Soapnet

Soapnet (stylized as SOAPnet) was an American basic cable and satellite television channel that was owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The channel previously broadcast current and past soap operas, and prime time dramas.

Due in part to a general decline in the soap opera genre as a whole and the increasing use of video on demand services, Disney announced in 2010 that Soapnet would be replaced by the new preschool-oriented network Disney Junior; however, Soapnet continued to operate alongside Disney Junior following its launch (with some TV providers carrying both). In November 2013, Disney eventually confirmed that Soapnet would be discontinued after January 1, 2014. The last program to air was General Hospital. The network ceased operations a minute before midnight the same day.

History

Early years (2000–02)

By the time that Soapnet launched on January 20, 2000, the channel aired only current ABC soap operas in the evening and early morning, so that people who worked and were at school during the day could watch them at their convenience; programming was inclusive, as the channel is owned by ABC. Soapnet eventually gained high cable coverage due to Disney's aggressive policy of pulling ABC-owned broadcast stations and the popular ESPN channels from cable providers if they did not agree to carry Soapnet as well; this was the main reason for ABC owned-and-operated station WABC-TV being pulled from Time Warner Cable's New York City system for two days in May 2000, when the provider was originally controlled by Time Warner.