Soap selling heats up

Getting women to watch soap operas is becoming an increasing challenge for the networks. Until the 1990s, these familiar hourly staples of daytime television each had their own distinct audiences, intensely loyal viewers who kept up with the shows religiously despite marketing overtures that consist...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brandweek 2002-08, Vol.43 (30), p.36
Main Author: Finnigan, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actors
Advertising expenditures
Audiences
Drama
Gays & lesbians
Marketing
Motion picture directors & producers
Nielsen ratings
Prime time
Soap operas
Television advertising
Television programming
Trends
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Summary:Getting women to watch soap operas is becoming an increasing challenge for the networks. Until the 1990s, these familiar hourly staples of daytime television each had their own distinct audiences, intensely loyal viewers who kept up with the shows religiously despite marketing overtures that consisted of set tours and terse fan mail replies. But soap operas have since endured a steady overall decline in ratings. However, daytime TV programming is still recognized as a reliable source of ad spending, which totaled $1.4 billion last year. Soaps remain a viable showcase for household products, the category that gave birth to the genre in the 1950s. Procter & Gamble, owner and title sponsor of CBS dramas Guiding Light and As the World Turns, continues to lead the field of advertisers, though its spending was down 22.8% in 2001, to $107 million, from 1989.
ISSN:1064-4318