November 27, 2011

There has been a tumultuous aftermath since the Prospect Park announcement last week that it suspended efforts to bring the iconic shows All My Children and One Life To Live to a new web platform. The announcement, dropped like a bomb the afternoon before a national holiday and four-day weekend for many, sent shockwaves across the Internet, the industry, the fan base, and the cast and crews of the two shows.

As a result of the shows’ suspension, the soap movement has grown more united and gained more momentum than ever. Many who believe in this genre are working tirelessly behind the scenes.

Web soap pioneers like Martha Byrne are reaching out to fans, opening dialog and helping demonstrate the demand for these shows through Twitter and Facebook. Tonja Walker is reaching out to fans through these social networks to demonstrate that viewers are willing to put their money where their hearts are and pay to see these shows. The fan-based Core 4 and an army of other leaders and fans are spreading the coupon campaign to gather hard physical evidence of viewer demand. Martha, Tonja, the Core 4 and all behind them are effectively and successfully demonstrating the demand for these shows.

Will all of these efforts ultimately save these shows and the genre? They will certainly contribute to the history-in-the-making that is unfolding. However, some key factors will still ultimately decide the fate of these shows.

1. Disney/ABC relinquishes rights to the shows. This will be the single biggest uphill hurdle. Based on history one can assume this will not happen easily. However, that does not mean it will not happen. There will come a point for Disney/ABC when the intentional and unintentional affects of their decisions will prove more damaging than one corporation can sustain.

2. Budget. Although there have been wildly successful Internet web series, there has never been an attempt to transition a show from television to the Internet with the intent of redelivering it in a secondary market back to television. This is new ground and in order for it to be successful it will require new production methods, budgetary considerations, studio requirements, and union/guild agreements. Innovative technologists can help create and demonstrate new methods of production and support new budgetary models.

3. Monetization. Most recognize that these shows will not survive using status quo marketing and advertising strategies. There are ways to monetize these shows without traditional advertising and without viewers paying a fee to see them. A pay-per-view model invokes the questions: 1) Can viewers sustain supporting each show through a recurring fee and dependent monthly high-speed Internet connection fee? What if they like ten or twenty shows? 2) Are those who are willing to pay to see these shows willing to pay for others to see them? If they are, those who have the ability can pay for all to view. If those who can afford to pay are not willing to pay for everyone, this model further perpetuates and amplifies an unnecessary have/have not divide in this movement and in this country.

There are innovative, creative solutions to developing a healthy economy around these shows without compromising them or viewers’ pocketbooks. There are also innovative, fun, out-of-the-box ways for fans to invest in these shows and their futures if they choose to. It is time to demonstrate this in a way investors understand.

During the holidays Father Clarence usually made a visit to All My Children's Pine Valley bringing with him wisdom, hope, faith, miracles and magic. Corny as this recurring storyline may have been, it brought hope and sometimes happy endings to tumultuous storylines. If ever there were a season when we needed Father Clarence, this is the one. Maybe he is out there right now with Martha, Tonja, the Core 4 and many others working their magic.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-709308