There could be some very good news for fans of ABC’s cancelled soap operas, One Life to Live and All My Children. They may continue in online-only episodes.
According to the NY Post, Disney’s ABC has sold the online rights of the soaps to Prospect Park, a TV, film, and music company. According to the paper’s sources, Prospect Park is in the final stages of funding an online TV venture, similar to Hulu.
If everything works out, the plan is to continue the daily dramas in new episodes made for audiences online and utilizing the same cast and crew. The soaps would be be the first of a number of brand-name TV shows that would be available on the site.
Prospect Park was founded in 2008 and is run by former Disney Studios executive Rich Frank and the company’s founder, Jeff Kwatinetz. Both are currently executive producers of USA Network’s, Royal Pains and have extensive experience in branding and marketing. Kwatinetz founded The Firm, a management company that promoted big name music artists as brands. After leaving Disney, Frank ran an advertising and marketing company, Integrated Entertainment Partners, and merged it with Kwatinetz’s Firm.
A Disney spokesperson declined to comment and calls to Prospect Park weren’t returned.
While this certainly could be positive news for fans of One Life to Live and All My Children, it’s important to remember that it’s not a done deal yet. Aside from details of the venture having to be finalized, one would assume that new contracts would have to be worked out with the soaps’ cast and crew to cover the online episodes.
Also, both shows are very expensive to produce and up until now, no one’s been able to find a model that would work. A venture like this might require viewers to pay a subscription to supplement costs. DirecTV offered a subscription option for fans of Passions to watch new episodes online but most declined to pay.
What do you think? Would you watch either or both of the soaps online? If a subscription was required, how much would you be willing to pay each month?
Image courtesy ABC.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
If I have to pay no I wont be watching and am so disappointed in ABC and the Internet–this is soooooooooo wrong on so many levels and DVR’s the first episode of the chew—-really, really this is what the public wants—-I didnt and dont wont be watching and hope everyone is happy now that they screwed up daytime TV even more could have left Dr Oz where he was and put the Chew on at 4 idiots all!! seems like the more money they have and we dont the more they want—-sad
Yes, I would watch it online. I was very upset (sad) for it to go off the air! I’ve been a faITHFUL WATCHER OF IT FOR A LONG TIME. PLEASE LET US CONTINUE TO WATCH IT ONLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its fine if you get both shows for the price of one but having to pay let just say $10 a month for one show its not worth it. Passisons did not last because it viewer base was not large enough to support the funding of the soap and they wanted it think either 9.99 or 19.99 month for that soap. Maybe they could work a deal with Hulu plus to add the soap to that full access monthly set-up they charge for 7.99, I would be willing to pay up to $20 a month to view all the programs plus the two soaps. Or have the soap go to three days a week and make the episodes 1 1/2 long and put it on Netflix for renting.
Truthfully, the old timers will leave the show and we will end up with the non-acting newbies that they have recycled from other shows but of salary cuts.
One thing is for sure: Soap Fans have made a WORLD of difference in the market, and as I said when I spoke to Mr. Schecner for the original WSJ article on the movement,, nothing (and no one) is ever REALLY dead when you are a Soap Fan!
Since us Soap fans will be paying to see our ABC Soaps,we should have a say so how we will watch them.
It really depends on how much we have to pay. I mean that I already have to pay for the internet for access. Will I have to pay to watch commercials too? If it’s a few dollars a month, it would really be worth it. But I don’t think that it can last by viewer payment subscriptions. It didn’t work for Passions.
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