Time and time again we’ve been asked how daytime shows (those airing only on ABC, CBS and NBC) such as “The View,” “The Price is Right,” “Let’s Make a Deal” and even “The Talk” do in the ratings compared to the daytime soaps that we report on weekly here at Soap Opera Network. So we thought we would compile ratings for daytime programming, separate from just the soaps, and also see how CBS’ “The Talk” is doing when compared to “As The World Turns,” the show it replaced this season.
For the week of March 8-12, 2010, CBS’ now canceled “As The World Turns” had 2.47 million viewers watching the trials and tribulations of Oakdale’s prominent citizens. By comparison,”The Talk,” which replaced it in the 2:00 PM ET timeslot, had only 2.11 million viewers watching the antics of co-hosts Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini during the week of March 7-11, 2011. While the difference of only 360,000 viewers doesn’t appear like much, we must remind readers that total viewers means nothing – it is the demos that pays the bills, in particular Women 18-49. In year-to-year comparisons, “As The World Turns” rated 50% higher than “The Talk” in Women 18-49 (rating), while 19% higher in actuals (viewers). Meanwhile, in the all important youth demographics of Girls 12-17 and Women 18-34, “The Talk” has tied “World Turns” or increased on the soaps viewership. In Girls 12-17 (viewers), “Talk” is doing 69% better than “World,” while in Women 18-34 (rating) both are tied.
What follows are the ratings comparisons of “As The World Turns” and “The Talk” for the week of March 8-12, 2010 vs March 7-11, 2011:
| Category | As The World Turns Week of March 8-12, 2010 |
The Talk Week of March 7-11, 2011 |
|
| Total Viewers | 2,468,000 | 2,111,000 | |
| Households/Share | 1.8/6 | 1.6/5 | |
| Women 18-49 Rating/Share | 0.9/6 | 0.5/5 | |
| Women 18-49 Viewers | 613,000 | 513,000 | |
| Girls 12-17 Viewers | 16,000 | 27,000 | |
| Women 18-34 Rating | 0.5/4 | 0.5/4 | |
| Men 18+ Viewers | 503,000 | 412,000 | |
Ultimately, while “As The World Turns” had consistently rated better than “The Talk” in many key categories, the cost of producing “Talk” is significantly lower. Therefore, from a business standpoint CBS was justified in canceling the soap in favor of the low cost talk show.
In other daytime news, “The View” remains ABC’s most watched program with an average 3.4 million viewers and a 2.6/9 in households. In Women 18-49, “The View” ties “General Hospital” with a 1.1 rating, though “View” held an 8 share while “GH” held a 7 share. In actuals (Women 18-49 viewers), “The View” trails “GH” by 50,000 viewers. “The Price is Right,” which is broken up into two separate programs is daytime’s most watched show. “TPIR: Part 1” averaged 4.4 million viewers, while “TPIR: Part 2” averaged 5.4 million viewers. “Let’s Make a Deal,” which is also broken up in two separate programs has dramatically improved on “Guiding Light,” which it replaced in 2009. “LMAD: Part 1” averaged 2.5 million viewers, while “LMAD: Part 2” averaged 2.7 million viewers.
What follows are the full daytime ratings for the Week of March 7-11, 2011:
Total Viewers (Full Daytime)
1. The Price is Right 2 (CBS) 5,418,000
2. The Young and the Restless (CBS) 4,825,000
3. The Price is Right 1 (CBS) 4,443,000
4. The View (ABC) 3,378,000
5. The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS) 2,811,000
6. Let’s Make a Deal 2 (CBS) 2,698,000
7. General Hospital (ABC) 2,687,000
8. Days of our Lives (NBC) 2,488,000
9. Let’s Make a Deal 1 (CBS) 2,452,000
10. One Life to Live (ABC) 2,355,000
11. All My Children (ABC) 2,318,000
12. The Talk (CBS) 2,111,000
Households/share (Full Daytime)
1. The Price is Right 2 (CBS) 3.7/13
2. The Young and the Restless (CBS) 3.5/12
3. The Price is Right 1 (CBS) 3.4/11
4. The View (ABC) 2.6/9
5. The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS) 2.0/7
— General Hospital (ABC) 2.0/6
7. Let’s Make a Deal 2 (CBS) 1.9/5
8. All My Children (ABC) 1.8/6
— Days of our Lives (NBC) 1.8/6
— One Life to Live (ABC) 1.8/6
11. Let’s Make a Deal 1 (CBS) 1.7/5
12. The Talk (CBS) 1.6/5
Women 18-49 Rating/share (Full Daytime)
1. The Young and the Restless (CBS) 1.5/10
2. The View (ABC) 1.1/8
— General Hospital (ABC) 1.1/7
— The Price is Right 2 (CBS) 1.1/8
5. Days of our Lives (NBC) 1.0/7
6. One Life to Live (ABC) 0.9/6
— The Bold and the Beautiful 0.9/5
— The Price is Right 1 (CBS) 0.9/6
9. The Talk (CBS) 0.8/5
10. All My Children (ABC) 0.7/4
— Let’s Make a Deal 2 (CBS) 0.7/4
— Let’s Make a Deal 1 (CBS) 0.7/4