AMC & OLTL live on

What’s next for One Life to Live & All My Children? Well ABC has licensed them to Prospect Park.

Prospect Park will continue to tell their stories vie online. What does this mean? Well, we don’t exactly know yet. But with all the sadness lately surrounding the genre, the Emmys being a bigger joke then 2010…I take it as a victory.

A lot of fans watch these shows vie online as it is already or vie DVR/TIVO or soapnet. Since the industry hasn’t come up with a way to include these viewings into their rating systems, of course daytime ratings would be lower than decades ago. Most people work during the day now.

Reading around online some are already expecting this new format not to work. Why? Why be negative when we do not know anything more than the shows will continue. Will they last? Who knows? Should they at least give it their all and try? Of course. There are a lot of possibilities and perhaps job opportunities for many if this becomes successful. With all the buzz it is currently getting, I hope it just continues to grow. A Chicago radio morning show was even talking about AMC & OLTL going online the morning after the announcement. There was also an article on the Comcast homepage & EW.com and TvGuide.com. These are just a few examples (I am sure there are more)

I for one have so many questions. Will there be a new show five days a week? Will they have commercials to during these episodes so they can have bigger budgets? We have been promised the quality will be the same. The length of the episode will be the same. And this deal is multi year. But will they be on 52 weeks a year? Or will there only be 1 episode a week for 22-24 weeks like primetime shows? Also, what actors will continue to this new format? Something like this would allow the actors to do other projects or just spend time with their families.

By these beloved shows going online, sadly they may lose older viewers who may not have a computer in their home or nursing home. But they may also gain new fans. I think by taking these icon shows to the internet it may give new hype and buzz too many web series. This could be a very good thing for many. Perhaps there will be a new award show next year vie online.

I for one am not interested in cooking shows, talk shows, game shows, and so called ‘reality’ TV shows. I want actual shows that tell a story, that have a message, that make me feel something (anger, happiness, laughter, etc). I want shows to teach something to its viewers. So if that means all my shows have to go vie online so the networks can produce their ‘cheaper’ shows then I say BRING IT ON!

Ever since these two beloved long running shows got the ax by ABC, there has been a lot of support, a lot of buzz surrounding them. There have been rallies, coupons, cancelation of advertisement, boycotts and article upon article about what would be next. One should never anger a soap fan. Now maybe the world will understand that it’s not just about that we will miss our favorite shows, storylines, characters, actors or the genre dying. Many people have met very good friends vie these shows over the years. There are other things at stake here. There would be lots of unemployed people and giving no respect to a genre that clearly isn’t dying.

So while ABC/CBS/NBC can show whatever they choose during the daytime (minus GH of course) looks like I will be glued to my computer to watch One Life to Live.

Who thinks Spinelli would be all over this idea?

Thanks Prospect Park.

http://abc.soapsindepth.com/2011/07/amc-oltl-move-to-the-web.html