I don't think Another World was costly-- they were running it two times a day at points before they acquired DOOL and Y and R. I think they got their money's worth.

Frons has been trying to pattern the ABC soaps over the 'youth orientated' WB soaps, so I'm not really surprised he picked these up. OC is off the air, it won't compete with ABC soaps the way DOOL and Y and R do. Is One Tree Hill also off the air?

How long before repeat season-old primetime series start bumping the daytime schedule (as in Y/R, DOOL)? Unless they decide to bump one showing of 90210.

I can't see Frons being able to out of Soapnet's contract with Sony. I don't think the person above him will tolerate him alienating Sony like that by getting rid of Days and Y&R.

Plus, if he acquires something else, I think Sonography and One day with ......will go next.

Edited February 9, 200718 yr by dawn9476

Why is everyone surprised when Brian Frons is overseeing both ABCD and SOAPNet?

Because Brian Frons worked at NBCD during SB's glory days and considered it his baby. It's a well known fact that Frons loved SB and the people who worked on it. Hell, 2 of the 3 current ABCD exec producers (Julie Hanan Carruthers and Jill Farren Phelps) he met while working with them on Santa Barbara. I don't blame Frons on this one. This goes higher than him IMO (Re: Disney Executives, who don't know the first thing about daytime)

They're going to run what they think will bring in higher ratings. More recent and more "recently popular" prime-time shows proabably do have a better chance then old daytime shows that were low-rated like Santa Barbara.

That's so baseless though. Both The OC and One Tree Hill are extremely low-rated shows, hence why they were cancelled. Thing is they were cancelled.............yesterday! There's absolutely no demand for either show so what makes them think this is going to bring Soapnet viewers is beyond me.

Yes having AW is nice and it was gracious of them to give it back to us. But AW doesn't have nearly the cult following or demand that SB has built up in the past 14 years. People who didn't watch the first time around would kill to see it again- and those that did watch the first time around are salivating at the opportunity to do it all over again. When will they LISTEN damnit!

WE WANT SANTA BARBARA ON SOAPNET IN 2007!!!!!!!!!!!

:angry:

double post

Edited February 9, 200718 yr by juniorz1

Not to mention SB wasn't a low-rated show by today's standards. During their creative zenith (85-89), they pulled in anywhere from 3.5 to 5 million viewers, staying in the 4s & 5s during 87, 88, and some of 89. One Tree Hill & The OC averaged about 3 million viewers apiece this past season. Doesn't wash with me.

As far as I know One Tree Hill hasn't been cancelled (yet.)

I remember the press release when Another World got picked up by SoapNet. I was stunned the amount they paid was so high. But I don't remember the figure.

I don't think there's a chance SoapNet would want to dump either Sony soap. I believe they're bringing in the viewers.

SB had a lot of horrendous years after they removed the Dobsons and before they brought them back to fix the mess. No it wasn't as stinky as the past few years of GH but it was duller than dull much of that time and truly awful for a lot of it. Precious little of that middle time, which was a lot of years, is worth viewing. The beginning and a few other years of the run were excellent.

But it was very low rated then. That's why the low ratings for the soaps today are upsetting the networks enough to be thinking of getting out of the soap business completely. Everything's a fraction of what they used to be which isn't worth it for the most part for them to keep things going this way.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if ABC doesn't have some exit strategy planned for SoapNet too, to transform it into another kind of cable channel eventually.

Why would ABC change Soapnet? Didn't I read in the press release about Soapnet expending to reaching 53 million homes that Soapnet is the fastest growing cable network for women between the ages of 18-49?

Edited February 9, 200718 yr by dawn9476

According to Variety, Soapnet is the fastest growing cable network behind Oxygen and TV one. It ain't going anywhere.

'OC,' 'Tree' Head to Soapnet

Disney buys rights from Warner Bros.

By JOHN DEMPSEY

"The OC"

SoapNet has obtained exclusive cable-TV rights to reruns of Warner Bros. serialized drama "The OC," which ends its run on Fox this year.

Disney's SoapNet has engineered the highest-visibility programming deal in its seven-year history, ponying up more than $30 million for exclusive cable-TV rights to reruns of Warner Bros. dramas "The OC" and "One Tree Hill."

The per-episode price of each show, about $175,000, is the most that the web has ever paid for a series.

"SoapNet is the logical place for these two shows because they're both serialized dramas," said Bill Carroll, VP and director of programming for Katz TV.

Carroll said serials like "OC" and "Tree" tend to do poorly in reruns, making them a tough sell to bigger mass-audience cable networks like TNT, USA and FX.

SoapNet will begin playing "OC" every weekday evening at 6, preceded by "Tree" at 5, beginning April 9. "Beverly Hills 90210," the previous occupant of the 5 and 6 p.m. slots, will shift to 3 and 4 p.m.

"OC" is winding up its fourth, and last, season on Fox, where it racked up a total of 92 hourlong episodes. "Tree" is also in its fourth season, having begun life on the WB and moved to successor the CW, which has made no decision on whether to renew it for a fifth.

SoapNet general manager Deborah Blackwell said that the net will pick up a fifth season of "Tree" automatically as part of its deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Cable; the show has accumulated 88 hours over four years.

SoapNet has shot up by 10 million households in the last year, swelling its total to 56.8 million and making it the third fastest-growing network in basic cable behind Oxygen and TV One.

Blackwell said this revved-up growth "has allowed us to buy more contemporary shows" such as "OC" and "Tree."

Down the road, when hit shows like "Ugly Betty" flow into the cable marketplace, Blackwell said SoapNet will have a competitive advantagebecause "other cable networks are scared of serialized shows."

By contrast, SoapNet's whole stock in trade is serialized reruns in primetime of each day's network soaps.

Warner Bros. has the right to sell "OC" and "Tree" to TV stations in weekend syndication simultaneous with their SoapNet run, with theexception of the 4 to 8 p.m. time periods on Saturday and Sunday, when SoapNet may schedule further reruns of "OC" and "Tree."

Engineering the deal for the distributor was Eric Frankel, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111795893...yid=14&cs=1

If there was a chance of Soapnet folding, no way would WB ever sign a syndication deal with them.

Edited February 9, 200718 yr by dawn9476

This is a good move for SOAPnet, but very disappointing considering both shows are available on DVD and we want classic soaps. Still, Dallas has been running for years and could be removed for a daytime soap, plus they could cut 90210 down to one episode a day.

I just hope this does well so they get more money to add a daytime soap. Then again, who knows? Maybe they'll get Ugly Betty and more current soaps.

Did a report on this:

http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=15736

Sorry, I have to defend Frons on this one. This might actually be a smart move. I guess the average SoapNET Viewer is 30+ and therefore those two shows with a rather enthusiast teenage following might allow SoapNET to get a new layer of audience which could get interested in the other programs of the cabler...

Of course past DAYTIME soaps would be well-received by us long-time fans but business-wise this seems to be good deal for SoapNET.

According to Variety, Soapnet is the fastest growing cable network behind Oxygen and TV one. It ain't going anywhere.

SOAPnet should have started SOAPnet classics for us daytime fans that want to see daytime soaps reran. I'm sick of the primetime shows.

Interesting. I'm just surprised there are enough episodes of the O.C. and OTH to make it sustainable as a daily serial.

Interesting. I'm just surprised there are enough episodes of the O.C. and OTH to make it sustainable as a daily serial.

I was thinking the same thing, but you know they'll just continue to re-run the series after it ends, like they do with the other shows.

OTH is in it's fourth year, with an avg of 22 eppys a year, so that's 88 eppys there and more or less the same for the OC, so they'll get a *good* 4/5 months for each *cycle*

and ETA: I would be shocked it the CW didn't pick up OTH for it's fifth season. The show has brought in some strong numbers in the last two seasons. I'm actually kinda glad that this show was picked up, I watched the first season and really liked it, just had way too much to do to ever continue and don't have the $ for the dvds. I always thought it was uber better than the OC.

and btw, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new banner....I miss Jax, and want him back soon~!

Edited February 9, 200718 yr by mateo22

The show has brought in some strong numbers in the last two seasons.

Thats incorrect. The show has always struggled in the ratings, especially last year when it was *thisclose* to being cancelled. Now behind America's Next Top Model it's doing better, but with Beauty and the Geek it's not doing well again.