Nine’s Days are numbered

daysofourlivesFor 45 years it’s been a staple of Nine‘s afternoon schedule, but in less than two weeks Days Of Our Lives will be no more as far as Nine is concerned.

The NBC network soapie has been in production since 1965 and aired in Australia since 1968.  For decades Days Of Our Lives has been a constant presence in Nine’s afternoon schedule, apart from being interrupted by cricket telecasts during summer, and has outlasted every other daytime program aired on the network, local or imported.

At the height of the show’s popularity Days Of Our Lives stars Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth (pictured) were special guests at the TV Week Logie Awards.

As with trends overseas, audiences for daytime soaps like Days Of Our Lives have been in decline for years although Days still commands a loyal but ageing audience.

As the rights to screening Days Of Our Lives have lapsed Nine has now made a commercial decision to walk away from the series with the final episode to go to air on Friday 26 April.  A replacement program has yet to be announced.

The decision to stop screening the long-running series — it has clocked up over 12,000 episodes — comes almost a decade after Nine controversially skipped four years of episodes to bring Australians up to date with the US, and six years after Nine made a decision to wipe fellow soap The Young And The Restless from its schedule after 33 years.

The Young And The Restless soon found a new home at Foxtel.  It is not known if Days Of Our Lives will follow a similar path — distributors Sony Pictures are said to be looking at all opportunities.

If Sony do not find another network to pick up Days Of Our Lives it leaves The Bold And The Beautiful, seen on Network Ten, as the only remaining US daytime soap on Australian free-to-air television.

NBC has renewed Days Of Our Lives through to September 2014.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald, TV Tonight, Wikipedia

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2013/04/nines-days-are-numbered.html

24 comments

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    • wendy on 18 April 2013 at 5:50 PM
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    /surely Channel Ten would be the best option! Put DOOL on just before
    BB and you will have the best lead into the news!!!!

    1. How can channel 9 do this again….are you mad…or just have no feelings for the people who have watched this show for years ..lonely ppl who have no one ..and this show is a comfort to them ..as an old friend…something to watch and be happy and interested in….to look forward to>>>>>.I hope you go broke….that will never happen ..but i wish!!!!!!!!!!!
      !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Michael on 19 April 2013 at 3:27 PM
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    Please put Days on a different free to air channel like Go or Gem surely some channel could pick it up. If nothing else surely foxtel could pick up where channel 9 will leave off.

    • julie on 20 April 2013 at 4:34 PM
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    I like many others are confined to bed, or home, and our only pleasure is watching this show. Im with David come on another channel take it up. leave us a little pleasure. I will not be watching Win TV ever again julie

    • Lyn on 21 April 2013 at 9:05 PM
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    I have been watching Days of our Lives since it started 45years ago. I am so
    disappointed with channel 9. They cancelled The Young and the Restless and I had to go to the expense of foxtel. Please will one of the foxtrot channels pick up DOOL.

  1. How could you do this again??????????????????????????
    so many people who can’t get out and have watched and followed dool for so many years …..I hope your station goes broke ….that can’t happen ..but wishes are free

  2. i hope channel Nine goes broke…..so unfeeling…you have done it again…forgotten your veiwers

    • Tina Cherry on 28 April 2013 at 5:14 PM
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    Days of Our Lives, an iconic show that has had generations of family members watching with fondness. Grand mothers, Mothers, and Daughters, have a cup of tea, chat, debate, laugh and cry over the storeys and characters that have been with them for generations. When ones Grand mother or Mother has passed, the little link that continues on in the tradition of watching Days of Our Lives, can make one feel close to those now gone in the routine of that familiar time of day. Yes DOOL helps our own days go by a little easier as we remember fond hours, days, and years spent with each other, and are reminded too of the story that make up the days of our own lives.. Come on Channel Ten, keep the soppy, soapy tradition alive! P.S and please remember a lot of Australians can’t afford paid tv; free to air please stand up!

    • Sue Law on 29 April 2013 at 8:57 PM
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    Channel Nine what are you doing, I like others have followed this show for years it is the only hour of television I can say I enjoy that takes me away from the stress of caring for someone with terminal cancer, how dare you take of a show that gives so many people the pleasure to watch if it wasn’t any good why did it run on air for so many years, where you show so many Reruns and Krapp. I know it won’t make a difference what people say you will do what you want, but this is one person you have lost and hope many more as I am sure your ratings will drop with us Days Fans going to other stations we are not all teens we are a older generation who do know LOYALTY more than the idot that cancelled Days of our Lives,. Well there is plenty of other stations to watch now that you fill the timeslot up with reruns and how many news programs do you need. Thanks for the LOYALTY. NINE. NOT.

      • janine on 29 May 2013 at 2:57 PM
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      Totally agree with you Sue those stupid reruns drive me crazy cant be bothered watching them, as far as I can see most of free TV is crap….. and I watch ABC iview mostly at least they have no adds and some really good shows. I know the stress of losing someone you love to cancer its so sad for you. Come on FREE TV show you care about your viewers after all we have to put up with those stupid adds you show over and over till I want to pull my hair out, I think TV was better before Free TV started airing, Thank God for other options but not all of us can afford those options………..

    • Bez Worts on 1 May 2013 at 11:44 AM
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    How can you do this Channel Nine? First you took off The Young and the Restless and now this. Hope you reconsider.

    • Jenifer on 1 May 2013 at 12:36 PM
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    Shame on NINE-
    they’re dumping DOOL because of the gay characters no doubt-
    SHAME!

    • lrna on 2 May 2013 at 12:28 AM
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    I am devastated that Chanel 9 has axed DOOL after so many years of following the show, a stress free relaxing part of my day. I often record it and watch a few episodes at a time and it is part of my life now. I hope Foxtel pick up the show.

    • Pat on 2 May 2013 at 1:00 AM
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    My elderly mother has watched DOOL for many years and after suffering a recent stroke she structures her day around the time that DOOL goes to air. I am sure she is just one of many thousands that watched this epic soap and will miss it very much. Channel Nine – big mistake! Viewers will find another station that offers better than repeats.

    • Diane on 2 May 2013 at 8:38 PM
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    Well chanel 9 you are going to loose your ratings putting on stupid house husbands. Well done

    • qutas on 12 May 2013 at 3:58 PM
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    where can I watch episodes of days of our lives here in Australia

    1. DOOL currently has no free-to-air or pay-TV outlet in Australia. As far as I know there is no legal means to view the program in Australia online.

      I understand Sony Pictures, who distribute DOOL, are still in the process of working out a deal with another network in Australia but nothing has been confirmed or announced.

    • janine on 29 May 2013 at 2:46 PM
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    I have grown up with Days of our lives all though some say it drags on I don’t care, those sands through the hour glass are the only thing that hasn’t changed through out my life. Its a comfort show for me even if u can catch up on it two years later that’s great because some days I need a break from every day life and sitting down with a cuppa and watching Days of our lives is relaxing .

    • philip on 29 May 2013 at 11:35 PM
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    This was the only show on chanel 9 that I watched,now I wont be watching anything. Nothing can replace days of our lives,the show proves that its a great show as it has lasted for over 45 years, Shame on chanel 9 and the crap that has replaced it,this new crap wont even last a year.

    • Jasmine on 4 June 2013 at 4:58 PM
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    Bring it back! I’m watching it online using vpn, but would prefer to curl up on my sofa and watch in on TV!

    J.

    • bernie on 5 July 2013 at 6:13 PM
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    days of our lives; please come back.

    • dawn on 6 September 2013 at 11:16 AM
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    Whats up channel 9? weren’t happy enough to cut 5years out of it and then to
    suddenly disappear off the screens???????????

    • Alan barrett on 6 September 2013 at 1:45 PM
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    They could at least show it on Gem or Go have complained to Sony but they are not really interested in such a small population

    • franz chong on 26 November 2016 at 6:37 PM
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    This comes very belatedly but maybe they could use House Husbands as it’s replacement.It is one of those shows unlike DOOL you could watch and enjoy it and as for the people who think unlike DOOL IT’S CRAP don’t ruin it for the rest of us

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