(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — Primetime viewership for SOAPnet, the network for soaps, increased in May for the fourth straight month, and reached a new high in several key demos.
In a press release issued Tuesday by the upstart cable/satellite network dedicated to the daytime drama, viewership for the month of May reached record highs in total viewers and the all important women aged 18-49 demographic. Also, viewership for the channel increased for the fourth consecutive month. Below are a few highlights from the press release. Â
Record or near-record viewership for “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” on SOAPnet gave the network their most watched May ever in the women 18-49 demo. in the channel’s nine year history. Ratings in the category for May 2009 increased 27% over one year ago, with an average of 142,000 viewers. Additionally, last month also marked SOAPnet’s most watched month ever in terms of total viewership, with an average of 361,000 viewers tuning in, a 15% increase over the same time last year.Â
“All My Children,” which airs weeknights at 8:00 et, experienced their second highest rating ever on SOAPnet in the women 18-49 demo., falling only 8,000 viewers short of February 2005’s record of 201,000. Also, May 2009 was “AMC’s” highest rated month ever on SOAPnet, and the fifth highest in terms of overall viewership with 464,000 people tuning in to watch the latest happenings in Pine Valley. And, thus far in the 2008-09 season, “AMC” has experienced its five highest consecutive months in terms of SOAPnet viewership, which reached a record high 500,000 viewers back in March. Even more impressive is the fact that “All My Children” is up 72% in the total viewers and 80% in terms of women 18-49, versus last year. Â
“One Life to Live,” which airs weeknights at 9:00 et, also saw significant gains in viewers and demos for the month of May on SOAPnet. The primetime audience for “OLTL” increased for the fifth straight month, giving May 2009 the soap’s highest rating in the women 18-49 category, with 179,000 viewers, an increase of 33% over last year. Also, since the beginning of the 2008-09 season, “OLTL” has notched their three highest rated months on SOAPnet in total viewers. And it marked “One Life to Live’s” largest ever May audience on the network, and third highest overall, with 392,000 total viewers, creating an increase of 14%.
SOAPnet, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Corporation, airs same-day repeats of soaps “All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “One Life to Live,” and “The Young and the Restless,” along with classic soaps such as “Ryan’s Hope.” In recent years, the network’s programming schedule has expanded to include primetime dramas “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “One Tree Hill,” “The O.C.,” and “Gilmore Girls,” combined with original programming such as “MVP,” “1 Day With…,” “Soapography,” and “Southern Bells: Louisville.”
Click here to read the press release in its entirety.
“All My Chilren” airs weekdays on ABC. Weeknights on SOAPnet. Check local listings.
“One Life to Live” airs weekdays on ABC. Weeknights on SOAPnet. Check local listings.
Discussion: SOAPnet Audience Continues to Grow
