Friday, August 12, 2022

Days of Our Streaming

 

NBC dropped the bomb last week.  It's taking "Days of Our Lives" off the network and moving it to its streaming service known as Peacock.

Many feel this is the first step toward cancellation.  The producer hopes this gives the show new life and new freedom.  Yes, you will have to pay to watch it, but you will also have access to all of the previous episodes.

I really don't know.  I'm not a serial guy, but I do admit to being hooked on "The Edge of Night" several years ago.

Serials have fallen out of favor in recent years.  Big casts.  Expensive to produce.  The skew toward an older audience, and that is a tough sell to advertisers.  Networks have cancelled the serials and have replaced them with talk, or have given the time back to affiliates.  In the case of "Days of Our Lives," NBC will replace it with a news hour.

News makes sense.  It's less expensive than a daytime drama, and because it's topical, people watch it NOW.  There is no time shifting.

There are just three soaps left on network daytime TV, two on CBS and one on ABC.  The networks are just about out of the game show business, too.  There is just a pair on CBS in the morning.

That's the glory of television.  It's always changing.  I'm sorry some loyal serial fans are being left behind.