Soap ownership is key to success in down market

By Anne Becker

Broadcasting & Cable, 3/31/2008

At a time when shaky ratings have led some to question the soap genre, Disney-ABC's daytime division is quietly pitching advertisers this upfront season that soaps are here to stay.

Daytime ratings were down about 10% last year—not good news for the $1.2 billion business. And ABC's soaps have faced ratings drops like the others. But the network differs from its competitors in its ability to weather ratings woes, making them less of a drain on the bottom line.

The difference is, since Disney-ABC owns its three soaps, it can quickly and creatively integrate advertisers' products into shows. Plus, the company monetizes daytime content by putting it onto sister cable network Soapnet—currently undergoing a makeover of its own to encompass all soapy fare and not just traditional dramas—and selling it abroad through sister studio Buena Vista Productions.

“I want to look at our business as a studio business,” says Disney-ABC Daytime President Brian Frons, who oversees the daytime shows, Soapnet and the Buena Vista studio. The division produces some 1,000 hours of original programming per year, including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Ebert & Roeper.

“Our job is to get as many people watching us as possible—daytime, Soapnet, international. It's a more holistic revenue-driven model and gives people the confidence to know we're sticking around. Advertisers do like having this platform to reach women on an efficient basis, so they need to know that.”

Efficient is right. In meetings with advertisers currently going on, the division is pointing out to clients that while soaps' overall ratings may be down, their viewer base is highly devoted and, according to research, more likely to remain watching through the commercials. On average, among women 18-49, daytime has a higher C3 percent retention than prime—103% to 98%, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Because ABC owns its shows, it can more easily and quickly facilitate product integration deals. Last year, Campbell's worked its “Go Red” campaign to promote heart health into all three ABC soaps as well as The View, and the network is pitching similar synergies this year.

In addition to bolstering daytime with such ad deals, the company is broadening its plan for Soapnet, moving it from being a home for soap opera reruns to one for original content, as well as more acquired primetime soaps and movie dramas. The network has bought a packet of small to midsize movies to add to its Sunday night movie franchise: Romy and Michelle: In the Beginning; I Do, They Don't; Face on the Milk Carton; Relative Chaos; and I Want to Marry Ryan Banks.

Soapnet is also moving forward with Relative Madness, six hour-long specials this summer on the most over-the-top TV and celebrity families, with commentary from talent including comedian Joy Behar, dancer Chris Judd, and mother/daughter socialites Lisa and Britney Gastineau.

“We wanted to recognize the fact that we live in a soap nation—primetime soaps, daytime soaps, Britney Spears soaps,” says Frons. Soapnet currently programs 40 hours of original programming a week, and Frons says he would like to double that number over the next two years.

“America has been getting their soap fix in a lot of different ways other than or in addition to the daily soaps, and so we're reflecting that on the channel, all with a soapy filter—otherwise it's just another women's network.”

ME:

Does nobody at ABC realize ABC's losses have not been "like the others" but significantly greater!?

Frons is talking about the next 2 years; he isn't going anywhere.

More Campbell's and Prego type product placement

Funny how the Campbell's fashion show was big flop for AMC. This man cares nothing about daytime. He is going to further make the ABC shows drop further in the ratings. He will be the cause of ABC Daytime being non-existent.

I'm not sure how I feel about that interview. On one hand I am happy that he realizes the fact the soaps are still viable, but on the other hand I am not sure exactly what his true intentions are for them. As a relatively new AMC viewer I hope that it continues for many years to come. ABCD is definitely down from last year, but hopefully the tide will turn for them and not for the worse.

Just because he's talking about the next few years means diddly IMO. I'd say it's part of the business to plan for the future......

Soapnet is also moving forward with Relative Madness, six hour-long specials this summer on the most over-the-top TV and celebrity families, with commentary from talent including comedian Joy Behar, dancer Chris Judd, and mother/daughter socialites Lisa and Britney Gastineau.

RIP Soapnet, Frons is killing ya slowly but surely

#1 thing they need to do is

Fire FRONS!

This article doesn't mean a damn thing about Frons' future. It's corporate spin kids, ABC Daytime is desperate, as it should be...Of course Frons is going to seem 'positive' in his approach, he has to sell these shows to advertisers, they aren't going to want to buy into a show that even the head of the network division has no faith in!

That son of a bitch Brian Frons needs to be fired!

Ugh!! More Brian FRons? The man should be fired already and pissed on.

RIP Soapnet, Frons is killing ya slowly but surely

Which will piss me off because there are some days I do not catch AMC at noon and rely on Soapnet to see that day's broadcast.

I would love to type an email to Frons but it would look like this: )*$#$%*)%^*)#$#)$!^%*$(#$()#&*)#)*#)$*)#*$)*#$

So it would not be necessary

#1 thing they need to do is

Fire FRONS!

Not just him but get rid of Sweeney as well...she has done NOTHING since being his boss.

I want to hold out hope that her being in the audience of The View means something. If it does, then I will take back my comment

The one thing I don't get is she was the brainchild behind Soapnet...so why would she allow Frons to do these stupid things for the channel that make it look as if it will be cancelled altogether?

The man should be fired already and pissed on.

If he was burning alive, I highly doubt I would piss on him to save him...I just would not care about any near death experiences of his.

Since he is near Los Angeles, odds are nobody else would help him either...they are narcissistic, self centered, pukes down there (no offense JP and Wales)

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by DevotedToAMC