DAYS director Scott McKinsey speaks out on the show's move to Peacock

Days of our Lives fans are still trying to digest what the show's move to Peacock really means. Has the show been canceled? Could the show live long-term on the streaming service? A DAYS director is sharing new details on the move.

It's been less than a week since soap fans were blindsided by the news that Days of our Lives will be moving from its broadcast television home on NBC to the Peacock streaming platform. With little in the way of details being officially provided by NBC, it's understandable that fans are... well, fans are a lot of things right now.

Emmy-winning director Scott McKinsey took to social media to try to ease fans' concerns with a post that shared as much information as possible.

"I'm happy to report that the initial word is that there will be no perceptible change to the show as it moves from NBC to Peacock," McKinsey wrote on Facebook. "The show has not been canceled, and/or 'picked up' by Peacock."

McKinsey shared that the situation was not the same as when All My Children and One Life to Live were canceled outright by ABC in 2011. In that situation, Prospect Park, another entity not part of the Disney/ABC umbrella, acquired the rights to the two ABC soaps and took over production. It didn't go well. Streaming in 2013 wasn't near as ubiquitous as it is in 2022, and the entire process was mired by multiple lawsuits.

Here, Peacock and NBC are both owned by the same parent company: NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast.

"All of your favorite characters will remain on the show for the foreseeable future. In fact, the prospect of DAYS remaining in production for the long term just increased as a result of this move. Without Peacock, DAYS' days might have been numbered on the network," McKinsey added.

The director also understood that asking fans to suddenly pony up $5 a month to watch Days of our Lives after being able to watch it for free for nearly 60 years might have created a "sour reaction."

"The monthly subscription includes access to every show DOOL has ever aired, (as I understand it). It allows you to watch a new episode anywhere you have internet access.," McKinsey explained. "So you don't have to view it on your DVR at home (or lose the episode because your DVR is full, or because the network preempted it for a car chase!)."

Neither NBC not Peacock have commented on the record about how many of Days of our Lives' 14,000+ episodes will be made available on Peacock. Currently, there is about a year's worth of content on the service.

As for that $4.99 or $9.99 monthly charge, McKinsey said that he has found a way to save money by rethinking the way he pays for the programs he consumes.

"Personally, I have dropped my $200+ monthly cable company, and signed up with Netflix, Apple+, and others at a much reduced cost," the director shared. "You could actually save money by remaining a loyal DAYS viewer."

The $4.99 premium tier allows Peacock viewers to watch all of the streaming service's content with limited commercial breaks. The $9.99 tier cuts out the commercials totally. At the present time, no Days of our Lives content will be provided on Peacock's free, ad-supported tier. When asked if that could change at some point, perhaps a month after an episode first streamed, a Peacock rep had no comment.

McKinsey urges DAYS fans to consider waiting until on or near the show's September 12 move to Peacock before signing up for the Peacock service.

"[The execs] will understand that the increased subscriptions around that date are associated with DAYS viewers," McKinsey offered, noting that he understood if fans were unable to remain subscribers long-term. "Please send us over to Peacock with as much support as you and your friends can muster. We and all the other fans will appreciate it very much."

Scott McKinsey is a multiple Daytime Emmy winner. Between 2000 and 2017, he picked up eight Emmys as part of the General Hospital directing team. In 2018, he picked up a win for his work on the DAYS directing team. He has also won two Directors Guild of America Awards for work on General Hospital and its spinoff Port Charles. McKinsey also has directing credits on As the World Turns, General Hospital: Night Shift, Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, and The Young and the Restless.

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You can read McKinsey's entire message here.

What do you think of the information Scott McKinsey shared? How are you feeling about DAYS' move to Peacock? We want to hear from you -- and there are many ways you can share your thoughts.

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