The residents of Salem will be calling Peacock their home this fall.
Days of Our Lives will end its 57-year run on NBC before migrating to Peacock exclusively.
Vulture first reported the news.
“This programming shift benefits both Peacock and NBC and is reflective of our broader strategy to utilize our portfolio to maximize reach and strengthen engagement with viewers,” Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, says in a statement.
“With a large percentage of the Days of Our Lives audience already watching digitally, this move enables us to build the show’s loyal fanbase on streaming while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers.”
The move is a stunner, especially when you consider how successful its been since launching in 1965.
It has had bonkers twists throughout its run, but this move with very little notice may be the biggest twist of all.
The series premieres on Peacock on Monday, September 12.
It’s unclear at this stage whether it will be a part of Peacock Free (with ads, of course) or if it will be reserved for the two Premium tiers.
The move leaves General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless as the sole daytime soaps remaining on broadcast TV.
Also unclear is whether the budget will take a hit with the move or if we’ll be getting less episodes overall.
Peacock is home to the spinoff series, Beyond Salem, which recently wrapped its second season.
The series brought back legacy cast members, including Kristian Alfonso.
Now, it seems like that show was a test to see if viewers flocked to the streaming service to keep up to speed with the events on the show.
There are so many unanswered questions about this move, and given that it goes into effect in a month, many confused viewers will be checking NBC for the show.
It was recently revealed that Peacock failed to increase its subscriber base in recent metrics, so it’s likely the spinoff was a strong performer, triggering this move.
What are your thoughts on the decision?
Will you follow the series to Peacock?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
