# Disney Cancels SOAPNet



## dirtyblueshirt (Dec 7, 2008)

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

Disney announced it will be discontinuing the SOAPNet Channel in favor of a new channel, "Disney Junior"; aimed at preschoolers 2-7 years old.

Disney would only say "2012" as a launch date.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I would have thought there would be an audience for "classic" soaps, but I guess it is not all that large.


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## gregjones (Sep 20, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> I would have thought there would be an audience for "classic" soaps, but I guess it is not all that large.


I would think that these things would be very serial in nature. I can't imagine there would be much entertainment value in watching something serial from years ago. Then again, I find no interest in soaps at all.

Notice that the shows that do best in syndication over long periods are very compartmentalized with little or no overarching story. I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies -- all did well and continue to do well because it doesn't matter if you watch the shows out of order. I would even go so far as to point to the success of the Game Show Network. Each episode has begins and ends. Even if contestants return for subsequent shows, you can miss 3-4 days and not care.

Soaps here suffer partially because of their longevity. A person that watches soap X today or recently knows what happened 20 years ago on the same soap.


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## zimm7778 (Nov 11, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> I would have thought there would be an audience for "classic" soaps, but I guess it is not all that large.


There's also another point which can't go unnoticed here. Last I watched that network, they weren't really showing classic soaps anymore. It was primarily prime time showings of the stuff which aired that day or recently, Beverly Hills 90210, and Melrose Place. Dallas, Knots Landing, original Dark Shadows, and old episodes of the soap operas are by and large missing from the network. It's become like most every other niche network, starts really good (IMO) by showing classic old shows of that genre, and then start morphing into something else.


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

dirtyblueshirt said:


> http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/26/disney-drops-soapnet-channel-for-new-kiddie-network/
> 
> Disney announced it will be discontinuing the SOAPNet Channel in favor of a new channel, "Disney Junior"; aimed at preschoolers 2-7 years old.
> 
> Disney would only say "2012" as a launch date.


I read this today. I thought Comcast owned part of it.


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## LMckin (Jan 5, 2006)

here is the link to it on the soap net website

http://sn.soapnet.go.com/news/article/soapnet-going-air-january-2012


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

""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.""
What about when they get pre-empted on local channels, or we lose power and/or signal?
And ANOTHER kids channel? REALLY?! Can't we just have the 24/7 Spongebob channel and be done with it? lol


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), soaps are a dying breed. Our culture has changed. And many primetime shows are just soaps serialized weekly.

Soapnet suffered from the "cable channel practically nobody is watching" syndrome. They did bring "Being Erica' to the U.S. from Canada primetime which was an ok show (time travel - going back to earlier times in your own life). And they had a couple of original reality shows.

What this does is confirm that daytime soaps are almost dead.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

phrelin said:


> ...What this does is confirm that daytime soaps are almost dead.


I've never watched a soap opera -- what have I missed? :shrug:


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## Phil T (Mar 25, 2002)

I don't watch soaps but my wife does. Soapnet provided a service that she will miss. Yesterday was a prime example. General Hospital was set to record at it's normal time. When she went to watch it it was preempted because of the severe storms in the area. She was able to then record the 1:00 AM rerun on Soapnet.


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

Nick said:


> I've never watched a soap opera -- what have I missed? :shrug:


Nothing. You'll catch up tomorrow lol


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

Phil T said:


> I don't watch soaps but my wife does. Soapnet provided a service that she will miss. Yesterday was a prime example. General Hospital was set to record at it's normal time. When she went to watch it it was preempted because of the severe storms in the area. She was able to then record the 1:00 AM rerun on Soapnet.


It should be this way for *EVERY* network show!!! That's why I like the idea of distant locals. Missed it in my time zone, watch/record it 3 or 5 hours later from LA or Hawaii.


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## audreyly (Jun 5, 2010)

that is good because now days disney is only meant for teenagers n high school guys.


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## -Draino- (May 19, 2008)

Nick said:


> I've never watched a soap opera -- what have I missed? :shrug:


Luke & Laura got married.


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## rnbmusicfan (Jul 19, 2005)

Phrelin is right that daytime soaps are a dying breed. I wouldn't be surprised if ABC cancels 1 of its 3 soaps within the next 5 years. CBS cancelled "Guiding Light", and recently, "As The World Turns" was not renewed. So NBC will have 1 hour, CBS will have 1 1/2 hour, and ABC will have 3 hours, but no extra exposure for its shows after SoapNet ends.

I thought maybe the second digital subchannel of the ABC O&Os could be a place to run its shows in primetime, but all the ABC O&Os are using that second digital channel for LiveWell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Well_HD_Network

Disney must have felt that the average female cable viewer would rather watch a movie on Oxygen, or a made for TV Lifetime movie or show on Lifetime, than watch a serialized soap, that could just be recorded with a DVR.

And likely Disney here can command higher subscription rates (with the providers like Dish and Comcast) by putting a Disney kids product.

The loss is likely for new actors. It will likely be much more difficult for a new actor to make his/her way into acting via daytime soaps, if more are cancelled (likely the case). But new actors will get noticed somehow.


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