Disney’s ABC has sold the online rights to the two long-running soaps, which are scheduled to go off the air in September, as part of a deal with TV, film and music company Prospect Park, The Post has learned.
Sources said the daily dramas will pick up where they left off on a new, as-yet-unnamed, TV-focused online network once the soaps finish their four-decade run on ABC.
Here at WE LOVE SOAPS TV we are staying on top of this coverage and seeking to find confirmation from ABC, Prospect Park, or other news sources. For now, we are cautiously optimistic about these reports. AMC and OLTL becoming Indie Soaps?
What do you think about this development? Have our shows really been saved, or is this wishful thinking? Post your opinion here!
UPDATES:
--According to Bobbie Eakes' Twitter: "Well, I'm hoping this is true for everyone's sake. We'll just have to wait and see...To my knowledge, no one has been contacted. But that would be putting the cart before horse anyway."
--According to an article from Deadline Hollywood, former ABC drama development executive Josh Barry joined the Prospect Park company back on May 3, 2011. Does this bode well for Prospect Park's interest in acquiring ABC soaps?
-- The Washington Post is now reporting the story.
--We Love Soaps TV this afternoon (July 7th) reached a representative of Prospect Park, "We don't have any information we can give out at this time." When WLS TV asked when we may receive a press release, we were told, "We're not sure...try back in a week or so."
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They would have to get the actors signatures before anything was concrete. Pure RUMOR
ReplyDeleteOn-line rights? We won't stop fighting until we hear CABLE rights! The fans acd casts of these shows deserve a better home...
ReplyDeleteI believe its online rights only because ABC does not want the shows to live on, on another network...they don't want egg on their face but they also want to "save face" with viewers...I bet the backlash was worse than they thought so they think this will pacify us and sadly it may. I do hope this is true though I'd love both of these shows so much.
ReplyDeletei think there's a chance there may be truth to this rumor, i hope for them and the fans (Me) that it's true
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie 100%
ReplyDeleteI love indie soaps and think AMC and OLTL would be more focused if they were online and scaled down.
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope this is NOT true. I don't see this as being a good thing for soap viewers at all. We want a cable channel for our shows. Anyway, I believe this to be only a rumor.
ReplyDeleteOnline IS the wave of the future. More& more new tvs are internet compatible or Blu-Ray players are.SO its not so out of the box as it could seem. HOWEVER I use the case of the tv show, Seventh Heaven, it was cancelled and then came back but with half the cast and wasnt the same show. IF this rumor is true what about the actors (Gina Tognoni for instance) and writers (ie head writer Ron Carlivati) that found other jobs already. Would the shows still be at the same standards. But since its a late night post by the NY Post of all places, we can be cautiously optimistic but still not holding my breath.
ReplyDeleteABC is not going to save face with the viewers even if they sold the soaps to an online company! I still won't watch ABC because they chose to completely shun their loyal soap fans for their lame talk and reality shows. They have no clue what the audience wants. They never cared what the audience wants and they never will. So isn't just right up their alley that they won't allow Sony or another network to pick these up because they don't want them to succeed! Well, if they were so afraid of another network taking AMC and OLTL and being a lot more successful, then why didn't they do anything about trying to save these earlier then? They have been sabotaging these soaps for the last 10 years now hiring one hack writer after another to purposely come in to ruin these soaps. DUMB DUMB DUMB ABC!
ReplyDeleteI do not think at this time amc is worth saving where are the stories. Dixie's back but I'm in love with Tad and Cara, David same old blackmail and save Angie eyes whats new, ruined Amanda and Jake that's how they want to end the show SAD but I will watch til the bitter end. OLTL has a lot of stories I luv right now Todd is back, Rex avenging Gigi death, Jess is back and mad. Brody tells the truth and Nat goes back to John maybe he should have waited for Jess. NuJoey and Kelly, Cutter, Aubrey goodbye. Jack and Todd against Rex and Shane. That is not all the great stuff no fast forwarding thru OLTL. SAVE IT!!
ReplyDeleteThese shows should be on TV and online. They could get more money for these shows from a TV network. We are still not going to watch the new ABC replacement shows. Selling the online rights is ok if there is also a plan to sell the TV broadcast rights. I'm afraid that the production values will go down and the shows won't be worth watching anymore.
ReplyDeleteWho cares if it is on line or TV at leat we get out soaps back.
ReplyDeleteI am waiting to see what they come up with. I read a rumor about it being on BRAVO network, but was wondering if it might be on SOAPS channel on Direct TV when it goes to Prospect Park. I guess anything is possible right now, but atleast we will be able to continue our soaps online.
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