Industry

The final week of the 2013-2014 television season came to a close last week (week of September 15-19, 2014) and CBS Daytime ended the year on top for the 28th consecutive year! “The Bold and the Beautiful” attracted its largest audience since the 2006-07 television season, while “The Young and the Restless” scored its most watched season in viewers since the 2009-10 television season. Meanwhile, “Let’s Make a Deal” and “The Talk” hit their best numbers ever in viewers as “The Price is Right 1” delivered its largest audience since the 2004-05 season and “The Price is Right 2” brought in its biggest audience since the 2006-07 season.

As they celebrated their first anniversary as hosts of “Soap Box with Lilly & Martha” on Thursday, August 21, former daytime soap stars Lilly Melgar (“General Hospital”) and Martha Madison (“Days of our Lives”) had soap journalist Michael Maloney, talent manager Michael Bruno and online soap reporter Michael Fairman on as guests as they discussed the week’s biggest soap opera news. No story was bigger this past week than the news of Justin Hartley (“Passions,” “Revenge,” “Mistresses”) returning to daytime television to portray a recast Adam Newman on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless.” According to Bruno, however, there was a chance that the role could have gone to Hartley’s former “Smallville” co-star Tom Welling, “Sex and the City’s” Jason Lewis or “Queer as Folk’s'” Gale Harold.

In 2012, Soap Opera Network published our own version of the annual TV Guide Magazine “TV’s Highest Paid Stars” issue. In the time since it was published we’ve been quite shocked to see how many of you were curious to know how much some of daytime and primetime’s biggest and brightest stars of yesteryear have gone on to make with their current work in primetime dramas and comedies, reality shows, and even daytime talk shows. Although we were unable to continue our report in 2013 due to circumstances beyond our control, we thought it would be a great opportunity to continue producing the soap opera edition of one of TV Guide’s best selling issues with the release of the 2014 edition.

“Days of our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless” are about to get some serious competition: The popular Australian soap opera “Neighbours” is making it’s debut in the United States this month, and to kick off the show’s exciting new journey, pop singer and former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul is guest-starring!

When a fan commented on a recent update of the “General Hospital” opening sequence featuring the inclusion of Michelle Stafford (Nina Clay), Nathan Varni, Manager, Current Series, ABC, responded to the viewer with news that there will be multiple new openings showcasing the talented cast of the daytime drama series in the near future. If you’re wondering how soon that’ll be, a representative for the soap tells Soap Opera Network, “Viewers will start seeing the new openings in early July.”

While Prospect Park’s The OnLine Network (TOLN) failed to re-launch “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” to a brand new audience via the internet last year, Corday Productions, which produces NBC’s “Days of our Lives,” has joined with All Screens Media, an international interactive digital media company founded by former Comcast digital media executive Peter Heumiller, to form a new online network dedicated to the soap opera and telenovela format. Per Variety, the production entities have joined together to form NetSoaps Net Novelas LLC (NSNN), which will strive to develop domestic (Net Soaps) and international (Net Novelas) online soap operas for a new generation of soap fans. Net Soaps will be geared toward American and English speaking audiences while Net Novelas will be targeted toward Latin American and Brazilian audiences.

“The Young and the Restless” is set to turn 41 years old on Wednesday, March 26, and the sudser is celebrating its birthday in style: With a crossover storyline involving “The Price Is Right” and its host, Drew Carey!

Hot on the heels of co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group Anne Sweeney announced her decision to leave the network to pursue a career in directing comes news that Ben Sherwood, ABC News President, will be her successor.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) is getting quite an impressive makeover that will not only simplify its name, but also spiff up the Emmy statuette logo! But just what other changes will this major overhaul create? Read on to find out!

In a shocking move many didn’t see coming, one of Hollywood’s most powerful women — Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group — has decided to hand over her reins in order to pursue her real passion: Directing!