Disney Drops SoapNet Channel for New Kiddie Network
by Allison Waldman
posted May 26th 2010


After 10 years and 75 million subscribers, the SoapNet channel has been cancelled.

The move was a major shock, although considering the demise of daytime dramas across the dial -- including the end of "As the World Turns" this September -- it's likely a sign that the soap opera genre is on the endangered species list.





Disney intends to replace SoapNet with a channel called Disney Junior, which will be aimed at preschoolers, ages 2-7, according to a report in The New York Times.

The lineup will include many current Disney Channel shows like "Mickey Mouse Club", "Handy Manny" and "Jungle Junction", as well as feature films like Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and 101 Dalmatians.





The switchover from SoapNet to Disney Junior will not be immediate.

The only date given by Disney was 2012, but The Times reported that Disney would keep SoapNet going for 18 months or so.






The company is working on establishing advertising commitments for the programming that it currently airs:

CBS's "The Young and the Restless"
NBC's "Days of Our Lives"
and all three ABC soaps -- which are Disney owned properties.




Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group, explained the reason for the company dropping SoapNet, and emphasized changing technology as the reason for abandoning soap-oriented programming.


"SoapNet was created in 2000 to give daytime viewers the ability to watch time-shifted soaps, before multiplatform viewing and DVRs were part of our vocabulary," she said.

"But today, as technology and our businesses evolve, it makes more sense to align this distribution with a preschool channel that builds on the core strengths of our company."




In other words, kids will be watching live and that's an audience that's constantly being replenished.

Soap fans, on the other hand, are watching on DVRs and online at their own convenience. The service provided by SoapNet is no longer as special as it once seemed to be.

Frankly, if Disney had launched it in 1990, it might have been a tremendous success.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/26/disney-drops-soapnet-channel-for-new-kiddie-network/

They've ruined that channel anyway. Sad though.

...it seems that Disney/ABC wants to create their own version of the "nickjr." cable channel- but how to do it without spending additional "start-up" money? Let's see- "SoapNet" isn't doing that well...and soap operas are on the way out, anyway...let's take that channel and convert it into "Disney Junior". And if any of those loyal viewers object-- FU....no, let's remind them that we're only helping to, er, "provide quality Disney children's programming to pre-schoolers, 24 hours a day" {never mind it's the same **** we've been scheduling before- NOW, we make a little more money from it!}.

:grineyes:

Eh, since Soapnet pulled *quality* primetime series like Dynasty, Dallas, Knots Landing, etc. they haven't been worth watching anyway. Good riddance.

The only thing worth watching on that channel was the Ryan's Hope reruns (which they eventually shoved to 4 or 5 AM - :mad:). It used to be a great channel - with Another World reruns, current soaps, and classic nighttime dramas like Dallas, Dynasty, Knots Landing, and Falcon Crest. Now it's just crap. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Our story and a thought:

http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2010/05/nick-at-nite-june-2010-family-matters.html

As if there aren't enough kids' channels out there...:rolleyes:

Good riddance :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I for one am sorry to see it go and HOW MANY MORE DAMN KIDS CHANNELS DO WE FREAKIN NEED!!!! On my Comcast digital cable I already have at least 5. I disagree there is nothing good on Soapnet. When you have the top rated soap The Young & The Restless on it daily. For instance when Y&R is interrupted by something inless its the NCAA tournament you can watch it that night at 7 or midnight on Soapnet. Soapet will be missed.

I am not too shocked about this, this channel has not been good in over 2 years and they just keep destroying the channel that used to be good. I haven't watched this channel for a while and i'm glad it got cancelled.

I am not too shocked about this, this channel has not been good in over 2 years and they just keep destroying the channel that used to be good. I haven't watched this channel for a while and i'm glad it got cancelled.

What shows did you like back then that there not carrying now make you feel so badly against this network. I mean I liked to watch Dllas in the 80's but that was when it was fresh and new now its just part of tv history. Like I said earlier I will miss it and kids have enough damn channels now.

I for one am sorry to see it go and HOW MANY MORE DAMN KIDS CHANNELS DO WE FREAKIN NEED!!!! On my Comcast digital cable I already have at least 5. I disagree there is nothing good on Soapnet. When you have the top rated soap The Young & The Restless on it daily. For instance when Y&R is interrupted by something inless its the NCAA tournament you can watch it that night at 7 or midnight on Soapnet. Soapet will be missed.
We DON'T need any more kids' networks!! I have two nephews under the age of 5 - so I know whereof I speak! :mad: :mad: :mad:

We DON'T need any more kids' networks!! I have two nephews under the age of 5 - so I know whereof I speak! :mad: :mad: :mad:

All im saying is there is enough. Don't you get cable or satellite. How many do you need. There is only one soap channel and they have to get rid of it.

When I was a youngster kids got far less than that we got Cptain Kangaroo, Sesame Street, Electric Company and Zoom shows no full channels or networks now there has to be network after network of kids shows. Just the way I feel I also think there are far too many news channels too! Be mad all you want but this is the way i feel.

All im saying is there is enough. Don't you get cable or satellite. How many do you need. There is only one soap channel and they have to get rid of it.

When I was a youngster kids got far less than that we got Cptain Kangaroo, Sesame Street, Electric Company and Zoom shows no full channels or networks now there has to be network after network of kids shows. Just the way I feel I also think there are far too many news channels too! Be mad all you want but this is the way i feel.
I hear that. All I had as a kid was PBS and network Saturday morning cartoons (plus the ones they'd show in the afternoons after school). But SOAPNET was also ruined when they dumped the classic shows and started airing movies that had nothing to do with soaps, and shoving the one remaining classic soap, Ryan's Hope, to the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Hopefully, someday, someone will create another all-soap network that will stay true to its roots and is NOT run by ABC/Disney/Brian Frons.

I hear that. All I had as a kid was PBS and network Saturday morning cartoons (plus the ones they'd show in the afternoons after school). But SOAPNET was also ruined when they dumped the classic shows and started airing movies that had nothing to do with soaps, and shoving the one remaining classic soap, Ryan's Hope, to the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Hopefully, someday, someone will create another all-soap network that will stay true to its roots and is NOT run by ABC/Disney/Brian Frons.

I don't care for those dumb movies or all that beverly hills 90120 crap. But they have been loyal to my all time favorite classic soap show for over 35 yrs Young and the restless. I can always count on them if I missed an episode to see it at night on SN. The change won't happen till 2012 and who knows could be another all soap channel by then.

It had long solded out and was a poor exuse for a soap channel.


they should have stuck to showing episodes of 80's nighttime soaps and showed more classic soaps like Edge of Night, Love of Life, Search For Tomorrow etc.


They should to show silly teenage shows instead, so Soap Net has no one to blame for the cancelation but themselves.

It had long solded out and was a poor exuse for a soap channel.


they should have stuck to showing episodes of 80's nighttime soaps and showed more classic soaps like Edge of Night, Love of Life, Search For Tomorrow etc.


They should to show silly teenage shows instead, so Soap Net has no one to blame for the cancelation but themselves.

The Young and the Restless has been on for over 35 yrs and still on top. I think that definitely qualifies it as a classic.

It had long solded out and was a poor exuse for a soap channel.


they should have stuck to showing episodes of 80's nighttime soaps and showed more classic soaps like Edge of Night, Love of Life, Search For Tomorrow etc.


They should to show silly teenage shows instead, so Soap Net has no one to blame for the cancelation but themselves.
Exactly.

http://soapoperadigest.com/news/breaking/

SOAPnet To Go Dark
In 2012, Disney Junior, a channel aimed at preschoolers, will replace SOAPnet, the 24-hour soap channel that currently rebroadcasts the ABC lineup — AMC, GH and OLTL — as well as DAYS and Y&R. Brian Frons, President, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group, talked to Soap Opera Digest about what this means for the future of ABC daytime.

Soap Opera Digest: Should soap fans be worried about ABC Daytime?
Brian Frons: They shouldn't be worried. Over the years, Disney has made a lot of commitment to the Disney brand. As they looked out in the marketplace, they really felt they needed to be in the preschool space with a full-branded channel. Given the way technology has gone, where you can DVR your soap, watch it on Hulu and abc.com, it was felt that the original purpose of SOAPnet — today's soaps tonight — could sort of be fulfilled in different ways. Frankly, financially it will be better for us, because if you watch on daytime, we actually make more money than if the same person watches on SOAPnet, just because rates are that different between the network world and the cable world.

Digest: Does SOAPnet going dark mean anything for the future of ABC soaps?
Frons: No, it really doesn't. We've known about this for a while internally and that hasn't stopped us from moving ALL MY CHILDREN to the West Coast, to giving ONE LIFE TO LIVE a bigger stage, to continuing to commit to big events for these shows, whether it's shooting an upcoming sequence with James Franco [Franco, GH] at the Pacific Design Center or doing the three-day musical on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. So, the commitment to the shows, the commitment to making them the best they can be, is still the same.

Digest: What does it say that a 24-hour soap channel survived for 10 years?
Frons: I think the channel was the right idea at the right time. In the pre-DVR world, to allow women to have sort of 24-hour room service to watch their best shows, was terrific. And it really gave the soap fan a place to share their passion and to celebrate the form and their favorite shows.

Digest: What will happen now?
Frons: We're going to continue to celebrate the form, in particular the ABC shows. We are not reducing our marketing spend one dollar. If you think about it, we'll actually be spending more on marketing our soaps because we’re not going to be doing any new original programming, other than the new season of BEING ERICA. So, we're going to take those dollars and put them against the soap operas. I think the positive here is that we can more clearly drive viewers to the core destination of ABC.