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EXCLUSIVE: This is potential very bad news for soap fans who feel thankful this Thanksgiving that canceled ABC series One Life To Live and All My Children may continue online. That now may not be happening. It was considered a bold and risky move when Rich Frank & Jeff Kwatinetz’s Prospect Park in July made a licensing 
deal with ABC to keep OLTL and AMC alive for online distribution. The transfer from broadcast TV to the Web proved far more difficult than anyone anticipated. I hear that Prospect Park self-financed extensive research and its principals held hundreds of meetings with potential investors and business partners for their Online Network, which was originally slated to launch in the first quarter of 2012. (The latest plan has been for Once Life To Live to go on first, with All My Children put on hold.) They also explored selling a potential second window for the two soaps to cable networks but couldn’t land a buyer. And in a sign of potential guild hurdles, Prospect Park in late July issued a statement that it was “in the process of working out the essential terms of our proposed collective bargaining agreements with the appropriate guilds and unions, which we must do prior to firming up deals with above- and below-the-line talent.” I hear that those negotiations proved difficult, mostly because there is no existing template for a broadcast program transitioning online. Word is that the guilds have been looking to hold OLTL and AMC to broadcast terms, which is somewhat understandable as the Prospect Park-ABC deal calls for the two series to “continue to be delivered with the same quality and in the same format and length.” But shows produced on broadcast terms are impossible to support with online vs. TV advertising. (ABC, which makes extra money on its soaps from off-network sales to SoapNet and foreign territories, claimed it was still losing money on OLTL and AMC, leading to their cancellation.) To make the target launch date, the soap writers hired by Prospect Park were supposed to start work earlier this month but they haven’t as there is no deal with the WGA. And all pacts with actors from OLTL and AMC that Prospect Park made over the past few months were contingent on clearances by the unions. Additionally, I’ve learned of potential issues with the online network’s tech partners. I hear that Prospect Park principals are still trying to find a last-minute solution to keep the soap online venture going but feel pressed into a corner after exhausting every possible avenue and may decide to pull the plug as soon as today.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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How long until the other four soaps die?
This is no big surprise. Within 3 to 5 years every afternoon soap will be off the networks.
There is a very easy way to raise the money needed. They have access to the full library of AMC and OLTL. They can release a DVD set like ATWT did and boom. International sales alone will be enough to get the show going. Susan Lucci’s 10 most memorable episodes would be a money maker on it’s own… Come on, if they really wanted to, they would of figured that out.
These soaps cost $50 million to produce annually. There is no way that a DVD release is going to bring in $50 million. Even if the units were priced at $10 apiece, that means 5 million people would have to buy (and we’re not even counting the cost of production or marketing). Fewer than 2 million per day were watching AMC when it left the air.
I think one of the reasons that only 2 million were watching was because a lot of people were mad that it was being taken off the air and just stopped watching. Let’s be serious here, 2 million people watching in the afternoon is a decent number, considering that people work or are out looking for work. Besides, how many programs are still on the air that have less than 2 million viewers and they are still managing to stay on the air. Look at PBS, they are still going and seriously, if they started selling episodes on DVD and blue ray they would sell fast and make enough money to put the shows online or on tv somewhere. I believe there’s someone out there doesn’t want the shows broadcast because they are scared that PP will have a following on their hands and make money. Boy, would ABC look stupid then.
Not surprised that all this fallout is happening 6 to 7 weeks before OLTL airs its last official episode in January. I’ve been a fan of this genre from when my Grandma was still alive. This genre hasn’t kept up with the modern age and at times I feel that they’ve kept themselves in some sort of strange timewarp. I feel bad for the actors, crews, writers and fans of this genre, but it’s not going to survive until the next decade on daytime TV. I don’t even see it surviving past 2014.
The two problems were: not enough funding, and the inability to restructure costs to make these shows work on the web. It’s much easier to create a soap that is destined for the web initially, rather than retrofit an existing soap. I guarantee you everyone on OLTL or AMC is paid a LOT more than those who work on THE BAY.
Another interesting point: The Chew last week virtually matched the numbers (year over year) of the show it replaced (AMC), but has a much lower cost structure and is therefore more profitable. And that’s what the TV business is all about, ultimately (though many don’t like to admit it).
It’s very sad I relly hope things take a turn this just can’t be the end for our soaps someone PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!
WTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What are we suppose to do now-watch some stupid talk shows that is replacing the soaps we grew up on. This is an outrage, I hate this is happening. OLTL is one of the best soaps other than Ryan’s Hope and Loving (remember those soaps) and they are just cutting them off just like that. I hope and pray that they find some kind of way to keep our soaps. If not, ABC and Disney can kiss any kind of profits goodbye because I, for one, as well as many others will not support them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it’s really easy for them to keep pointing fingers left and right. I think the Prospect Park deal was a scapegoat for ABC. When they first mentioned how they would keep the same standards as it was on network, how the hell did they think they could afford this? The last humane thing PP can do at this point is to NOT sit on these two historic shows and try to sell them to a proper network, cable, or any other company willing to do what should’ve been done in the first place by ABC: sell these shows to people with the tools and the money to make them live on! (But we all know how ABC would’ve just HATED the thought of seeing someone else succeed where they failed, which is why they sold to PP in the first place!)
UNIONS trying to enforce certain pay levels for a dying art form (regardless of medium, method of broadcast) is foolhardy. However, the issue is that NO ONE CARES–they’re soap operas! Redundancy of writing, blandness of acting, cut and paste directing. With all other areas of performing arts improving (scripted TV, great short films, compelling indies) why the hell would anyone tune into a soap in this country? Good riddance to bad rubbish–surely there are more exciting ways to sell advertising–even reality tv has better “actors” than soaps–and better “editing” and “writers”…
That this announcement comes the day before Thanksgiving is no coincidence. Everyone knows the best way to bury a story is to put it out over a holiday period. Prospect Park knew for a while that this was not going to happen. There is no way to make the economics work. They were never going to be able to generate enough online ad dollars (or product placement) to offset the cost to produce these shows by only streaming them online. Popular online sites like LinkedIn and Twitter have struggled to monetize their sites. Prospect Park was just going to jump in and thrive where better companies before them have not? Hardly. By releasing the news today, they expect it will blow over by the time everyone is back from Thanksgiving next week.
I agree with George’s opinion. No one and no company with financial power and clout cares about continuing on within the US based daytime serial. It’s not a money maker for them.
Be pioneers…good point. I mean it wouldn’t be the first time. Lets remember soaps started out on radio to begin with.
I am disgusted by the latest news. If the soaps go, then so will I. I can not believe you all would prefer another food show, makes me sick. BYE FOREVER ABC
I’m not giving up on my soaps and i will continue to try harder
I am so disappointed to hear that the plug is pulled on OLTL… I don’t think they tried hard enough to continue the soap… Maybe they should check into GBTV… He is making a go with his network… Broadcasting through the web is the way of the future… With the proper equipment, one can sit in front of the tv and watch… This type of programming is also available on demand.. Please try harder to help the show continue…
Why did ABC even sell the rights to PP? Sony had approached ABC for the rights and were looking to continue to produce and air the soaps on broadcast television. Can’t a deal be worked out where Sony could now step in?
Didn’t PP receive government funding for this initiative? PP sounds a lot like Solyndra! Will they be giving the money back?
Sony never approached ABC – that was wishful thinking on the part of some soap fans. Sony is not interested in making any further investments in this area, because they know from their own soaps that it’s a dying genre. And PP was not getting any government funding (our government makes a lot of stupid decisions, but not that stupid).
If they can’t work it out then I think ABC and Disney owe the fans who have watched for years and years a closure. They left the show with a cliff hanger which left alot of people unhappy. They could do a movie for TV to finsh up the story lines we have been watching.
OLTL is going to go out on top. I am very proud of this show with no street cred, advertising, promotion, and no Susan Lucci- showing the ratings growth it has, the creative energy, and “LIFE”. I don’t feel I am watching a soap limping away to its death (kinda like poor AMC did). I am thrilled for it to go out swinging. Hats off to Valentini, Carlivati, the writers, production, and the near uniformly excellent cast. And to Slezak, I will miss seeing your immense talent on a daily basis. Truly brilliant actress. Llanview lives on.
This was an epic fail by PP! They did not need to spend all that money to find out that online format for original programming has not yet matured. Reruns of original programming are just started getting settled in online and it’s still got its issues. If they wanted to be pioneers PP should have started this as a division of ABC Studios to have a more solid foundation to work from while basically developing a line of second tiered broadcast distribution for shows that are no longer viable on broadcast TV but still have some significant viewership.
I knew that this would not work. Some of these crazy soap fans are now going back to Oprah asking her to save the soaps. Oprah is not God, and she isn’t going to save the soaps. I think that ABC still made a good business and financial decision. Television is a money making business, not a fan driven business.
nothing has been the same since amc went off the air we watch only nancy grace and the news. we never venture to abc. it makes us sick. revenge is discusting as well as pan am. we never buy products advertised on abc. folks write down the products being advertised on abc. hit them there!!!!!!do not do not buy these products let the sponsers know that we are the people not abc!!!!!!!!the chew stinks!!who wants to eat that awlful food they make!!and the thing is not one of them are attractive who wants to watch fat and ugly people!!!!the soaps had great actresses and actors much better than the holywood tramps and the god awlful ugly big ass kim kardashian!!they have their own show on is it oxgen cancel them for god sakes and bring back our soaps and get rid of the stupid reality shows!!
I won’t be tuning into ABC daytime in the afternoons any longer. They have ruined their loyal viewership now.
Like other articles since this one have stated, without the “trades”, you’re dead in the water. The studios and producers like to think they run “Hollywood”, but it all comes down to: No unions, no deal.
What it comes down to is, if we want to hurt them we have to boycott them. That means not tuning in to ABE at all. I dvr OLTL & GH and watch them later because I hate commercials, and will continue to do so until they are off the air. Note the commercials and boycott the products. I’ve noticed that GH is beginning to have products in their show. I noticed a few so far, but the only one that comes to mind right now is Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. So, boycott Hershey’s Syrup. If all 2 million viewers they say the soaps have boycott ABC altogether and boycott their sponsors as well it should have an impact. I agree that the new shows on ABC aren’t good, in fact what I’ve seen of Pan Am, it is truly horrible. So if we stick to our guns and boycott we will be heard!
I can’t imagine not watching OLTL. I liked AMC but towards the end it just wasn’t the same. HOWEVER OLTL has gotten so good, I can’t imagine why it can’t be picked up by TNT, USA, FX, Bravo, there are so many Cable channels that have “original programs” that I watch all the time, but their seasons are short. A soap even during the day at the regular time would BOOST their ratings. Nothing but old show reruns are on there now. This would be a great alternative. I’m really surprised that Oprah did not pick up these shows on her network, which I hear very little about, and never see promo’s for her network. So I don’t watch it. She needs this to boost here network to a higher level and get people to watch.