Oprah has certainly changed her tune from the two-minute YouTube video she made two years ago titled, "Why Oprah Can't Save the Soap Operas," (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc23W861mKI). The video began a backlash Oprah and OWN were ill-prepared. In a major turnaround, Oprah released a thirty-second video this week titled, "Oprah's Summer Fling with All My Children and One Life to Live on OWN," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY9e8OYifMs&feature=youtu.be). In the newest video, Oprah tells the world that she heard soap fans and is going to be airing a limited (40-episode) "fling" this Summer of the newly produced, back-from-the-dead, All My Children and One Life to Live.
In the video she announces the return with all the gusto of a true soap fan. But her announcement and gusto leave some soap fans elated and some bitter. It also leaves open-ended questions about the future of the shows after the "fling" is over.
The forty episodes will be the first forty relaunched episodes produced by The Online Network (TOLN) (http://theonlinenetwork.com) and aired on Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/all-my-children) (http://www.hulu.com/one-life-to-live) and iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/all-my-children/id621724634) (https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/one-life-to-live/id621724081). The big question on everyone's mind is, what happens after the "fling," is over? Do viewers just get left hanging without OWN or network access to the continuing content? ... or do the two shows become part of OWN or another network's regular programming lineup at that point? Only time and TOLN will tell.
Response in the soap fan community, although generally positive, has been somewhat mixed. Some have accused Oprah of jumping on the bandwagon after everyone else's hard work to bring the shows back. Well of course she is - she is a businesswoman.
For many soap fans it was very disappointing to watch the condescending manner with which Oprah handled the pleas of fans two years ago. It lead to my writing a CNN iReport, "Oprah Has Her Own," (http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-594848).
However, time has passed and apparently Oprah has seen the light and the financial benefit of testing the soap opera waters of airing All My Children and One Life to Live on a limited basis. It is a great deal less costly for OWN to license the forty episodes from The Online Network (TOLN) than to produce them. It is also less costly and risky to air a limited amount of episodes and test the waters versus entering into a long-term commitment with the shows to air in a regularly schedule time slot at this time.
For All My Children, One Life to Live, and soap fans, this can be nothing but good news. It is an opportunity for the shows to gain widespread viewership on a cable network channel, provide the opportunity for viewers who are not online to get to see and sample the shows (if they get OWN through their cable service provide and tier of service), provide added revenue for both shows that can be reinvested for future production, and be a measurement of the feasibility of the shows being profitable on a cable network.
The bottom line is if a fan of the shows gets OWN and watches the shows this summer on the OWN channel it can only help strengthen chances that the shows will continue production and fans will be able to continue visiting Pine Valley and Llanview online and hopefully on a network for a long time to come. The greatest strength of every soap fan is their viewership.
What do you think?
I am not a fan of Oprah she is not the real thing to me.I think any thing that helps our soaps get out to the public is very important.So if we have to tolerate a fake to get our soaps out there I am happy to see it.
ReplyDeleteOprah's allowing "AMC" & "OLTL" on OWN is a "better late than never" thing with me. She should have listened to our plea two years ago!!
ReplyDeleteHer airing our beloved soaps on OWN, while Prospect Park/TOLN continues to produce "AMC"/"OLTL" could be a win/win for everyone.
I'm happy for all those who will now be able to watch for all the reasons you mentioned in your article and I hope every single one tunes in when she broadcasts them. However I was never a big "O" fan I admire her accomplishments but I was never a fan of her show and after the condescending manner in which she addressed the pleas of SOAP Fans it made me a non-fan. So I personally prefer to support my soaps thorough the venue in which Prospect Park resurrected them. The people that actually heard the mournful wail of Soap fans and bought them back to us on HULU.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much agree with everything above. I used to like Oprah, but after the first video, I became a definite non-fan. She is savvy, though. She didn't have to get all the funding to produce the shows (thank you, Prospect Park!) but she will reap some of the benefits. I am very happy for the fans without internet, who will now be able to see the shows, and I am ecstatic that the shows will have the possibility of wider viewership. I will continue to watch on Hulu Plus, but I will try to watch on Oprah, too. I will support our shows anywhere, anytime. I think this limited showing is testing the waters, and if the shows do well, she will probably continue to run them. That means we need to support our shows, ideally on both platforms.
ReplyDeleteI think all Oprah really heard was that there really WAS more $$ to be made on soaps - $$ she needs.
ReplyDeleteSince I love these shows I will watch them on OWN again and will encourage everyone I know to do the same. Mostly because I think these shows are great and deserve to be seen by a wider audience. But also because I would LOVE to prove NOprah words of two years ago wrong.