 593,000 (-21,000/-53,000)

Jangie Fan you copied the viewers for 18-49, the network cares about the demo, which is the percentage point, and unfortunately OLTL was below GH and AMC in that demo. They have to do something and fast.
 

This lost GL fan has started watching ATWT on and off and it's been intriguing.  Am enjoying Tom Pelphrey in dialled-down mode, moreso than on GL - seems like a totally absurd storyline, but in a good, soapy way.  Never saw Colleen Pinter (not sure the name) before and have no idea what the character is all about, but she's good and has presence.  Damian sure is angular and angsty -- not sure what about yet.  Big cast -- I've been watching for a few days and new faces keep showing up everyday.  Don't know a lot about Carly & Jack except they fight alot in an Emmy kinda way and he's a mysterious guy on Gotham.  Carly had an alcohol problem  storyline that the late, lamented Buzz Cooper was following.  Jack is having some kind of midlife racing crisis, which she seems all in a lather about.  Anyway, will keep watching and look forward to Daniel Cosgrove's arrival, whoever he will be. 

the ABC soaps are such a freaking mess!

i predict OLTL will get cancelled SOON! BYE!

Does anyone think that since the ratings actually went down, Guza and Phleps are in trouble and could get fired?

I guess soap fans actually care about soap characters. GH went up when JJ came back. If VM was to come back, I know it will go up. Also if Genie come and we see her with JJ's Lucky, it will go up again.

I truly believe it was because he was tied to the mob/Jason storyline. But that's just my opinion.

Although GH is getting way better. Today's episode when Liz telling Robin all that stuff was great. 

Get rid of Olivia, please. Bring Kate back fulltime please. That's who Sonny should be with.

I tried to watch OLTL. I had to take that and Y&R off my DVR. OLTL's storyline with Tea/Todd and the now Ike Turner Ross turned me off.  I was so waiting to see Ross with Blair. I was actually excited for that storyline.  And I also liked Ross/Elijah as brothers.  Still waiting for Cristian and Layla.  I will tune back in once Kim/Clint storyline amps up. I love Kim.  They have to get Rachel away from Greg. They have too. And Amelia pisses me off. That chick never smiles.

Go Days! It is so going to pass B&B within the next couple of weeks, I am totally rooting for this show it is the best right now!

Aw, to bad GH. The stunts, casting stunts, aren't going to cut it all of the time. LAST WEEKS ratings should come out today or tomorrow, that's what I really want to see. Franco's first full week on GH. If GH drops like it did 2 weeks ago, the show SERIOUSLY needs to look into firing Guza and Phelps who clearly think that stunts are the way to keep a show going. Talk about a JOKE. I don't give a flying cereal box how good GH is right now, it ALWAYS goes back down. Right now, GH is in it's stunt phase!! Guza needs to be fired, along with Phelps, and FRONSIE to!

And I can't wait for AMC in 2010, I am hoping it improves with the prestigious Lorraine Broderick's writing material. February is the beginning...

Jamey:  thorough, excellently written item.  Thanks.
I am convinced my Y & R will bounce back.  I still find myself interested in all sorts of stories. And you just know there will be major tinkering going on. Fans need to be listened to on some casting that we've all mentioned for years.  I have to say I loved Sharon telling off Nick this week, and I'm a biblical Stafford fan.
Anyhoo, good article.

Congrats to DAYS, Love It!

I am so happy to see them coming roaring back in the ratings. I'm especially glad that are ahead of GH. GH absolutely SUCKS.. How can they think bringing in Franco would save the show when the writers continue to destroy the history and foundation of this once great soap. TPTB don't believe that without the foundation you have nothing to build on. Hollywood star or not.. The GH fans are not happy with the writing of their once loved show and the ratings are proving it. 

But anywaysss, back to DAYS, keep up the good work please.....

Good article Jamey.  I enjoyed your comments on ATWT.  The show really has improved a lot and it's good to see others thinking the same.  I agree it's a good time to tune back in if you had stopped watching or to just give it a chance.  They seem to finally be getting their act together again.  It's not perfect but it sure is improving!

I am so excited about my show, DAYS.  I've been pushing for this show to move up the ratings ladder since forever.  Sure, I was the one being made fun of when Viv switched embryos, and Marlena was possessed, and Susan was Kristen, and Roman was John, and Stefano was alive again.  Everyone talked about how their soap was elegant, realistic, and classy.  But you know what? DAYS is like Little Orphan Annie, and Gary Tomlin is Daddy Warbucks.  "It's a Hard Knocks Life" for us DAYS fans, so I am delighted to get some payback!

Thanks for the update, Jamey.

I am a 10 year soap viewer so I missed much of the glory days of soaps but I have mostly been an ABC and Days viewer. ABC soaps are not holding this 24 year old woman (key demo right?) Anyway, I don't care much for the stunt casting of Franco. I think its good for mainstream visibility but to current soap fans we may just want to see our couples and good stories with those on screen.

Over the past year I became a diehard GL fan mainly because of Otalia. When that ended I followed Crystal to Days but honestly have stuck around that show for the Baby Drama conclusion. Its been amazing acting and it sucked me in quick. I am loving the addition of Vivian and if the Carly's Mystery Daughter story goes well then I don't see Days losing its momentum. Lets hope I am right. To me Days has all pulled together to make a successful show. There is no one factor that raised the ratings in my opinion.

Wow, Dena's ratings are up and Ron's continue to sink. If OLTL is so great, why do viewers continue to avoid it like the plague. Any theories?

In his irrational exuberance to promote his life-long orgasmic fantasy of a mob shoot-out and debut of an A-List movie star/Jason-obsessed character, all on the same day, Guza shot his mouth off to Soap Digest in a big, fat interview hitting the internet 4 full days before Franco's 11/20 advertised debut. This article amounted to an early-warning for several fanbases, particularly Spinelli and Spixie fans, who did exactly as they did when the Johnny sleaze was interjected in mid-March. Once again they stepped away from their TV sets in droves.

I don't care if James Franco is a big-deal movie star & Golden Globe winner. He is NOW a big-deal movie star and Golden Globe winner who draws half a million fewer GH viewers than Spixie's NON-VIOLENT, Non-Wedding.

I'm interested to see the ratings for the short Holiday week last week to see if there was measurable improvement in the GH ratings. My guess is there will not be.

My apology, I believe my previous comment may have inadvertantly posted twice.

Dena Higley is a figure head. She isn't saving that show, Gary Tomlin is. Dena is allegedly being rewarded with job security for going fi core.
 

ATWT has improved greatly but they are still not using their vets more Kim, Bob, Lisa, Lucinda and Nancy, that's when their ratings go up. That's what happen to GL the older audience grew tired. They need to learn from GL mistakes or it won't be around next year. What as Martha Byrne (Ex Lily) doing now bet she's sorry that she left ATWT. Any chance of her coming back?

Color me crazy here, but wasnt JJ's return on October 27th??

And according to this

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/11/06/soap-opera-ratings-october-26-30-20...

the ratings on the 27th were 2.0

Franco debuted on a Friday to a 1.9

Are we really going to say that the return of what many consider to be daytime royalty is a success at 2.0 but Franco is an abject failure at a 1.9?  Are folks basing that on expectations? Because to me those results dont see to me all that different, nor do either seem all that much better than when Greg Vaughn was in the role.  I am asking that honestly, maybe there is something I am not getting, because week after week I look at these and my take pretty much seems to be that there is YR and then there is BB and now DOOL and then there is everyone else.

I also wonder how the big wigs evaluate these numbers.  As many of us have said, the ratings system only values network live views.  If I work, I may be able to catch a show that starts before 2 live, but the others I am going to have to watch at home on the internet or on dvr or soapnet.  Of the four shows that could benefit vs. their counterparts, 3 are the top 3 and the 4th is such a hot mess that noone wants to watch let alone over a meal.

This always confuses me. So Higley really isn't doing anything for the show? I've always wondered why people don't like her so much and talk negatively about her, even when the show is doing really well. Im 16 so what do I know...LOL. But I have noticed that in interviews with Soap Digest or something, when they're doing a sweeps preview or whatever, she's never interviewed. It's always Ken Corday, Christopher Whiteshell, or sometimes Gary Tomlin. Higley NEVER talks about the show!

Was very sad that OLTL lost so many viewers, but I have to agree. OLTL the best of the soaps I watch, but except the Kish story (which wasn't on that week), most of the other stories like the Mitch one are not a good as they could be. Granted I love the individual elements/plot points of the Mitch story, but when you put them together and look at the story as a whole, it's not that great of a story and is a plot-driven mess. And the Tea/Todd/Blair story, can't watch Ross continue to be thrown under a bus for Todd and watch these women continue to fawn over one of the most undeserving men on the planet, Todd.

I'm enjoying B&B much more than I have been in a long time, but I agree with you about Sarah Brown's story, I love Sarah Brown, but just not feeling that story.

On ATWT, I think things have improved lately, but I really don't see creative resurgance that everyone sees. Most of the stories I'm not enjoying and not as good as they should be. Not feeling the Jack handycam roadtrip, Brad-ghost story too silly for my tastes, don't like Mick's story either and the Nuke story, it's boring and I feel like it's winter 2007 again. Still seems like "new song, same tune". I do however, love that it seems that, Maul, the vortex of suck has ended though.

James Franco is not a well-known star.  He has never opened a movie as a leading actor with large box office.  Franco is more known as a supporting actor in large films and as an independent film actor. 

Anyone who thought Franco would deliver big ratings for GH was naive. 

OLTL has TERRIBLE publicity.  Where are the interviews with its stars? 

The gay storylines are great but they probably shouldn't have a big focus during November sweeps unless they publicized the hell out of them with gays to draw viewers in to compensate for bigoted viewers who might not want to see gay storylines.

Finally, OLTL  continues to fail to market its ethnic characters.  Why doesn't OLTL 
advertise or have its black and Latino actors talking to ethnic media, online and other? 

I love OLTL.  It's my favorite soap.  I question the brains of TPTB that refuse to advertise/publicize this show.  Every time I turnaround, Buzzworthy radio has an interivew with someone from Y&R.  Weloavesoaps.net has had a week's worth of interviews with Days' cast.  OLTL?  Missing in action!

Nelson Branco said on his Facebook page that OLTL  refuses to answer his requests to interview its actors.  That's pathetic.  

The OLTL actors need to start marketing themselves if they want to keep their paychecks since their mgmt doesn't have the will or brains to do so.

Jamey,

I agree with you!  ATWT is just all kinds of awesome!!  Lily/Damian/Meg are fraktastic fun on a sexy swizzle stick! 

Bravo to the new headwriter for turning things around!!!

OLTL and ATWT are my must-see daytime viewing.  (No disrespect to the other shows.)

Nobody gives a damn about James Franco and by nobody I mean the viewers who watch the show. Sure it is an decent story but it's whatever to me. They need to get Genie and Vanessa back.
Congrats to Days
As for OLTL it is contrieve w/Mitch but I am enjoying it. I do not get the criticism for Missy Archer b/c she is doing great. Florencia is doing great and she, Kelley, and Michael are compelling in this story. I hate the 360 of Ross to prop Todd. There is chemistry with both Florencia and Kassie, but I guess.
And yes to ATWT being great soap even though I hate the CarJack thing breaking up the far superior Jack and Janet. My favorite story is anything Lily and Meg. And the Benjamin Button story is going to be intersting.

Wahoo! Go Days!
So happy that one soap is trying to take B&B down. That show is just awful and it hurts to even try to watch it.
Sarah Brown needs to walk across the hall and become Victoria Newman. Amelia is killing me & Sarah deserves better than B&B.
Poor OLTL. best soap on the tube and people just don't realize it.

Great news for Days, I am glad their ratings are up. They brought back characters, people care about and with the Sami finally getting her baby back it's paying dividends.

As for the ABC soaps well, where do you start?
AMC, well I think we are just counting the days until Lorraine Broderick takes over.

OLTL,
With the exception of Kish, all the other storylines are the same old, same old and are not as good as they could be.

GH,
Well, James Franco may not be a well-known star. But I think it has more to do with his character being obsessed with Jason and the mob. I think had he had been a long-lost Q or Cassadine it would be a different story. Can we start a fire Guza/Phelps campaign? Please!!!!!

James Franco really isn't that big of a star, it's just now hitting me.

It's such a joke because that was one of GH's most highly publicized weeks, yet the episode was one of the least rated episodes of the week!

JOSS,  I agree. I'm constantly complaining about OLTL's terrible publicity. OLTL probably has the worst of all the soaps. Except for a few interviews and articles, you hardly see any OLTL stars out there doing press and druming up publicity for the show.  When was the last time an OLTL star was on The View? OLTL and it's actors need to get the word out there and not just to the soap and the gay press, but other forms of media too.

Yes, dkp. OLTL have to get their butts in gear and drum up publicity for the show because Frons is not gong to do it.  I with you that Franco will be gone in about two months and GH is a mess so why watch.

Yes! please bring Liason back! and while they're at it, fire Frons. ALL of the ABC soaps will benefit from Frons being in the unemployment line.

Wow, this is really bad.... it just gets more and more depressing. I cannot stand to watch DAYS anymore, but bless their hearts they're the only ones gaining in ratings. I think we can kiss our soaps good-bye