Television's top-rated daytime drama series, The Young and the Restless, has been ranked number one in the ratings for the better part of two decades. During that time the show has amassed critical acclaim and earned a countless number of awards. But the CBS soap is about to go somewhere it has never gone before: cable television.
SOAPnet, the 24-hour cable soap channel, has acquired same-day airing rights to The Young and the Restless from Sony Pictures Television. In addition to airing what effectively amount to later-in-the-day reruns, SOAPnet will also have access to older archived episodes for specials. The soap will begin airing in primetime on SOAPnet next month.
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SOAPnet and Sony execs declined to discuss the terms of the deal, but insiders estimate the value at mid-seven figures per year for the multi-year deal.
In March 2004, SOAPnet partnered with Sony to broadcast same-day episodes of Days of our Lives.
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"SOAPnet now provides the top five rated soaps in primetime," said SOAPnet General Manager Deborah Blackwell. "Ever since I started at SOAPnet, CBS fans have been asking me 'When will SOAPnet have Y&R?' - I'm thrilled to tell them that in April they will be able to catch The Young and the Restless at night."
SOAPnet's offering of current soaps now includes soaps from all three major networks: ABC's All My Children, General Hospital and One Life to Live, NBC's Days of our Lives and CBS's The Young and the Restless. SOAPnet's offerings have traditionally skewed towards the ABC soaps because ABC, like SOAPnet, is owned by Disney.
With the addition of The Young and the Restless to its lineup, SOAPnet has shuffled its primetime lineup. Y&R will begin airing at 700pm on April 24th. Days of our Lives, which had been airing at 700pm, will move to 1100pm.
In related news, NBC's Passions began airing repeat episodes on the Sci Fi Channel earlier this year. These repeat episodes began with the first episode of the supernatural soap and do not include same-day repeats. NBC and the Sci Fi Channel are both part of the NBC-Universal company.
The leaves just three soaps, The Bold and the Beautiful, As the World Turns and Guiding Light -- all of which are on CBS, that are not currently being rebroadcast on television. Guiding Light and As the World Turns, which are both produced by Procter & Gamble Productions, are available as audio-only podcasts.
SOAPnet is not available in all areas. Please check your local listings for availability in your area.
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