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Hmmm… not sure if incongruent or thinking ahead.
Soap operas are typically the domain of the seemingly less tech savvy- grandmas, home health care workers and people who are stuck at the laundromat are normally seen as the dying medium’s most common audience, not necessarily individuals you’d expect to be on the cutting edge of digital programming. (Or one might imagine, if you are watching a soap opera because you’ve nothing better to do then perhaps you haven’t discovered the internet fully yet.)
So it seems a bit odd that the pricey to produce soaps All My Children and One Life to Live are headed to the very-small screen after they finish dying on TV. The shows (All My Children was killed off earlier this month in favor of new daytime lifestyle shows like The Chew and One Life to Live bites it in January) will be moving to a new, web-only channel, The Online Network. Additional reality, scripted comedy and drama programs will join the two zombie soaps, and costs will be cut significantly because expensive actors like Susan Lucci won’t be making the move.
A company called Prospect Park bought the soaps’ rights after their cancellations, and founders Rich Frank and Jeff Kwatinetz released a statement about the interesting decision to move the properties online:
“We are creating TOLN to conveniently deliver fans of quality television long form programming anytime and anywhere. With broadband availability in 70 percent of U.S. households and the proliferation of Internet-enabled televisions, DVRs and wireless devices, ultimately we believe that online distribution provides the best platform to access 30- and 60-minute entertainment content.”
In the statement, Frank and Kwatinetz addressed user interest as well:
“The viewer response to the shows we have licensed has been tremendous, and we have much more in development to appeal to a broad audience base.”
The two long-running soaps will make their web debut early in 2012.
