Tears in soap city starting to look real

[Y&RWorldTurner]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/St...9993&page=1

[quartermainefan]

Why not just admit the entire TV industry is run by outdated fools? She acknowledges that people are watching soaps through other venues, but also admits that the networks just refuse to count them.

[rhythmchyc]

People will never be too busy to be entertained.

If you have little and grown boys playing World of Warcraft 365 days of the year like their lives depended on it, you can have little and grown girls watching soap operas. Especially now when everyone wants to escape from their struggles because of the recession.

People don't watch anymore because the stories suck. It angers me that TPTB continue to point all the blame on everyone else but themselves.

Go back to the [!@#$%^&*] drawing board and you'll find your viewers again.

[DRW50]

Breaking a budget to the point where you're almost canceled and your lead actress has to keep taking pay cuts to keep you on the air is unique. It's also something to be ashamed of.

[Juliajms]

Hey, girls play WOW too.

[rhythmchyc]

LOL. I know. And little and grown boys watch soaps too.

[marceline]

Really? Best Week Ever begs to differ.

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2009/02/05/for-...ime-tv-history/

[rhythmchyc]

LMAO.

Actually, the scenes when Jessie saves Angie from the helicopter was pretty stellar, I think.

[Juliajms]

Yeah, I don't think the PP I've seen so far on soaps have been all that natural. However, I think soaps do need to take advantage of product placement. Coke signs and paper cups at Kelly's (GH) or have one of the characters ask another out on a date to see (insert date movie title) type stuff. I really believe it needs to happen for soaps to survive , but they need to learn how to make it more seamless than it has been in the past. I'm sure that's hard though because of pressure from the advertisers involved.

[tylerbo20]

omg you mean like on Days of Our Lives when the girls were talking bout their monthly visit from a friend and stephanie pulled out midol.or whatever it is lol

[MarkH]

They're counting them...at least on the legal streams and soapnet...but they haven't fully figured out how to monetize them.

I think I see where it is headed.

Yesterday, Roger Newcomb had a link to the latest bit about cable companies METERING internet usage. So, my monthly cable bill will be related to how much uploading and downloading I do.

Once we meter downloads, we're counting consumption.

Then, like they do with VHS blank tape sales, and so forth, a PORTION of that revenue can go back to the studios in whatever way they do that.

[DRW50]

I saw that bandwidth article.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/2...g_Is_Coming.php

Time Warner did try to explain that, but most people don't buy it, because they haven't said anything beyond, "The Internet is going to run out because of greedy people, so pay us money." It was a member of Congress who stopped Time Warner's plans, for now. If Time Warner can't even explain to him, then apparently the plan has some big flaws.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

Talking about the economy.

[Jonathan]

I think it's pretty brave and open of ABC News to talk about how its network's soaps are affected by this recession.

[bellcurve]

Monetize WHAT dude?! They already have figured out how to make money from legal streams and SOAPnet. If these shows weren't making money online, the networks wouldn't put them on different platforms and pimp them the way they do, especially Y&R which is pretty much on every flash site but xTube.

The WGA and other unions ended up getting their arm Ike Turner twisted into settling for this crappy 14-day free promotion crap. The networks and studios are making money from this. And they are making money in a way where they could decide how many views a show is getting and divide that amongst everyone. They just want a head start in screwing the talent over, the exact same way talent got screwed during the home movie market boom(which caused the six month 1988 strike).

After all, there are ads there every time we watch legal streaming content. So networks are "monetizing." They are just saying that to save face and to make the general public and union members with a sense of naivete believe that it's still "a new technology that we're not making money from"

And I am SURE they know how many people are watching their shows online. YouTube even has viewcounts at the bottom of their page. The networks are making money, even if it is a small amount.

And you will still have internet/tech geeks who will want to play WOW and other games at a certain speed without being charged over $1000 a month for it. The free market reigns. There's no way an internet company will stay in business if they charge by the amount of uploading and downloading someone does, like an electric bill or water bill. That's like charging someone for the amount of cable TV they watch.

But, per usual, I've digressed.

Well, let's talk about something, anything but the DAMN swine flu.