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NBC's recent decision to move its long-running show Days of Our Lives to the streaming platform Peacock has people commenting on how well the show's mostly older viewership will make the transition.
Day of Our Lives has been broadcast for 57 years on NBC during the daytime, racking up a steady—and steadily aging—viewership who will now need to make the leap to streaming or give up on the show all together.
‘DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ will move from NBC to Peacock and become a streaming exclusive.
The move will end the show’s 57-year run on broadcast television.
(Source: https://t.co/Jh8c3hR8pT) pic.twitter.com/JjmFoukKFI
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 3, 2022
If you've ever tried to help your mom hook up a new smart TV or helped your dad find his list of passwords notebook "somewhere in this desk," you can guess how well this switch to streaming might go.
The children of long-time Days of Our Lives fans took to Twitter to comment on the switch.
Moving Days Of Our Lives to a streaming service is the most hilarious thing ever. I can’t wait to get that phone call asking me to setup peacock for my mother & then asking for the password every week after I repeatedly told her not to log off. pic.twitter.com/8dOgqaVP9z
— TV Fanatic👑⚜️ (@TvKhaleesi) August 4, 2022
Everybody bout be IT support for their granny & mama 😂 pic.twitter.com/2YLPId8HBs
— Jasmine | Future Backend Engineer 👩🏿💻☕🐍 (@thugkoda) August 4, 2022
do people that watch days of our lives know what peacock is https://t.co/vcV2anPdHx
— a silly guy (@_Mahlick) August 3, 2022
Exactly this. The majority of people who still watch real-time television don't have the internet, and if they do, don't understand how to stream and have no idea there is a channel named Peacock. They are cutting off their core viewer base.
— Dolores, Of Course (@DoloresOfCourse) August 4, 2022
Grandmas everywhere trying to figure out how to work a Roku so they can watch Days of our Lives. https://t.co/NreQ63QoVTpic.twitter.com/Fb1Wl0ShvR
— Summer Peters (@ACELAND) August 4, 2022
It's not just the possible technology confusion which will wind up in frantic phone calls about passwords that worried Twitter.
Some pointed out streaming often costs money, while broadcast shows do not.
🤔 They want seniors on fixed incomes to dig into the food budget to pay for a streaming service when they are used to seeing their programs on ABC, CBS and NBC for free everyday? This is not a good business move.
— Kenya S. 🐍🧡💚 (@TheDiplomat13) August 5, 2022
Still others reacted with dismay at this continued trend of shows moving to streaming.
Days of Our Lives target audience is not using peacock let alone streaming at all. This is grim. Slowly marking the end of soap operas and daytime broadcast television I think. https://t.co/TnDcI41zbW
— Imani (@youdoingtoomuch) August 4, 2022
However, after the initial reaction, some older Twitter users came to defend their contemporaries.
Assuming everyone over 60 is computer illiterate is rather ageist.
Boomer here — just to let you know we know how to stream 😇😜
— Emily Stern (@brtvintage) August 4, 2022
In the back-and-forth about the network's decision to move to Peacock and streaming, some expressed hope for how this change might be for the better.
Can @peacockTV give us Days of Our Lives’ back catalog now? I’d love to watch the original 90s exorcism episodes again!
— Eileen Davidson Days of Our Lives Fans (@SusanBanksFan) August 3, 2022
Can you imagine catching up on a 57-year backlog of a show?
Talk about a binge...
More shocking TV news: DAYS OF OUR LIVES moving to Peacock after nearly six decades on NBC. That's certainly one way to increase subscribers. Bring in the ever-loyal daytime TV crowd...
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) August 3, 2022
Let's hope NBC's bet on "ever-loyal daytime TV crowd" viewership pays off—and the children and grandchildren of those viewers are prepared to do some ad-hoc IT help.