NBC was the place to be, especially scheduled between 2:00-3:30, but the rest of the lineup needed help. As ABC and CBS outranked their 3:30 timeslot, Bright Promise was given the boot in spring 1972. NBC placed new soap Return to Peyton place in that slot, not only increasing almost 25-percent over its predecessor, but also rating neck to neck with ABC's OLTL and CBS' Secret Storm.
CBS' entire lineup began to collapse as most offerings slipped into the middle of the pack. Hardest hit were CBS' SFT, GL and LIAMSP, which all collapsed into the 8 range. NBC's first 90 minutes soared into the top of the lineup via stability in a down season. DAYS increased, and AW and Doctors held steady. ABC's newest shows gained traction after losing two neighbors, and GH soared to 2nd place.
Enjoy this entry and want to see how the other seasons ranked? Follow this link for dozens of other seasons profiled: http://www.tvratingsguide.com/2017/12/tvrg-ratings-library-daytime-soaps.html
Source -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._daytime_soap_opera_ratings