Defunct American basic cable and satellite television channel
Not to be confused with
Sapindus
, also known as "soapnut".
Television channel
Soapnet
(stylized as
SOAPnet
) was an American
basic cable
network owned by the
Disney?ABC Television Group
division of
The Walt Disney Company
.
The network's programming was oriented towards the
soap opera
genre; on launch, Soapnet carried primetime encores of ABC's current soaps, as well as reruns of classic daytime and primetime soap opera series. Soapnet also broadcast programming related to soap operas, including news and behind-the-scenes programs. In later years, Soapnet increased its focus on acquired reruns of
drama
series.
Due in part to a general decline in the soap opera genre as a whole, and the growing adoption of
digital video recorders
, cable/satellite
video on demand
, and
streaming video
options making its primetime soap encores increasingly unnecessary on a traditional linear network, Disney announced in 2010 that Soapnet would be replaced by the new preschool-oriented network
Disney Junior
, which launched on March 23, 2012. While some providers removed Soapnet upon the launch of Disney Junior, the channel continued to operate on some providers until it finally ceased operations on December 31, 2013.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
Early history (2000?2002)
[
edit
]
When Soapnet launched on January 20, 2000, the channel aired only current
ABC
soap operas in the evening and early morning, so that people who were at work or school during the day could watch them at their convenience. Programming was inclusive, as the channel was owned by ABC. Soapnet eventually gained high cable carriage due to
Disney
's aggressive policy of pulling ABC-
owned broadcast stations
and the popular
ESPN
channels from cable providers if they did not agree to carry Soapnet as well. This was the main reason for ABC
owned-and-operated station
WABC-TV
being pulled from
Time Warner Cable
's
New York City
system for two days in May 2000.
[3]
When Soapnet was announced,
Sony Pictures Entertainment
planned to launch a competing cable channel and website called
SoapCity
, which would air all
CBS
soap operas and the
Sony-owned/produced
NBC
soap
Days of Our Lives
. The plans for the SoapCity cable channel were abandoned early in 2000 after Sony failed to secure cable carriage, though the website component remained.
Soapnet's inaugural lineup aired current soaps such as
All My Children
,
One Life to Live
,
General Hospital
and
Port Charles
, along with canceled daytime and nighttime soaps such as
Falcon Crest
,
Knots Landing
,
The Colbys
,
Hotel
,
Sisters
, and
Ryan's Hope
. As the years went on, Soapnet introduced original programming such as
Soap Center
and
Soap Talk
, the latter of which was nominated for several
Daytime Emmy Awards
.
Soap Center
, which debuted on Soapnet's launch day schedule, was initially hosted by former soap stars
Brooke Alexander
and
David Forsyth
. They were replaced the following year by
Peggy Bunker
: based on the East Coast and covering New York-based soaps; and
Tanika Ray
discussing West Coast-based soaps.
Peggy Bunker
also hosted all events from Super Soap Weekend from Walt Disney World in Florida, including an exclusive interview with Susan Lucci. By 2003, the show ceased filming original material.
Other original series included
1 Day With
, a half-hour program featuring interviews with soap actors, that was hosted by
General Hospital
actor
Wally Kurth
;
I Wanna Be a Soap Star
, a recurring reality series in which twelve young actors compete for a contract role on a daytime soap; and
Soapography
, a 30-minute show profiling the lives and current shows of two different soap opera actors.
Programming expansion (2002?2010)
[
edit
]
In 2002, Soapnet began airing reruns of
Dynasty
, and by 2003, the channel added highly requested programming such as reruns of
Another World
and
Dallas
; replacing
Falcon Crest
,
The Colbys
,
Hotel
, and
Sisters
. In 2004, Soapnet acquired the rights to broadcast
Days of Our Lives
episodes on a same-day basis. The channel also aired the 1975 to 1981 episodes of
Ryan's Hope
, which had not been seen on television since its 1989 cancellation by ABC. At that time, many viewers who did not have Soapnet at its inception petitioned to have the channel broadcast the show from the very beginning. In 2003, the channel aired the first episodes starting on
St. Patrick's Day
.
In 2004, Soapnet acquired reruns of the short-lived 1980s soap
Paper Dolls
. In January 2005, the channel began airing reruns of the
Fox
dramas
Beverly Hills, 90210
and
Melrose Place
; this was followed that spring with the addition of repeats of short-lived nighttime soaps
The Monroes
and
Skin
. In July 2005, it picked up the Fox primetime soap
Pasadena
, including nine episodes that were not aired during the show's initial run. On March 16, 2006, Soapnet announced that it had acquired the rights to broadcast same-day episodes of
The Young and the Restless
, which began airing on Soapnet on April 24, 2006 ? making it the first CBS network soap to air on the channel.
Since the channel was a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, it also broadcast events from the annual ABC
Super Soap Weekend
, which was held every November at
Walt Disney World
, and each summer at
Disney's California Adventure
until the event was discontinued in 2010.
Soap Talk
hosts
Lisa Rinna
and
Ty Treadway
served as hosts for question and answer sessions at the events, allowing fans to ask questions to their favorite soap stars.
Some viewers complained about what they viewed as an overabundance of prime-time programming on the channel, some of which (
90210
and
Melrose Place
) had ended their original broadcast runs only a few years prior and had been repeated in syndication on other networks. These fans also objected to the large number of new episodes of the ABC lineup and
Days of our Lives
, and repeatedly requested rebroadcasts of old daytime soaps such as
Loving
,
The Edge of Night
,
Santa Barbara
, and
Search for Tomorrow
.
On February 7, 2007, Soapnet acquired the rights to air reruns of
The O.C.
and
One Tree Hill
. The syndication deal also gave Soapnet an option to order a fifth season of
One Tree Hill
to air on the channel in the event that
The CW
chose not to renew the show
[4]
(this option was never exercised as first-run episodes of
One Tree Hill
remained on The CW until the series ended in 2012).
In November 2007,
Deborah Blackwell
stepped down as general manager of the channel with then-
ABC Daytime
president
Brian Frons
assuming her duties. In August 2008, it was revealed that Soapnet had lost the broadcast rights for both
Dallas
and
Melrose Place
; both shows left the schedule that September.
In 2009, the channel started to further expand its acquired programming; and began airing
Greg Behrendt's Wake Up Call
, a program that was originally set to air on ABC during the 2006?07 season. After airing the
CBC Television
series
MVP
(which was canceled by the CBC due to low ratings) in 2008, Soapnet also acquired the rights for the American broadcast of the Canadian dramedy
Being Erica
(which began in January of that year on the CBC) beginning in February 2009. According to
Nielsen Media Research
, Soapnet was available to 75,259,000 cable and satellite subscribers in December 2010, an increase of 4 million subscribers from May 2009.
Decline and transition to Disney Junior (2010?2013)
[
edit
]
Due to declining viewership in the genre, the Big Three networks had begun to cancel selected soaps and replace them with less-expensive
talk show
and
game show
programming, including ABC's
All My Children
and
One Life to Live
(an attempt to license the two soaps to
Prospect Park
to continue them as
internet television
series in 2013 was discontinued after a few months due to production and licensing conflicts), which were replaced with the cooking show
The Chew
(which aired until June 2018) and the lifestyle talk show
The Revolution
(which was canceled in April 2012 due to low ratings; its timeslot was assumed by
General Hospital
and the remaining hour given back to ABC's affiliates). The decreasing number of active soaps, as well as the growing adoption of
digital video recorders
(which made it more convenient to record multiple soaps), along with cable and Internet
video on demand
options caching episodes online within a matter of hours, negated the further need for a linear channel devoted to the genre.
[2]
Disney?ABC Television Group head
Anne Sweeney
solicited concepts for a new network to replace Soapnet. The ABC Daytime division pitched two concepts for a women-focused network, including "Carrie" (named after
Carrie Bradshaw
of
Sex and the City
)?a "hip and cool" channel, and "Disney Moms"?which focused on "[programs] moms would want to watch and their families would watch with them". They competed with a proposal by
Disney Channels Worldwide
for a network devoted to preschool programming. Much to the dismay of the ABC Daytime staff, Sweeney would choose Disney Channel's proposal.
[5]
On May 26, 2010,
Disney Junior
was officially announced as Disney Channels Worldwide's new preschool television brand. Replacing
Playhouse Disney
, Disney Junior would launch as a block on Disney Channel on February 14, 2011, and was to launch a 24-hour cable channel in January 2012, replacing Soapnet.
[6]
[7]
On July 28, 2011, due to issues in reaching carriage deals for the new network, the launch of the Disney Junior channel was delayed to an unspecified date in early 2012.
[5]
Disney Junior's launch date was later set to March 23, 2012. Disney also stated that on some providers, Disney Junior would be carried in parallel with Soapnet until the network is eventually phased out.
[8]
The
Los Angeles Times
reported that some television providers had been hesitant to immediately drop Soapnet, as they "didn't want to risk legions of vocal soap opera fans getting into a lather, or worse, moving to a rival service."
[2]
On March 1, 2012, Soapnet's operations were taken over by
ABC Family
following the dismantling of the ABC Daytime corporate structure under Brian Frons, who had resigned in December 2011.
Some television providers, including certain
Xfinity
systems, immediately replaced Soapnet with Disney Junior in its channel space on launch.
[9]
[10]
[11]
Soapnet continued to be carried on providers who had not yet made carriage agreements for Disney Junior (such as
Dish Network
), as well as for certain providers that retained Soapnet as part of their channel lineups, while also adding Disney Junior as an additional channel (such as
Cablevision
,
DirecTV
,
Verizon FiOS
,
RCN
. and
Time Warner Cable
).
[10]
[11]
[12]
Same day rebroadcasts of
General Hospital
,
Days of our Lives
and
The Young and the Restless
were retained, with repeats of ABC Family programming and reruns of
Veronica Mars
being added to the schedule.
[12]
The rights to
Veronica Mars
were transferred to
Pivot
when that network launched in August 2013.
A 1-hour two-week
Live Well Network
block was broadcast on Soapnet weeknights from 11 PM to 12 AM (ET/PT) starting on July 30, 2012 through Friday, August 10, 2012.
[13]
On January 15, 2013,
AT&T U-verse
reached a new wide-ranging multi-year carriage agreement with Disney for its various broadcast and cable channels, which included the addition of Disney Junior.
[14]
In April 2013, Soapnet lost the rights to same-day broadcasts of
The Young and the Restless
to
TVGN
(which
CBS Corporation
, owner of the show's originating broadcaster
CBS
, had acquired a 50% ownership stake in the previous month), effective July 1.
[15]
[16]
TVGN eventually picked up
The Bold and the Beautiful
after Soapnet ended, a soap never carried by the network, and both are now carried in
high definition
on Pop's HD simulcast network, along with eventually,
Days of Our Lives
.
In November 2013, Disney announced that Soapnet would cease broadcasting altogether on December 31, 2013, after 13 years on air.
[2]
The network's impending discontinuation had been previously reported by several cable providers, including
AT&T U-verse
,
Comcast
,
Charter
and
Cox
, among others.
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
Soapnet quietly went
dark
shortly before midnight
ET
on January 1, 2014, without ceremony.
Programming
[
edit
]
Prior to the switch to an automated schedule, repeats of current soap operas made up the majority of Soapnet's daily schedule; the channel usually aired daily episodes of network soaps it had carried (the previous weekday's broadcasts airing weekday mornings from 6:00 to 11:00 a.m. ET, along with two same-day evening airings with one block from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET and a repeat of the earlier block from 12:00 to 5:00 a.m. ET). With the reduction to two first-run soaps on the schedule, from July 2013 up until Soapnet's cease in production, the timeslots in which same-day/day-behind repeats of the network soaps were reduced, with the two remaining first-run soaps airing on the channel ?
Days of Our Lives
and
General Hospital
? airing in repeat blocks from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. ET.
Prior to ABC's cancellations of the former two series in 2011, daily reruns of
All My Children
,
One Life to Live
and
General Hospital
aired on the channel in that respective order as they had aired on ABC's daytime schedule.
All My Children
had the most airings on the channel airing four times each weekday, one in the morning and three at night. Rebroadcasts of each soap's episodes for the entire week aired each Saturday and Sunday during the late afternoon and nighttime hours; as of 2012, the network aired the past week's episodes of
Days of our Lives
in Sunday primetime.
Due to it being owned by
The Walt Disney Company
, which also owns ABC, Soapnet cross-promoted
All My Children
and
One Life to Live
using the tagline "weekdays on ABC and weeknights on SOAPnet" when both shows aired on ABC.
[21]
The same slogan continued to be used in promotions for
General Hospital
until the week of April 30, 2012 (inclusively). After a three-month hiatus, the "weekdays on ABC and weeknights on SOAPnet" slogan was revived in August 2012, but was used only for
General Hospital
promos airing on Soapnet and not those seen on ABC. References to
Days of our Lives's
first-run airings on
NBC
(and until it was dropped from Soapnet in July 2013,
[22]
The Young and the Restless
's
first-run airings on
CBS
) were not included in the channel's promos, instead only advertising their telecasts on Soapnet.
The channel also aired primetime drama series such as
One Tree Hill
,
Gilmore Girls
and
Beverly Hills, 90210
each weekday during the late morning and afternoon hours, and as part of the "Breakfast in Bed" block between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET each weekend. Weekend morning marathons of ABC's cooking show
The Chew
(which had replaced
All My Children
on ABC) aired for a short time in December 2012 before being quickly dropped due to negative viewer reaction.
During the course of its lifetime, the channel occasionally aired past episodes in thematic format, such as
Daytime's Most Unforgettable Weddings
, spotlighting the best episodes of popular couples on ABC's soaps. Other thematic episode blocks included the "Sonnylicious!" marathon, featuring select episodes highlighting
Maurice Benard
's best performances as his
General Hospital
character
Sonny Corinthos
, and the "Tad the Cad" marathon, with classic 1980s episodes of
All My Children
involving the
Michael E. Knight
character of
Tad Martin
's romantic trysts with
Liza Colby
and her mother,
Marian
. These kinds of marathons were usually limited to series to which Soapnet had the rebroadcast rights (ABC's soaps,
Days of our Lives
and previously,
The Young and the Restless
). However, in a lead-up to the
33rd Daytime Emmy Awards
, the channel showed episodes of soaps that showcased performances that garnered award-nominating attention ? including those from
Guiding Light
and
As the World Turns
? a first for the channel. Also, during its 13-year existence, the channel aired marathons of its acquired programs; such as on September 3, 2007, when it aired a marathon of
The O.C.
called "Summer Spice", showcasting the metamorphosis of
Summer Roberts
(played by
Rachel Bilson
) throughout the series.
Original dramatic programming
[
edit
]
The network only aired one dramatic series produced exclusively for the network, a prime-time
spin-off
of
General Hospital
entitled
General Hospital: Night Shift
, which aired for two seasons from July 2007 to October 2008.
[23]
Syndicated programming
[
edit
]
This is a list of programs formerly broadcast by Soapnet prior to its cease in production.
NOTE:
Programs broadcast by Soapnet before shutdown.
Final television shows
[
edit
]
Former television shows
[
edit
]
Movies
[
edit
]
In late 2008, the network entered into a distribution agreement with
Sony Pictures Television
to air a package of recent films from the studio's library and some archived content on weekend evenings, along with several
20th Century Fox
films and some in ABC and
ABC Family
's
telefilm
archive aimed at the network's target audience.
[24]
The network discontinued airing films on April 30, 2011 as the network's operations began to wind down, with much of its film library migrating to
Lifetime Movie Network
(which is owned in part by Disney through
A&E Networks
).
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Hoovers.com address and telephone number for Soapnet headquarters in Burbank, California at the Walt Disney Studios
- ^
a
b
c
d
James, Meg (November 9, 2013).
"Disney's SOAPnet channel headed for the drain"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on March 6, 2014
. Retrieved
November 10,
2013
.
- ^
Entertainment ABC to return to Time Warner Cable
Archived
2007-03-05 at the
Wayback Machine
CNN, May 3, 2000
- ^
"O.C", "Tree" Head to Soapnet
,
Variety.com
, February 7, 2007
- ^
a
b
Andreeva, Nellie.
"
'Carrie' & 'Disney Moms' Among Rejected Ideas For SOAPNet: An Insider's Perspective On Net's Evolution & ABC Soaps' Demise"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on January 15, 2016
. Retrieved
January 13,
2016
.
- ^
Barnes, Brooks (2010-05-26).
"Preschool Programs Replace SOAPnet"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
.
Archived
from the original on 2022-08-07
. Retrieved
2020-02-15
.
- ^
Soapnet will go dark to make way for Disney Junior
Archived
2010-05-27 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Entertainment Weekly
, May 26, 2010.
- ^
"Disney Junior to Replace SoapNet in March"
.
TVGuide.com
. CBS Interactive.
Archived
from the original on 16 December 2014
. Retrieved
16 January
2016
.
- ^
Gerds, Warren. "Warren Gerds column:
Network specials take on Titanic for anniversary
."
Green Bay Press Gazette
02 April 2012. Web. 19 April 2012.
- ^
a
b
Schneider, Michael (January 9, 2012).
"Disney Junior to replace Soapnet in March"
.
TV Guide
.
Archived
from the original on January 12, 2012
. Retrieved
January 9,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
Villarreal, Yvonne. "
Show Tracker: What You're Watching
—
Disney Junior 24/7 channel launches Friday
Archived
2018-06-16 at the
Wayback Machine
."
Los Angeles Times
Blog
22 March 2012. Web. 19 April 2012.
- ^
a
b
"Update on Soapnet"
.
ABC Soaps In Depth
. March 1, 2012. Archived from
the original
on June 20, 2012
. Retrieved
March 2,
2012
.
- ^
"SOAPnet Presents Live Well Network Original Programming, Beg. Today, 7/30"
.
Broadway World
. Wisdom Digital Media. July 30, 2012.
Archived
from the original on May 2, 2023
. Retrieved
December 5,
2014
.
- ^
Farrell, Mike (January 15, 2013).
"Disney Strikes U-Verse Carriage Deal"
.
Broadcasting & Cable
.
Archived
from the original on May 2, 2023
. Retrieved
January 15,
2013
.
- ^
O'Connell, Michael (April 3, 2013).
"
'The Young and the Restless' Moves From Soapnet to TV Guide Network"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on May 27, 2013
. Retrieved
June 28,
2013
.
- ^
Bibel, Sara (June 10, 2013).
"
'The Young & the Restless' Moves to TVGN for Exclusive Basic Cable Airings Beginning Monday, July 1"
. Archived from
the original
on June 18, 2013
. Retrieved
June 28,
2013
.
- ^
"Upcoming Contract Renewals"
.
Archived
from the original on October 3, 2013
. Retrieved
October 13,
2013
.
- ^
"Channel Lineup Changes - Charter Communications"
.
Charter Communications
. Archived from
the original
on September 27, 2015
. Retrieved
October 27,
2013
.
- ^
"U-verse Programming Changes"
. Archived from
the original
on October 21, 2013
. Retrieved
October 16,
2013
.
- ^
"Cox Residential Services | Official Site"
.
Archived
from the original on 2013-10-15
. Retrieved
2013-11-04
.
- ^
Lewis, Errol (2013-12-30).
"THE FINAL DAYS OF SOAPnet: The Rise and Fall of A Cable Network"
.
Soap Opera Network
. Retrieved
2024-02-18
.
- ^
"CBS Soaps In Depth" May 20, 2013
- ^
"Shows A-Z - general hospital: night shift on soapnet | TheFutonCritic.com"
.
thefutoncritic.com
. Retrieved
2023-09-03
.
- ^
"Breaking News - Soapnet Acquires a Package of 19 Movies from Sony Pictures Television, Inc. for its Sunday Night Movies Franchise"
.
The Futon Critic
. December 15, 2008.
Archived
from the original on May 2, 2023
. Retrieved
January 1,
2009
.