Apple, Inc.

For months, and in numerous articles, Soap Opera Network stated the following line: “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” both premiere on Monday, April 29 via Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes. Well, the big day finally arrived and is now over and done with. So, we have to ask readers…how did you watch the soaps? Hulu, Hulu Plus or iTunes?

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A character proclaims, “Pine Valley lost a part of its soul that night, but today the sun shines bright.” That day in particular is Monday, April 29, when “All My Children” premieres with all new episodes via Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes with Pine Valley’s citizens having picked things up five years after that traumatic night Adam Chandler (David Canary) and Brooke English (Julia Barr) celebrated their engagement and a shot went off. Fans will quickly be able to jump right back into the soap where “cute, sexy, action and adventure, romance and sex” may be a simple way to summarize the storytelling on any given daytime soap, but on “AMC” things are just all the better.

Chapman Baehler/TOLN

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Apple, Inc.

On Wednesday, March 28, the Disney/ABC Television Group and Nielsen Media Research announced they would begin measuring behavior in consumers using proprietary metering technology.

The two companies stated the measure would be a “new and significant initiative that will substantially improve understanding of how people use iPads for video consumption and other activities.” According to data released by Apple, Inc., makers of the popular iPad product, there have been more than 55 million iPads sold to date and another 3 million sold since March 16, 2012 (launch date of “the new iPad” aka: iPad 3).

The study was commissioned by the Disney/ABC Television Group’s ABC Research department, in which they asked Nielsen to create a proprietary, opt-in metered iPad panel that would “aggregate and measure video consumption, app usage and other activity over the course of a year.” Nielsen will seek approximately 200 individuals/households to download their new metering application on their iPad in order for the companies to measure the reach, duration, frequency and page views of their overall iPad apps and web browsing.

“We have been actively studying consumer tablet usage through our own data for two years, and believe Nielsen’s proprietary technology has the potential to deliver unprecedented additional details about consumer viewing patterns,” said Peter Seymour, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Research for Disney Media Networks. “This study will help us — and ultimately the entire industry — to better understand our consumers, the complete tablet environment and the role our content plays on this fast growing and popular device.”

“With our unique metering capabilities, this work with ABC represents a significant step forward in understanding how consumers are using and bringing the iPad into their day-to-day [lives],” said Cheryl Idell, Executive Vice President, Nielsen Media Research. “The insight gleaned from this study, using these metering capabilities, is an example of how we meet our commitment to deliver cross platform understanding to the industry and provide broader understanding of consumers.”

Preliminary results of the study was provided by Charles Kennedy, ABC’s Senior Vice President, Research, at the Advertising Research Foundations re:Think conference held at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City.

According to sources, as indicated by Seymour above, ABC has been actively following the usage of its viewers who watch their ABC programming on their iPad’s via the popular ABC Player application. Soap Opera Network has also learned that viewing of ABC programs on the iPad, and in particular  on ABC.com, will play more of a role in the networks decision making when it comes to the renewal chances of its programming. For instance, “Happy Endings,” a popular comedy series airing after “Modern Family” on Wednesday nights, recently ended its second season with low viewership levels in total audience and key sales demographics. Although not confirmed by ABC at this time, TVLine.com reported that “Endings” is likely to be renewed for a third season. This would solely be based on its performance in online viewership as the series plays relatively strong on Hulu.com, ABC.com and the ABC Player on the iPad.

Condé Nast Digital Studio

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — I am pretty sure if you are on the internet it pretty much guarantees that you have either Facebook’ed or Tweeted. If you are anything like me then you have probably already done both! Well, if you are like Alison Sweeney, then you are ahead of the rest of us. Sweeney, who portrays Samantha ‘Sami’ Brady on “Days of Our Lives” and also hosts “The Biggest Loser,” has jumped on board with a brand new social network media website called “Tout.”

Tout is a new video social media platform whose mobile app enables iPhone and iPad users to shoot 15-second real-time video messages (or “touts”), which they can simply and instantly share on Twitter, Facebook, via email and/or SMS in one click. The users’ Touts are also automatically posted on Tout.com.

Sweeney, whose profile is now the second most viewed right behind Shaquille O’Neal, is touting on daily and has provided her fans with a behind-the-scenes look into her everyday life. So far she has shared behind-the-scene clips at her shows, daily work-outs and much more.