Nine axes Days of our Lives after 45 years
Time runs out for iconic daytime soap, axed from Nine's schedule after 45 years.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News, Top Stories
“Like sands through the hour-glass, so are the Days of Our Lives…”
Time has run out for the long-running US soap, set to be dumped by Nine after 45 years on the network.
First broadcast on Nine in 1968, the daytime drama will have its last-ever episode on Friday April 26.
Nine is revamping the timeslot. A Nine spokesperson told TV Tonight, “We made a commercial decision not to renew Days Of Our Lives.”
Yet last week it won its 2pm timeslot, averaging 126,000 viewers and pipping  TEN’s Ready Steady Cook (124,000) and Seven’s Dr. Oz (118,000). It ranked second the week before.
In 2007 Nine dropped The Young and the Restless after 31 years for the short-lived panel show The Catch-Up. Fans flooded Nine’s online forums at the time. Foxtel wasted no time in snapping up the show, which now airs on Arena.
The last few years have been tough for US daytime soaps with  The Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Passions, All My Children and One Life to Live all axed before the latter two received a lifeline to be produced for online.
Days is still one of the longest-running scripted shows in the world and one of the longest-running television shows in Australia.
It was recently renewed by NBC until September 2014.
Sony Pictures Television is understood to be pursuing other broadcasting opportunities in Australia.
Nine is yet to announce a replacement show.
89 Responses
So Days still rates well, has a loyal viewer base, surley must be cheap to air and Nine cans it and angers it’s fans. Well that makes a lot of sense doesnt it. Didn’t they learn their lesson when they dropped Y&R. Don’t cross a loyal soap fan.
My nana is slowly recovering from a stroke last week, and we were looking forward to getting her back into reading, and watching TV she loves at the hospital – Days and Bold. I’m devastated that Days won’t be on for her during recovery. It was such a tradition for her to take a break from gardening and cooking to go meet up with her friends in the street and watch Days together. Please TEN, pick it up and pair it with Bold. This show has been a part of many lives for generations. There’s no reason to take off such a well loved show that still rates.
I suspect the problem is the demos for DooL are bad. Advertisers not looking to target granny, so when the licence is up for renewal Nine’s bean counters win.
i don’t even watch this show, and i still find it a silly decision for Nine to get rid of the show. If the show is constantly rating well, then there is no need to axe it. Simple!
We don’t need another cheap News type program from Nine either to replace it!
Wouldn’t it be a perfect program for Gem?
Time for 10 to step up to the plate.
Such a stupid decision. Yes it’s a silly show really but I’m going to miss it when it is gone and my 82 year old sickly grandma is going to be devastated, she watches it religiously as she can’t leave the house much. For her sake I hope one the FTA channels pick it up because she can’t afford pay tv.
@ SaxyBre84, NBC in 2004 announced it was no longer selling “Passions” to other non-US networks never making it the fault of Seven.
To this day it still doesn’t make sense.
What an insanely stupid decision, it was winning its timeslot. My elderly mother is going to be devastated by this, she has followed the show daily since it was first broadcast. It is a ritual for her, I am praying to God that one of the pay channels picks it up, like they did the Young and the Restless.
Some of my earliest memories as being a child are watching Days Of Our Lives with my mum until I started going to school. This show has been a tradition throughout my mums family. She watches it, my aunt and my late grandmother would always be very excited to discuss the finer details of the show when they would catch up.
It’s sad to see it go. I will always have the fond memories of Marlena turning into the devil.
cost cutting… I would assume anything filmed here would cost more… especially if the replacement flops…
Its probably only got a few years more life in it in America anyway so I cant see why nine couldn’t have kept it around til the end for the longtime fans sake. they dont seem to care much for them from what i can see. Lets hope this backfires bigtime on nine.
“We made a commercial decision not to renew”. Nine-speak for “cost cutting. Sony asked too much, another hour of “news” is cheaper”.
Thanks for nothing Nine.
Insincerely Yours, outraged 30+year Days of our Lives viewer
For shame Channel 9. My 93 year old Nana religiously watches the show and has for decades. But I’m sure there’s some trite talk show or reality crap you can put in its place. Why can’t they just move it to GO or GEM? I can train 93 year old Nana to change the channel!
Its strange as Nine would always tweet about the show,during their daily tweets.
I think TEN should pick it up. Their morning line up is pretty poor.
Can’t say I’m surprised with the way Nine treat it, as whenever Cricket is on Days gets further behind.
What was the point in the skipping to catch up with the US?
I still miss Passions and found it most unfair that Channel 7 never showed the final episode. I was only able to see it thanks to YouTube.
Ridiculous! My mum & her friends are going to be so angry at this move by Nine. She’s been watching Days since it started and I don’t mind watching it myself when I’m home. Well I guess this was the last show on Ch 9 that I watched so it is goodbye to them and Days. Thanks for the memories.
Nine haven’t “axed” Days, they have simply not renewed their contract. Nine have certainly “dumped” it or “pulled” it from their schedule after 45 years, but the word “axed” implies Nine have made a decision to cancel its production, which isn’t true. NBC haven’t axed it, it will continue to be made, just not screened on Nine.
Thanks a lot channel 9, as usual no respect for long time viewers of DOOL, first you took 4 years off the storyline, you take it off air constantly for the cricket and now take it off all together!
I am really angry about this, surely it doesn’t cost that much to run and what about putting it on Gem or Go?
The storylines are getting so interesting now and we will never know what happens.
Time for ch10 to jump in and raise the age of their demos
Can’t not believe it. So goodbye ch9.
There will be uproar and this is another indication that channels don’t cater for the 55 + demographic anymore. If it’s winning the timeslot why axe it? Just ridiculous. I know my 75 yo mum will be picketing channel 9 with a rocket launcher.
I heard Arena is looking at ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ so they can screen it alongside Y&R. I hope it’s true as channel 10’s treatment of Bold is appalling! Does Ch10 have exclusive and sole broadcast rights to Bold?
And even those Soaps that have escaped the axed have faced large budget cuts.
Seems like a bit of a stupid move if it is still winning its timeslot and rating alright, unless it is just prohibitively expensive to renew DOOLs contract. I guess it will be off to one of the pay-tv channels now.
All I know is this this news is going to crush my mother and grandmother, Days is their daily ritual.