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Weak Opening for Show That Replaced Canceled ABC Soap Opera

Jan 17, 2012  •  Post A Comment

ABC rolled out its new daytime show Monday, and the initial results may have the network rethinking whether it was a good idea to cancel its long-running soap operas.

The new talk show "The Revolution" premiered to a 1.9 rating/5 share in Nielsen’s 56 metered markets, TVmediainsights.com reports. That was down from the lead-in hour, which averaged 2.4/6.

In the same time period one year ago — when the now-canceled soap opera "One Life to Live" was still airing in the slot — the average rating/share was 2.3/6.

"The Revolution" is a lifestyle reality/talk show hosted by Ty Pennington, Tim Gunn, Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry, Dr. Jennifer Ashton and trainer Harley Pasternak.

24 Comments

  1. OLTL was an expensive show to produce. Even with low numbers, this show may still make more money for ABC.

  2. The cost of production may be cut, but the sponsor’s aren’t going to pay for 800k viewers for what did for a couple million. ABC failed to factor in the intrinsic value of its soaps. Its profit margin may be higher, momentarily or for longer, but the fact is they had a sizable audience in the bag for five, ten, several tens of years to come. Much of that audience has turned on them, and for many of them I wouldn’t dismiss their vow to never watch ABC again. Even if this is just a slow start for The Revolution, ABC is going to be looking for a replacement a few years down the road.
    With that, the decline of ABC’s soaps is directly correlated with the arrival of Brian Frons. I’m also curious as to what the real numbers on both AMC and OLTL were. The only ratings I’ve heard reference are for the 2/1p M-F on ABC. Yet for years SOAPnet has given viewers a least six additional times to view the show. Perhaps ABC only needed to dump Frons earlier as well as their cable channel to up their afternoon viewership.

  3. Yes, it is cheaper to produce but was expensive to advertise for months and months. ABC has done little promotion for OLTL for a very long time. It should also cost ABC in advertising dollars since The Revolution is about 20% lower in ratings than OLTL. And, it has cost ABC a lot of loyal viewers who are so angry over this decision that they have turned out of the network completely. Someone will eventually do the math and then decide if it was worth it.

  4. Even though the soaps cost more to produce they were being used to pay for prime time. Meaning all the money made from the soaps went into building ABC’s nightly shows. With these “cheaper” shows that is clearly not going to be the case anymore. I don’t see any smart advertiser paying what they would pay for the soaps for what is looking like less and less viewers everyday. Both The Chew and The Revolution are on the down swing and since ABC has alienated a good portion of their viewers I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
    This is what happens when executives believe daytime viewers could be “taught” to like substandard shows. The hope would be they would learn from their mistakes, but I forsee more “real” talk shows once these two replacement shows get the axes.

  5. The now former ABC Daytime head Brian Frons ruined the soaps by firing and replacing writers, demoting some people which hurts morale, using the 720p HD AMC upgrade (which resulted in packing up AMC and moving production and most of the cast to California) and the digital widescreen OLTL upgrade as a smokescreen to make it look like the soaps were continuing, it was like he had a vendetta to get Agnes Nixon’s (AMC and OLTL creator) soaps canceled and shove what he wanted down people’s throats. ABC fired Brian this month by not renewing his contract after the damage was already done. I saw a Soapnet (Disney-ABC owned cable/satellite TV channel) interview with Brian Frons a few years ago where he said that he didn’t care what people wanted. Now what Brian did is hurting everyone. Go Figure.

  6. Sacrilegious…what you allowed Brian Frons to do to our soaps!!! And now firing Frons by not renewing his contract is too little too late! You failed to take into account the advertising advantages for this type of programming. Will I go to anything having to do with Disney -NO Buy P&G -NOT anymore.If you didn’t do anything to save this genre I want no part of you. Hoover will however get my business. And on the last note…I pick what I watch and NOT what you tell me too, I will turn it off and read a book.

  7. Yeah, they ruined it and since this ALL boiled down about money why didn’t they use full product placement. It can be used without those stupid product placement scene because people remember symbols better; it has been proven. ANd if ABC and their advertisers were savvy enough to realize they would and we would have all been happy.

  8. I will never watch any replacement shows or abc again, this is once again companies outsourcing jobs and saying it`s about us thats why America is losing jobs, we love scripted shows not reality shows all the time, the government is in our life telling us how to live, why would we want our tv shows to tell us all the time how messed our lives are we had enough. “like” Screw the chew &revolt the revolution, daytime fans unite

  9. Soap fans will never watch those 2 shows screw the chew and revolt the revolution!!!!!

  10. well said!!! i havent watched abc since april of 2011 except for soaps and will never watch abc except for soaps!

  11. Soap fans will not EVER watch anything on ABC except General Hospital. If ABC/Disney gets rid of GH, then we will not be watching ABC at all. That is a promise we intend to keep. Afterall, what is there for us to watch? Reality shows? Really, this is reality…WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF IDIOTIC REALITY SHOWS! We will not be trained! We have a mind of our own and we want substance, stories. – BTW, my family, and a few friends, went on vacation in Florida last December…we did not go to Disney World, we went to Universal Studios and had a wonderful time! We don’t need your movies, expensive theme parks or cruise lines either.

  12. I’m with you Davonna. ABC has probably figured out by now that the Soap fans have united across the web. We are boycotting ABC/Disney and their sponsors as well. The web has given us the power to make our displeasure not only know, but severely felt in ABC’s and their sponsor’s pocketbooks as well. It’s not like the Soap fans didn’t make this known before the cancellations of All My Children and One Life to Live…ABC just chose to believe we would just eventually accept the cheap and crummy replacements, the Chew and the Revolution (more affectionately known to Soap fans as the Spew and the Crapalution). Generations of Soap fans are fully united and will not back down.

  13. MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Join your fellow Soap fans on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DAYTIMEFANSUNITE

  14. lol I aso can’t wait when I hear the news that ABC’s stupid shows are going to be cancelled. and then ABC will hopefully see what people want.

  15. I will never watch the Spew or Revulsion. I watched OLTL for over 15 years and until ABC brings back AMC and OLTL the only thing I will be watching on ABC is GH!!! If ABC takes GH from me I wont be watching ANYTHING on ABC EVER!! Soap fans unite at http://www.facebook.com/DAYTIMEFANSUNITE SAVE OUR SOAPS!!!!

  16. ABC/DISNEY THINKS WHAT THEY DID WAS FOR THE GOOD OF PEOPLE-WHAT THEY FAIL TO REALIZE WE WANT TO WATCH WHAT WE WANT TO WATCH AND NOT HAVE ANOTHER REALITY OR COOKING SHOW.THEY WILL SEE THEY MADE A MESS OF THINGS WHEN THEIR STOCKS HITS ROCK BOTTOM.NOT WATCHED ANY SHOWS ON ABC SINCE OLTL WENT OFF AND AS FOR THE EVENING SHOWS- O WELL- IM WATCHEN SYFI NBC CBS THEY MADE THIS MESS NOW THEY CAN DEAL WILL THE LOSS-THEY WANTED TO SAVE MONEY-WELL THEY BEST DO IT NOW FOR I SEE THEM NEEDING IT TO PAY FOR THEIR MISTAKE .

  17. Well the way I see it ABC?DISNEY wanted to save money from what I have read they better the stocks for both have droped and its noones fault but theirs.Why fix something that did not need fix is beyound stupid and now they have 2 monkeys on their backs.Both show are on the way out so now ABC/DISNEY has to save whatever money they have-it all could be fixed by putting our stories back on-yes it can be done but those jack wagons are not going to admit they were wrong and we the ppl were right.

  18. Havent watched ABC since they cancelled AMC and will never watch again…cant wait until ABC tanks. Did they really think taking off lengendary soaps was going to work, ABC IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT.

  19. I Dont think it will make ABC money because the one that actually buy the products that are advertised are the Soap fans. it is those home in daytime hours that do majority of shopping in our country .And most people home day hours watch at least 2 of the soaps per day. Hell since OLTL is gone my television is only on for the news after that i now turn it off nothing to watch anymore. SO HATE THE CHEW AND wont give revolution a chance cause its on ABC also stped watching bachlor and anything else that comes on a ABC network. put a parental block on ABC and Disney n tossed all disneys movies to trash !!

  20. Ya think?????

  21. I will never understand why ABC would want a revolting Revolution show for quick bucks instead of a quality show that attracts LONG TIME fans. ABC needs to release rights to these shows to another network so they can show AMC and OLTL. Or is ABC realize that their tossed shows will make another network more money and more loyal viewers? I will not watch ABC anymore. They obviously could care less about loyal viewers.

  22. Even if you dont watch General Hospital. please consider turning on your tv to abc while it is on. Every little bit helps.

  23. ABC is bringing some of the oltl to gh but it a joke they think if they give us somewhat of oltl we well forgive them for take off our amc ND OLTL, WONT WARK ABC ,allthough it well be nice to see some of the oltl actors again we are not gona stand for it WE WONT OUR SOAPS

  24. Ihate abc they have ruinded my day we all must show them how we feel do not watch the chew or revolution only gh. I have even boycotted primetime How dare they!!!

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