To some SoapNet wasn’t the station it once was and no longer fulfilled the purpose of showing people episodes of soaps. Instead of focusing on original programming about soaps, showing classic episodes or reruns of prime time soaps that were decades old, SoapNet started to air programs that weren’t part of the genre. SoapNet began airing movies many of which only had tenuous ties to soaps, reality shows and reruns of programs already available on DVD like Beverly Hills: 90210, The OC and One Tree Hill. Classic shows like Another World, Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing came and went, while Ryan’s Hope was delegated to the early morning hours. The morning weekend marathons of soaps were replaced with reruns of the 90/00 teen dramas and Days of Our Lives does not even have a weekend marathon. For a time All My Children didn’t either, which upset many people. On holidays instead of showing old soap episodes, the special programming became themed reruns of said teen dramas. These days their schedule in the east is same day episodes from 6 pm to 11 pm which then repeats throughout the morning until 5 am, when Ryan’s Hope is on for an hour, after that they continue to show the night before episodes until late morning when the reruns of BV90210, OC, OTH and Gilmore Girls are shown.
How I use SoapNet and alternatives
For me SoapNet makes it possible to keep track with all the ABC soaps, plus Days of Our Lives and The Young & the Restless. While I don’t watch Y&R as regularly as the others, due to my schedule that is the only way I could see it in its entirety. My cable system has certain prime time CBS and NBC series available on demand for free. I wish they would make the soaps available as well. I have a DVR, and I can only record one show at a time, so I can only time shift one program per time frame on it while I am at work. Unless there is a preemption or a power outage, this is how I watch soaps currently I record the ABC shows and watch them after work. While I am watching them, the 6 pm Days of Our Lives rebroadcast begins and usually I finish them and Days before Y&R is over, and then I sometimes watch parts of that program. Before Guiding Light went off the air, SoapNet was how I could record General Hospital as in my area they shared a time slot. SoapNet saves me from deciding to watch AMC, Days or Y&R as I have multiple chances to see them. Without that channel, I figure I may choose to only record one on a regular basis and watch the others on special occasions as it is too much of a pain to use videotapes to keep up as I get behind so quickly. And before someone says use the net, until I get a device, where I could enjoy a show on a decent sized screen and relax on a comfortable chair I’m not interested. I can’t sit in front of a computer and not multi-task in some way, playing a game, typing, reading or posting on a message board, twitter, etc. So instead of focusing on the program, I chose to watch, I’d be doing anything, but that. Eventually I’d stop watching completely, if a show was in a lull just because I’d have no idea what was going on the story lines. I wonder if this is an issue for other people or just one of my things.
Negatives to the end of SoapNet to the genre
- Less advertising dollars for the soaps that are broadcast on this channel. If someone is using SoapNet to watch a particular show, will they take the time or even be able to record its network airing? If yes, okay, but if not programs lose viewers. Meaning less money for the ABC shows and less exposure of them to people who may work during the day. Supposedly One Life to Live does well on SoapNet, and that will hurt them.
- People getting frustrated over preemptions as now they’d have to do more work if their show wasn’t on due to weather, a power outage or a national event. Watching a broadcast on SoapNet isn’t as good as watching it live on a broadcast network, but watching on-line isn’t seen as a profit making venture yet. If and when watching soaps on-line makes money, I will understand the push to move everything to the web a bit better.
- With no licensing fees coming in from SoapNet for Days of Our Lives and Young & the Restless added into their budgets, perhaps they will have to cut their bottom line even further.
- Little or no new programming about the genre unless they are independent projects and even less possibility of seeing historical footage legally outside of going to the Paley center.
Disney Jr. taking SoapNet’s place on the television line up
While I have no problem in theory with a station for kids programming, do we really need another 24 hour station targeted at 2-7 year olds. How much should the younger children in that bracket really be watching and what is the point of having a station air that many hours a day. Some may say that Nickelodeon did that when they split Noggin (for the little ones) and T-N (for tweens and older) into two stations, but that also happened due to the failure of Nick GAS (Games and Sports). That station primarily aired reruns of game shows that originally were on Nickelodeon like Legends of the Hidden Temple and GUTS. PBS also has a station for the youngest viewers called Sprout. There must be a lot of money in this or else why would these other stations exist.
The Future is ?
SoapNet ending does not seem to be a good sign for the daytime soap genre, but with the rumors that Disney is looking to sell ABC, this is a logical move. Unfortunately I was unable to find a link any stories on that news. It would not make sense for Disney to own a channel to air programming it no longer has a stake in and would be more feasible to grow their brand. We shall see how this influences soaps in the short and long term.
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