THE NUMBERS
With the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump wreaking havoc on the broadcast airings of the daytime soaps, talk shows and game shows, depending on DMA (Designated Market Area), during the week of January 27-31, 2020, Soap Opera Network thought it would be the perfect time to release for the first time ever the season-to-date ratings report for the 2019-2020 broadcast television season which includes Live+7 data through January 19, 2020.
Nineteen weeks into the season, “The Young and the Restless” remains the most-watched daytime drama with just over 4 million viewers watching each day. “The Bold and the Beautiful” is averaging just under 3.3 million, while “General Hospital” averages just under 2.5 million to “Days of our Lives'” average of about 2.2 million daily viewers. In Women 18-49, “Y&R” leads “GH” by just 9,000 viewers (377,000 for “Y&R” to 368,000 for “GH”). “B&B is averaging 328,000 in the demo, just 2,000 viewers behind “Days of our Lives.” In Women 25-54, “Y&R” again leads with 584,000 viewers in the demo for the season. “GH” is in second place with 539,000. “B&B” is averaging 499,000 to place third while “DAYS” is averaging 460,000 in fourth place.
In Median Age, “GH” remains the youngest skewing soap with its median age 61.3. The median age of a “DAYS” viewer is 63 while “B&B’s” median is 63.9. “Y&R” has the highest median aged viewer at 64.2
Compared to the same point last year, each hour-long soap has aired 600-700 fewer hours of programming due to numerous preemptions this season. The season began on September 23, 2019, with most current data through February 2, 2020. L+7 data is 09/23/2019 through 01/20/2020.
What follows is a breakdown of the season-to-date numbers for each soap compared to the same period a year ago (sorted by Total Viewers).
| THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS) | ||
| Category | 2019-2020* Season-to-Date | 2018-2019** Season-to-Date |
| Total Viewers | 4,071,000 | 4,481,000 |
| Women 18-49 Viewers | 377,000 | 471,000 |
| Women 25-54 Viewers | 584,000 | 702,000 |
| THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS) | ||
| Category | 2019-2020* Season-to-Date | 2018-2019** Season-to-Date |
| Total Viewers | 3,283,000 | 3,555,000 |
| Women 18-49 Viewers | 328,000 | 387,000 |
| Women 25-54 Viewers | 499,000 | 576,000 |
| GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC) | ||
| Category | 2019-2020* Season-to-Date | 2018-2019** Season-to-Date |
| Total Viewers | 2,475,000 | 2,698,000 |
| Women 18-49 Viewers | 368,000 | 420,000 |
| Women 25-54 Viewers | 539,000 | 581,000 |
| DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC) | ||
| Category | 2019-2020* Season-to-Date | 2018-2019** Season-to-Date |
| Total Viewers | 2,194,000 | 2,439,000 |
| Women 18-49 Viewers | 330,000 | 373,000 |
| Women 25-54 Viewers | 460,000 | 499,000 |
*Current Season is 09/23/2019-02/02/2020
- L7 data runs through 01/20/2020
- LS is 01/20/2020-02/02/2020
*2018-2019 Season is 09/24/2018-02/03/2019
- L7 data runs through 01/20/2019
- LS is 01/21/2020-02/03/2020
Source: Nielsen Media Research
