The perceived death of the soap opera is making major news headlines yet again, this time due to politics.
Sean Spicer has only been President Donald Trump's press secretary for a couple of weeks, but he's proving to be quite a hit for daytime television. According to major outlets like New York Magazine, the Daily Mail, and the New York Times, his afternoon briefings pull in an average of 4.3 million views -- more than The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital, which usually air in the same time slot.
Granted, Spicer appearances have at times been controversial, and he's been accused of making false statements about Trump's presidency. But should the interest in politics stay steady in the daytime slots, soap operas might have to face a new threat akin to the O.J. Simpson trial that decimated audiences.
As it stands, cable news viewership as a whole has risen since inauguration day, with FOX, CNN, and MSNBC all boasting substantial increases in daytime audiences (plus an average audience bump of ten percent when Spicer makes an appearance on-screen).
Luckily for soap fans, the drama on CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless is still beating out the drama at the White House; daytime's number one soap opera What do you think about the news that Sean Spicer appearances clock more ratings than most soap operas? Do you think the current political atmosphere will hinder soaps, or do you think more people will tune in as a way to escape everyday life? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
