CBS Daytime Hits New Highs: Y&R and B&B See Major Audience Growth

The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful have been CBS daytime mainstays for several decades. They’ve outlasted tons of other soaps, and have devoted fan bases. Now, the latest ratings numbers are in, and both shows are doing quite well. 

The Numbers Don’t Lie, Soap Characters Do

Paramount issued a press release titled, “Four CBS Daytime Shows Post Year-Over-Year Growth,” sharing amazing ratings news. In the Late Night slot, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has seen its viewership rise a whopping 16%. In the network’s daytime category, game shows The Price is Right and Let’s Make a Deal are both up by 4%, bringing in millions of viewers each.

The drama side of daytime also has great news with Y&R increasing its viewership by 5% with a total of 5.09 million viewers, while B&B is also up 5% with 4.13 million people watching daily. That makes both soaps top-rated daytime dramas with Y&R in the number one slot and B&B coming in a close second. (Learn all about Y&R’s history.)

But Wait, There’s More

In the press release, CBS also referenced its new soap, Beyond the Gates, which debuts on Monday, February 24, 2025. The new series will take the 2pm EST time slot, replacing the canceled show, The Talk. The infant sudser, which according to the release is “the first-ever one-hour Black daytime soap,” is also the only brand new soap opera to be created since the wacky and supernatural-themed Passions debuted in 1999.

Fans are eagerly awaiting this new show because it shows a rise in interest in soap operas since only four remained, when once there were nearly 20 daytime dramas on the air at the same time. As always, the shows will not only be on the broadcast network but will also appear on the Paramount+ streaming app. (Find out why Y&R episodes disappeared from Paramount+.)