After 57 years on broadcast TV, NBC’s iconic soap opera “Days of Our Lives” is moving exclusively to streaming.
Staring Sept. 12, new episodes of the daytime drama will only be seen on Peacock, the streaming service of Comcast’s
CMCSA,
NBCUniversal. Older seasons of “Days of Our Lives” already stream on Peacock.
“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, said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”
The move coincides with Peacock significantly bolstering its programming lineup in September, taking over exclusive next-day streaming of current NBC shows as it ends a content-sharing agreement with Disney
DIS,
-controlled Hulu.
In its earnings report last week, Comcast reported Peacock saw zero growth in the second quarter, remaining at about 13 million paid subscribers, significantly fewer than comparable streaming rivals such as Hulu and Paramount+.
“Days of Our Lives” is the second-longest-running daytime drama in TV history, and leaves just three daytime soaps on network TV: ABC’s “General Hospital,” and CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless.” NBC will fill the timeslot with “NBC News Daily.”
