Buying soap opera episodes in ABC, CBS o NBC!!!

[Goldensoaps]

I would like to know if it is possible in USA to buy soap opera episodes in the networks.

In Germany, soap fans have the chance of buying them.... In fact, they are trying to buy the soap opera "SANTA BARBARA"...

I read this in a forum:

"A German fan is in contact with a TV station to buy all the episodes from SB and has open for his action a facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rettet-den-California-Clan/260252137337655

The first year (255 episodes) will cost 170 € ( about 200$), but the second and other ones only 140 euros. This fan has already got some demos and posted 2 episodes online (which are in very good quality since they were digitalised from the master copies). If 100 people would participate at least for the beginning every season would be available on DVD. (There is no obligation to buy each season)

(the watermarks were placed only on the demos not on the final DVDs)

Of course everyone wants to have everything for free but well 170€ divided by 255 = 0,66 per episode in very good quality, without any viruses, trojans, spywares or malwares. And not to forget no potential loss of the internet connection due to illegal downloading.

Here's the one of the 1154th episode

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3Y7N4DI5

it has a nice watermark and a timecode to give just an idea of the quality

For those who doubt that such offer can't be true : the price that RTL Television is asking for the 255 first episode is 17000 euros ( about 20.000 $). Yes, you read it well, that's why is it affordable if 100 people would participate to the action 17 000/100 = 170 euros

The person in charge said he received 3 demos and one was in dual channel (German + English), so maybe it could be possible to have it also on a DVD with multiple languages. (Have to ask)"

[sheilaforever]

This is very interesting.

The guys claim to be legit but so far they have failed to reach the neccessary number of fans willing to buy in. THey're still a 40 members short to get the series archives...

[quartermainefan]

Buy these from who? Who has the right to sell SB to individuals?

[Goldensoaps]

German RTL TELEVISION has the right to do it....at a high price....

[sheilaforever]

Apparently, RTL Group which belongs to Bertelsmann (e.g. Random House) has a subsidiary called BCE where all their archive tapes are bundled. Amongst these is the complete run of Santa Barbara dubbed in German. A group of fans claims they have been in contact with RTL for some time now and so far could stop BCE from destroying those tapes. (I assume that RTL/BCE has then destroyed all their GL/ATWT/DAYS and B&B tapes...) BCE is said to demand 17000€ per season/255 episodes to convert them on DVDs for non-commercial purposes which is they those guys have created this facebook page to assemble 100 fans to commit 170 € each to buy those rights...

All this seems to be legit because on one of their demos, upped on megaupload.com there is an entire CC episode in good quality but with with the BCE watermark logo on it...