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“Disney Junior” Replaces SOAPnet in 2012


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Not to repeat my comments in post that was in Entertainment News... but Disney knows that there will be three, maybe four (DAYS) soaps left by 12. That's not enough to run a network. On top of it, the other shows -- old soaps and the new generation of Prime Soaps (90210, GG, OTH, etc.) just don't bring in ratings. It seems like an online channel like PGP/AOL had is the best option. I was so bummed when that shut down. I want my EON again! LOL. It's really too bad. One of the most interesting aspects of SN was that it usually had the highest "minutes" viewed by audience in primetime among cable channels -- meaning that people watched almost the entire show -- very little flipping. Guess that wasn't enough.

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From Entertainment Weekly:

“It is sad news because it is a channel that’s been dedicated to soap fans,” Brian Frons, President of Daytime, Disney/ABC Television Group, told EW. “It’s been a terrific asset for us. But it’s not a dink on soap operas. It’s about Disney wanting to be have preschool network, they looked for the space, and realized the distribution already existed. They can grow Disney Junior because they have a super product, and they can take it internationally.”

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Cause it's easier to re-brand an existing channel. Creating a new one means they'd have to negotiate with cable companies, Dish Network, and Directv to carry it. SoapNet is already carried by them and in over 75 million homes, so this allows them to basically skip that step.

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I used to stay up late when I was a kid. However...

1) My parents never knew I did. I don't think, anyway.

2) I stayed up late often to watch "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and "Late Night with David Letterman," not crap like...whatever's going to be on TotDisney. (And when my niece is old enough? She'll be up late watching Skinimax and Blowtime. I guarantee it.)

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Yes, just look at Discovery Health and Oprah's new network OWN. It's just much easier to re-brand.

And SOAPnet has fallen victim to the same thing other cable channels have in recent years. They have strayed too far from their original vision. Look at the History channel for example. They are showing programs like Pawn Stars, Pickers, and Ice Road Truckers most of the time. Or TV Land, which shows stuff like High School Reunion, Extreme Home Makeover, etc..., even though it was founded as a classic tv channel. The same with Nick at Nite. Even The Weather Channel is becoming unrecognizable...showing movies, Storm Stories, and everything else other than just standing in front of a green screen and telling the weather.

SOAPnet is just the latest in a long line of networks that are trying to re-brand, and failing miserably at it IMO.

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You forgot the part where Nick signs a pro-baseball contract behind Noah's back, and Abby has to choose between the young Italian hunk and the young Puerto Rican hunk (who used to be a member of Menudo).

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Brian "Swift Kick in the" Frons: “It is sad news because it is a channel that’s been dedicated to soap fans.”

Well, it was before you entered the picture.

BF: “It’s been a terrific asset for us. But it’s not a dink on soap operas."

Wish I could say the same about your tenure at ABCD.

Pinocchio: "They can grow Disney Junior because they have a super product, and they can take it internationally.”

Be afraid, Nickelodeon, be very afraid. [/sarcasm]

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You know, we dreamed of an all-soap network for years, and there had been rumblings about one for at least half as many years. Finally got one, and in its infancy it focused mostly on primetime and before it was even weaned it was ditching those shows and filling the schedule with dubiously "soapy" material. Until a true soap lover's got the power, we're S.O.L.

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