Editing Soap opera (section)

=====Statistics and trends=====
[[List of US daytime soap opera ratings|Soap opera ratings]] have significantly fallen in the U.S. since the 2000s. From September 2013 to February 2025, only four daytime soap operas – ''[[General Hospital]]'', ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'', ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' and ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'' – were still in production, down from a total of 12 soaps broadcast during the 1990–91 season and a high of 19 in the 1969–70 season; of those, three aired between two broadcast networks and one on streaming. This period marked the first time since 1953 that there were only four soap operas airing on [[Terrestrial television|broadcast television]].<ref name="1950s Nielsen">Waggett (1997). "Soap Opera Nielsen Ratings". ''Soap Opera Encyclopedia'', pp. 626–628.</ref> ''The Young and the Restless'', which has been the highest-rated soap opera since 1988, had fewer than 5&nbsp;million daily viewers as of February 2012, a number exceeded by several non-scripted programs such as ''[[Judge Judy]]''.<ref name="Y&R rating">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/television/after-some-soaps-cancellations-others-adjust.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 | work=The New York Times | first=Taffy | last=Brodesser-Akner | title=After Some Soaps' Cancellations, Others Adjust | date=February 19, 2012}}</ref> Circulations of soap opera [[magazine]]s have decreased and most have even ceased publication; ''[[Soap Opera Digest]]'', the last remaining weekly print magazine devoted to the genre, switched to a quarterly "special issue" publication in October 2023, although it continues to publish daily articles and episode summaries online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/press/soap-opera-declines-cause-fallout-magazines-139510|title=Soap Opera Declines Cause Fallout for Magazines|work=AdWeek|date=10 April 2012 |access-date=9 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Spangler |first=Todd |title=''Soap Opera Digest'' Is Ending Its Weekly Print Edition |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/soap-opera-digest-discontinuing-weekly-print-edition-1235770929/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=October 27, 2023 |location=United States |issn=0042-2738 |oclc=810134503 |date=October 27, 2023}}</ref> Soapnet, which largely aired soap opera reruns, began to be phased out in 2012 for the children's cable channel [[Disney Jr.]], and fully ceased operations the following year.<ref name=latimesblog>Villarreal, Yvonne. "''Show Tracker: What You're Watching'' {{snd}} [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/03/disney-junior-247-channel-launches-friday.html Disney Junior 24/7 channel launches Friday]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]] Blog'', 22 March 2012. Web. 19 April 2012.</ref> The [[Daytime Emmy Award]]s, which honor soap operas and other daytime shows, moved from prime time network television to smaller cable channels in 2012, then failed to get any TV broadcast at all in 2014, 2016, and 2017;<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/daytime-emmy-nominations-young-and-the-restless-tv-pop-1201738398/ |title='Young & Restless' Leads Daytime Emmy Noms But Ceremony Won't Be on TV |magazine=Variety |date=24 March 2016 |access-date=28 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812112840/http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/daytime-emmy-nominations-young-and-the-restless-tv-pop-1201738398/ |archive-date=12 August 2016 }}</ref> the ceremony would eventually return to broadcast television in [[47th Daytime Emmy Awards|2020]].<ref name="deadline20200520">{{cite news|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=May 20, 2020|title=Daytime Emmys To Air Live Virtual Ceremony On CBS In June; Nominations Coming Thursday|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=United States|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/daytime-emmy-awards-2020-cbs-date-schedule-1202939440/|access-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref>

Several of the most established soaps on American television ended between 2009 and 2012. The longest-running drama in television and radio history, ''[[Guiding Light]]'', barely reached 2.1&nbsp;million daily viewers in 2009 and ended on September 18 of that year, after a 72-year run (including radio).<ref name="Guiding Light ratings">{{cite web|url=http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/32193-september-14-18-2009/ |title=September 14–18, 2009 – SON Community |date=24 September 2009 |publisher=Boards.soapoperanetwork.com |access-date=2012-04-27}}</ref> ''[[As the World Turns]]'' aired its final episode on September 17, 2010, after a 54-year run. Until it ventured back into the genre in 2024, ''As the World Turns'' was the last of 20 soap operas produced by Procter & Gamble, the soap and consumer goods company from which the genre got its name.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/arts/television/09soap.html |title=CBS Cancels ''As the World Turns'', Procter & Gamble's Last Soap Opera |work=The New York Times|date=December 9, 2009|access-date=September 17, 2010 | first1=Bill | last1=Carter | first2=Brian | last2=Stelter}}</ref> ''As the World Turns'' and ''Guiding Light'' were also among the last of the soaps that originated from New York City. ''All My Children'', another New York–based soap, moved its production out to Los Angeles in an effort to reduce costs and raise sagging ratings; however, both it and ''One Life to Live'', each with a 40-year-plus run, were cancelled in 2011. ''[[All My Children]]'' aired its network finale in September 2011, with ''One Life to Live'' following suit in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2011-apr-15-la-fi-ct-soaps-20110415-story.html|title=Soap operas: ABC ending soaps "All My Children" and "One Life to Live."|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 15, 2011|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> Both ''All My Children'' and ''[[One Life to Live]]'' were briefly revived online in 2013, before being cancelled again amid creative and intellectual property issues between ABC and [[Prospect Park (production company)|Prospect Park]] (the production company that acquired rights for both serials in a sub-licensing deal with ABC parent [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]), ending in September that same year.<ref name=enstars>{{cite web|last=DuBois|first=Lauren|title='All My Children' and 'One Life To Live' Officially Cancelled For Second Time|url=http://www.enstarz.com/articles/28792/20131111/all-my-children-and-one-life-to-live-officially-cancelled-for-second-time-shows-bid-farewell-for-good-video.htm|work=EnStars|access-date=12 November 2013|date=11 November 2013}}</ref> In 2019, production of ''Days of Our Lives'' was put on "indefinite hiatus" and all of the cast's contracts were terminated, raising concerns within soap publications that cancellation would ensue,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2019/11/12/days-of-our-lives-cancelled-cast-fired-season-56/|title=Days of Our Lives: Entire Cast Released From Contract – Is the End Nigh?|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|date=2019-11-12|website=TVLine|language=en|access-date=2019-12-21}}</ref> though the show was later renewed through September 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title='Days Of Our Lives' Officially Renewed For Season 56 By NBC |url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/days-of-our-lives-renewed-56th-season-nbc-1202845851/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=29 January 2020 |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC. |access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref> In 2022, NBC announced that ''Days of Our Lives'' would be moved exclusively to its streaming service, [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]], making NBC the first of the Big Three networks not to air any daytime soap operas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=2022-08-03 |title='Days Of Our Lives' Moving From NBC To Peacock |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/days-of-our-lives-moving-from-nbc-to-peacock-1235084639/ |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

In March 2024, [[CBS Studios]] and [[NAACP|NAACP Ventures]], in partnership with [[Procter & Gamble|P&G Studios]] announced that a new soap opera for [[CBS]] [[working title|tentatively titled]] ''The Gates'', which would be the first soap opera since ''[[Generations (American TV series)|Generations]]'' to feature a primarily [[African Americans|African American]] cast, was in development.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2024/03/cbs-studios-naacp-venture-developing-new-daytime-drama-cbs-the-gates-1235847660/ CBS Studios NAACP Venture To Develop New Daytime Drama For CBS Called ‘The Gates’]</ref> On April 15, 2024, CBS ordered ''The Gates'' (later retitled ''Beyond the Gates'') to series; it premiered on February 24, 2025,<ref name="Soap Opera Network 11">{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Errol |title=CBS Sets ''Beyond the Gates'' Premiere Date & Time Slot, Drama Series to Stream on Paramount+ |url=https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2024/11/cbs-beyond-the-gates-pemiere-date-time-slot-paramount-plus |website=[[Soap Opera Network]] |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241112192553/https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2024/11/cbs-beyond-the-gates-pemiere-date-time-slot-paramount-plus |archive-date=November 12, 2024 |location=United States |date=November 12, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> taking the timeslot previously occupied by panel talk show ''[[The Talk (talk show)|The Talk]]'' (the timeslot successor of ''As the World Turns'', which would end its 15-season run on December 20, 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swift |first=Andy |date=2024-04-12 |title=The Talk Ending With Season 15 at CBS |url=https://tvline.com/news/the-talk-cancelled-cbs-ending-final-season-december-2024-1235199897/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=TVLine |language=en-US}}</ref>), making it the first new daytime soap opera to premiere on a major broadcast network since NBC's ''[[Passions]]'' in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=2024-04-15 |title=CBS Orders 'The Gates' To Series; Daytime Sudser That Centers On A Black Family To Debut In January |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/cbs-orders-the-gates-to-series-daytime-soap-premiering-january-2025-1235886082/ |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=Deadline}}</ref>