Is abc cancelling my soaps AMC OLTL and GH?

Yes it is true, the abc network is cancelling AMC, OLTL and GH!!! On April 18, 2011 TV Guide posted an article quotes "ABC Responds to Hoover Ad Boycott Over Cancellation of Soaps." The Hoover company, the famous vacuum-cleaner maker one of the most iconic brands in America has posted a statement on Facebook saying it will pull all advertising from ABC effective April, 22 2011 to protest the cancellation of the network's daytime soaps All My Children and One Life to Live.

So is the fate of AMC and OLTL a sign that “the survival of soap operas” is an impossibility? I’d say yes and no. It’s become increasingly clear that NBC, ABC, and CBS may be keeping a soap or two alive for the time being, but their commitment to the genre is minimal. There’s little willingness to invest more money and talent or to experiment too far outside the box. Are we just biding our time until the genre has completely gone extinct?

Will ABC Cancel ‘General Hospital’ for Katie Couric?

Just a few weeks after ABC announced that it is canceling “All My Children” and “One Life To Live“, TMZ is reporting that it has made a 20 million dollar deal for Katie Couric to both host a syndicated daytime talk show and report for its news programs including 20/20 and serving as a fill-in anchor on the evening news. The network is allegedly poised to cancel “General Hospital” to make room for Couric’s program, completing eliminating daytime soaps from ABC”s line-up. ABC issued a statement saying that it had “”No comment at this time,” which is not exactly a denial.

The terms of Couric’s exit deal with CBS give the Tiffany network until June 4th to match any offer that she receives. That means ABC cannot officially close a deal for several weeks. Since Couric’s new show would be syndicated, it may not end up on ABC in every market. Though the show could be slated for the 3PM timeslot currently occupied by GH, the soap could move to either AMC or OLTL’s current timeslot. It is also possible that the network could drop either of its new shows, “The Chew” and “The Revolution,” in favor of Couric.

It’s No Fluke: “One Life to Live” is Once Again ABC’s Most Watched Soap

Another week of ratings, another week of the canceled “One Life To Live” having the most total viewers of any ABC soap. OLTL again beat “General Hospital” in total viewers (2,544,000 versus 2,524,000) tied it in Household ratings (1.9/6) and beat it in the Women 18-34 demographic (0.6/4 versus 0.5/4). OLTL continues to be the only soap to gain viewers from the same week a year ago (+233,000) Unfortunately, instead of having second thoughts about canceling OLTL, ABC seems to be considering GH’s ratings woes as reason to consider pulling the plug. Memo to the network: it’s not that people have lost interest in GH. It’s that your target audience of mothers may find that a show that simultaneously features major storylines about the death of a four year old and the kidnapping of a toddler a little too dark to be escapist entertainment.

Soap operas have ruled the airways since the 1960s. Soaps like "All My Children" and "Days of our Lives" have long been a staple on daytime television because of their loyal fan base, profitable advertising revenue and cushy timeslots on major networks. But that is all about to change.
On April 14, ABC cancelled two of their longest running shows ever: "All My Children" and "One Life to Live". Last year, CBS also killed two of their longest-running daytime series ever: "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns". Only 4 soap operas--"Days of Our Lives," "General Hospital," Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and Beautiful"-- remain on daytime television. And there is no guarantee that these shows will live to see another season.

Major television networks are quickly cancelling soaps

The dropping viewership and costly production schedules is the problem at hand. Even though soap opera fans are some of the most loyal TV fans around, a gradual loss of viewership has taken place. This decrease in viewership has led to a decrease in advertising revenue for most soaps over the years. And with this decrease in revenue, many networks are hesitant to keep supporting costly production schedules. Soap operas film new content for 5 shows a week, usually for an hour long show. This is an unprecedented amount of filming time that is expensive to finance and physically grueling for actors.

Therefore, networks are replacing soap operas for less-costly shows like talk shows and game shows. CBS replaced their cancelled soaps with "Let's Make a Deal" and "The Talk," and ABC will replace their newly cancelled shows with "The Chew and "The Revolution".