In January, NBC announced that the network would be canceling the eight-year-old soap Passions in the Fall. Millions of viewers were understandably upset. After weeks of uncertainty, it looks like fans of the residents of Harmony will be able to rest easy — at least those who have satellite television.
The soap will end its eighth season on NBC on September 7th with a series of cliffhangers. DirecTV will begin airing the ninth season of Passions starting on September 17th. Passions will remain in its usual 2pm timeslot and DirecTV will also air encore marathons on weekends. This will be the first scripted drama series for the satellite TV provider who has been offering other original programming to its subscribers.
Executive vice president of Entertainment for DirectTV Eric Shanks said, “Passions fans no longer need to mourn the demise of their beloved program as it has found new life on DirectTV. We care about this show and are extremely proud to give it an exclusive home here at DirectTV.”
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Marc Graboff (president of NBC Universal Television, West Coast) added, “This new arrangement with DirectTV is truly a landmark development that allows NBC Universal to extend the Passions brand in a fresh and entirely new way, to DirectTV’s 16 million homes. It will reward the dedicated fans of the daytime drama who can continue to enjoy it on DirectTV and also opens up a great new model for other television programs to find new life on other non-traditional platforms.”
It is unclear how much DirecTV will be paying NBC Universal for the soap. Passions will be cut back from five to four episodes a week and will probably endure additional budget cuts. How these cost reductions would affect the soap cast and crew is unclear. The ninth season will begin filming in August.
The satellite provider is encouraging Passions fans to subscribe to the DirecTV service and is offering several incentives. Episodes of Passions are currently made available for free online at NBC.com and via iTunes. It’s unknown if online distribution will continue in some form but it’s looking doubtful thus far. Stay tuned!
well geees…….ok so i was thinking they had changed the time slot and had been searching then got busy doin somfin else..then i though hmm..lets google this and see wtbleep is goin on ..and omLawdy…………ok well so RiPPED here..and well as for finding out that it will be on satalitte in canada in october is Good News..i just hope the series doesn’t end up cancelling due to lack of viewers..as this has taken away i am sure 80percent of its viewers……Now i guess i sit n wait for Passions on here in Oct……and ya been watchins since a few mths… Read more »
I am so pissing furious at NBC I will qwuit watching this awful network. This is the 3rd soap that I have gotten hooked on and the have cancelled it./ For what to put another hour of crap with Matt Lauer Please like we really needa nother hour of the same old crap. NBC is losing viewers asd they keep showing awful tv and cancel shows that already have millions ov VIEWERS. The poweres tha be need to be fired as they sure don’t care about that viewers. No the wonder I end up watching CBS, or the Fox channels.… Read more »
To: NBC BRING BACK PASSIONS or we switch to CBS>
one more thing…If Passions doesnt care about their following, why support them at all. If people do not take a stand on this soap, the others will follow and hold us all hostage to go into debt, but the choice is ours and I choose to not be exploited.
screw them the greedy ********, I hope no one switches to direct for this crap. I watched it, and was disappointed to, but if they are that greedy screw them.
Hi.
I am like most of the other people that have wrote you that we all want Passions to stay on NBC. We have a satellite dish but can not aford Direct tv. We have Star Choice and I think all servers are out to gouge the people they serve.
I started watching passions the day it began. Where i live, i don’t pay extra for cable, therefore, my husband, WILL NOT pay direct tv prices for one show. I am SO UPSET. Nobody gives a flying crap about the TODAY SHOW. And i hope you guys are happy, and i hope you freaking go broke, because the only thing everybody wants is for you TO BRING PASSIONS BACK!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve been watching passions since the day it started. We get cable for free where we live, therefore, my husband WILL NOT PAY direct tv prices for ONE show. I’m SO UPSET, i will never watch NBC again. I hope you people are happy and i hope you lose so much business you go broke!!!!! You COULD just make EVERYONE happy and bring passions back. NOBODY GIVES A FLYING CRAP ABOUT THE TODAY SHOW.
I am so mad that you’ll taking passion off the air. I am just like the rest, I have dish tv and i am not going to change just to get passion. you can leave it on nbc so that everybody can enjoy watching it.NBC need to get some other program off the air that nobody want to see it, but you want to get passion of the air when their is more people watch that show if you put it on direct tv you will loose alot of peoples watch it. I will not be watching it.I have dish… Read more »
I’m writing on behalf of alot of Passion fans here in Ontario Canada. We’ve been a LOYAL audience since the very beginning of Passions on television. We’re NOT PLEASED at all that it’s been moved to Direct Tv! Bring it back to television! PLEASEEEEEEEEEE
i hope direct tv loses money on this and think if they really want to make money why not take all the soaps from regular tv and stop them all cause like so many have said when passions goes direct and nbc both will lose and i’ will be so happy to know this for their selfishnessthey should go broke so for us who will not get to see passions anymore lets not watch nbc any more either. or bow down to direct tv tactics.do not buy direct for one soap show.
I too, have watched Passions since the begining.Yes, there are a lot of greedy execs out there in la-la land because I’m not going to get Directtv for one show!If they had any brains they would run it on soapnet or online.I read where the cast members will be taking up to a 50% pay cut when it moves, so don’t expect too many of your beloved characters to stay the course anyway.I didn’t realize 9/7 was the last air date so I was pretty teed off at how up in the air things were left. Another World which was… Read more »
I have watched Passions from thebeginning and am very upset that it is going on Direct TV. Since I cannot afford the additional expense, I feel that Passions is slapping this long time listener and supporter in the face. I shall miss Tabby and the love she shows towards Endora most of all.
I have been watching Passions 5 days a week since it started. Passions has strung us along for years so they could get us right were they wanted us and then switch it to Direct TV. I think that was the plan to begin with. It was a conspiracy the two have been plotting for a while. It’s all about the money $$$$$$$$. I have had Direct TV in the past and it’s crap! Not even my favorite soap could get me to change back. So to HELL with Direct TV and to HELL with Passions too! P.S.( NBC is… Read more »
I am very upset about your change because I cannot get direct TV in Quebec (Canada) and I was watching Passion but I won’t anymore. Your lost….