I can't understand half the words in this article, but it seems to be important somehow :-). Involves Agnes Nixon, LOL.

Popular soap opera All My Children (AMC) has launched an Internet initiative to enhance international broadcast licensee opportunities for cross-platform monetization.

AMC creator Agnes Nixon, together with Toronto-based The Fremantle Corporation, are also presenting opportunities to participate in additional revenue streams such as merchandising and DVD sales, linking up with the www.AgnesNixon.com website, texting opportunities and measurement apparatus.

Nixon is the creative force behind more than twenty-five thousand episodes of daytime drama. All My Children has shared a global audience with ABC Network in the U.S. and other international broadcasters for more than 40 years. The show is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a small, fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. Since its inception, the show has featured Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of the daytime's most popular characters.

The goal is to enhance the value of the soap to broadcasters through a cross platform Internet expansion to help promote, expand access and add value for advertisers, viewers and broadcasters, while maintaining geographic exclusivities.

Broadcasters are able to offer daily episodes via the Internet, over extended periods. This cross-platform initiative provides interactive opportunities for viewers as well as bonus features.

Broadcasters can employ a special video player from Narrowstep, a unique option that is easy to use and can be embedded into any website to facilitate these interactive features. By using the player, the company describes, broadcasters can easily create a “Catch-up TV” solution without the costly process of building their own delivery platform. Broadcasters will retain their relationship with viewers and build advertising dollars, with two slots for banners and Atlas supported pre-roll, multiple mid-rolls and post-roll video ads.

“With or without the player, the option of going cross platform with one of the world’s most successful and longest running dramas is a great opportunity,” stated Fremantle Corp’s principal, Irv Holender (LA), and sales executives Diane Tripp (New York), Lisa Dunn (Toronto) and Wayne Broun (Australia).

Agnes Nixon is best known as the creator of soap operas such as Oone Life to Live and All My Children. Having a key role in the production of these programs, she was either executive producer or consulting producer for both shows for many years. She continued to write the program with Wisner Washam until 1983, and again with him from 1988 to 1992, continuing on as a consultant in recurring capacities until 2000. From 1970 until 1992, every episode of AMC was written by either Nixon or her protégé Wisner Washam.

Narrowstep. the ‘TV on the Internet’ company, supports content providers, broadcasters, telecommunications companies and corporations worldwide with its proprietary technology platform delivering TV like experience available on the Internet. www.narrowstep.com

The Fremantle Corporation distributes in the U.S. and internationally to all markets and media worldwide. The Fremantle Corporation is part of the Kaleidoscope Entertainment Group www.fremantlecorp.com.

Does anyone understand what the heck this article is talking about? What is this cross platform consisted of exactly? If you know, please share. Thanks.

Does anyone understand what the heck this article is talking about? What is this cross platform consisted of exactly? If you know, please share. Thanks.

Here is what I think they're saying: If you are a broadcaster in, say, Belize....and you want to show AMC...they will now also give you an embedded AMC streaming player that you can put on your website and add advertisers to.

Thus, as a Belize broadcaster, when you're now thinking about buying AMC...you can not only earn broadcast dollars, but you can earn online dollars too...without needing to handle the technical nitty-gritty yourself.

That's what I THINK they're saying.

For me, there is a technical question (will they do IP filtering to make sure only viewers from the purchasing country can watch the stream?).

There is also a practical question. Does this mean that AMC and OLTL will soon start streaming legally in the US. It would be cool.

Then, the SMART net-caster (e.g. Soapnet??) would acquire access to all eight streams, and become a soap portal where anyone can go to watch their soap.

I'm feeling the future coming...I'm hopeful.

But all this depends on whether I am correctly understanding the article.

I hope the industry-savvy types here will translate??

Thanks for the clarification, Mark.

I think this is AMAZING and exciting news and should be even bumped to news on here--or have the subject line at least retitled with Agnes Nixon and AMC so that more people read it--it's VERY important to the future of the show I thinka nd exciting Agnes is involved.

Edited April 2, 200916 yr by EricMontreal22

And key emphasis for me with DVD sales! AGnes seems to realize that her soap in the current market is on unstable ground--and wants to help remedy that.

This is an innovative way to see to it that soaps get a broader audience. I think Agnes knows that TV is changing. Basically, TV is dying as more people look to the web for their entertainment. This can't be fought, so as a smart business woman, Agnes is making her soaps available on the web.

This seems to only affect international markets and the article really isn't clear as to how Agnes is involved. Does she own the international rights to her shows? How does ABC fit in?

ETA: Fremantle is not a bad company to hook up with. It's the production company of American Idol.

It doesn't look like AgnesNixon.com is up and working yet.

Edited April 2, 200916 yr by Jonathan

I get the feeling that she realizes that B&B and some other soaps make big profits from Itnernational sales--and AMC (well the ABC soaps in general) for some reason has never really been aggresively sold overseas--I get the feeling this is part of her idea to change that? It certainly would help the shows financially. as a fan I'm more excited about thes epossible DVDs....

I still want to know how Agnes is able to accomplish this given the fact that she no longer owns AMC or OLTL.

I still want to know how Agnes is able to accomplish this given the fact that she no longer owns AMC or OLTL.

Yeah, me too.... I don't fully understand what is going to happen, but I do applaud her for thinking outside the box trying to save her babies.... Its amazing how much of an innovator this woman is 40 years after she put her stamp on the genre for ever. Agnes is now what? 81, 82?

I bet it scares her to realize she could outlive these things, I bet she never ever would have thought that.

I like the DVD sales part.... and I think the archives should be opened up and transfered to digital so they can stream past episodes online too. Like I said in another thread, I would pay to be able to watch the old days....

More power to Agnes if these ventures are successful!

I still want to know how Agnes is able to accomplish this given the fact that she no longer owns AMC or OLTL.

Could it be remotely possible that she never sold the international rights? I doubt that, but...

Could it be remotely possible that she never sold the international rights? I doubt that, but...

She could have had that stipulated in her contract.

The ABC soaps have never had the worldwide appeal that say B&B and Santa Barbara have, so I don't think they'd ever bring in the same amount of worldwide revenue. But it's a worth a try selling them to more international markets, I guess.

She could have had that stipulated in her contract.

The ABC soaps have never had the worldwide appeal that say B&B and Santa Barbara have, so I don't think they'd ever bring in the same amount of worldwide revenue. But it's a worth a try selling them to more international markets, I guess.

Of course, it is proposterous that Agnes, per se, is behind this.

Would she have offspring who are being the visionaries here?

Her daughter used to write for AMC in the 70s, if I recall correctly. She now lives in Seattle and is not doing anything involving soaps.