Will Moving Cancelled ABC Soaps to the Internet Work?
Will The Internet Save Soap Operas?
There has been little reaction to date on the news that longtime ABC soap operas All My Children (AMC) and One Life to Live (OLTL) will continue via the internet following their respective cancellations in the months ahead.
For more than a decade, US daytime soaps have been the target of predatory spreadsheet gurus, who believe such shows are too expensive to produce, and have been losing viewers for years.
It’s no secret that networks feel that “reality” TV and talk shows are a better meal ticket. They believe such shows are cheaper to produce and easier to build an audience than soaps.
In early July, ABC announced that Prospect Park purchased the production rights to both shows for ten years and announced plans to continue the characters and storylines for the internet. AMC ends in September. OLTL concludes in January 2012.
In a joint press release with ABC, Prospect Park execs, Rich Frank & Jeff Kwatinetz exuded confidence in the growing medium of web streaming would make an excellent home for the shows.
It will be a huge task to resurrect the shows. Perhaps most challenging would be bringing back the cast, who have made other plans for work.
Speculation abounds as who is “in” or “out” and many more details are to come.
The biggest question that remains to be seen is whether or not the show’s respective audiences will follow them to the web.
What do you think?