Days of our Lives reigns supreme when it comes to shocking its audience, but the soap opera just pulled one of its most shocking moves yet: the drama series is leaving network television and will begin streaming exclusively on Peacock, starting Monday, September 12. The major move brings DAYS' 57-year run on broadcast television to end and also marks the end of NBC's airing of soap operas. Days of our Lives is the longest-running entertainment series NBC has ever broadcast.
While many viewers will be shocked to hear about DAYS move to streaming, industry insiders have been speculating for months that the show might head to Peacock, which has seen success with the soap's recent spinoff series Beyond Salem and the standalone Days of our Lives holiday film, A Very Salem Christmas.
DAYS -- which is produced by Corday Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television -- consistently delivers the lowest ratings out of the remaining network soap operas, and it has barely escaped cancellation on several occasions, including in 2019, when the show made the unprecedented move to release its entire cast from their contracts in order to save money and win another year on the air. In 2021, the soap was renewed for two years, which was a (very pleasant) surprise; it's unclear at this time if or how the move to Peacock will affect the current renewal period.
DAYS' audience may not be massive, but the powers that be are betting on the fact that it is forever loyal.
"This programming shift benefits both Peacock and NBC and is reflective of our broader strategy to utilize our portfolio to maximize reach and strengthen engagement with viewers," Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, says in a statement. "With a large percentage of the Days of Our Lives audience already watching digitally, this move enables us to build the show's loyal fanbase on streaming while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers."
As part of the shift of taking DAYS to Peacock exclusively, NBC will fill the gap left by DAYS with a new one-hour news program, NBC News Daily, which will be anchored by Kate Snow, Aaron Gilchrist, Vicky Nguyen, and Morgan Radford.
A spokesperson tells Soap Central that Days of our Lives will stream on the premium tier of Peacock, meaning that a paid subscription will be required to watch. Premium subscriptions currently cost $4.99 per month. An ad-free experience costs $9.99 per month. Customers of participating providers may be eligible for full access to Peacock Premium at no additional cost. The premium tier of Peacock is also included for free to most Comcast subscribers.
It is unclear at this time how fans in locations where Peacock is not available will be able to watch the show. Soap Central has reached out for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
With DAYS' network departure, only three soap operas remain on network television: CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless, and ABC's General Hospital.
All My Children and One Life to Live were the first soap operas to move to exclusive streaming after ABC canceled both series in 2011. The move didn't go well due to various problems including the then-newness of streaming and a giant lawsuit between ABC and the production company Prospect Park.
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