Ken Corday Opens up About DAYS OF OUR LIVES Moving to Peacock
Soap fans were stunned to learn that DAYS OF OUR LIVES would be ending its run on NBC after 57 years to begin streaming exclusively on Peacock beginning on Monday, Sept. 12. However, the soap’s executive producer, Ken Corday, is actually excited by the move.
“This was baked into the last contract when we were renewed in 2021,” he explained in a recent issue of Soap Opera Digest. “The network always had the right to migrate the show exclusively to Peacock and now they’ve decided to do so, and we’re excited.
“The bottom line is, this is the future,” Corday continued. “Whether people believe it now or in a year or two, this is the future of first-run dramatic television. Let’s just hope the migration is wonderful and our loyal viewers stick with us and subscribe.”
The producer believes that the two seasons of the DAYS spinoff BEYOND SALEM that streamed on Peacock were kind of a test to see if the viewers would show up, and when they did, the decision to move DAYS itself to the streaming platform was made to help boost subscriptions. (And to help lure in new viewers, Peacock is offering a big discount on subscriptions in September!)
And once DAYS is on Peacock, Corday promised that it will be the same show, but you’ll actually get more of it… at least once they hit February 2023. (The soap has currently filmed enough episodes to last that long!) “You’ll probably be getting more show content because we don’t have to limit the show to 38 minutes with 22 minutes of commercial time,” he explained. “On Peacock, with the lower subscription, you get four minutes of commercial time and with the higher subscription, you get no commercial time. So that’s good.”
While some outlets played up the angle of DAYS ending its lengthy run on NBC, Corday was quick to assure fans the soap is most definitely not being canceled. “This is not the end of an era,” he promised. “This is the beginning of another era. The most constant thing in life is change. We have to accept that and roll with it.
“There’s trepidation because this is a big change,” Corday admitted, “but it’s still going to be the same DAYS that you know and love and it will be better in small ways. It changes, it’s growing, but in all the best ways.”
