Complete Redesign for SOAPnet

BURBANK, April 22:
Disney-ABC Television Group has relaunched SOAPnet.com in a beta version with
an expanded focus, covering not only the world of daytime, but also a range of
entertainment, stars, pop culture, beauty and fashion news in an editorial
style.

SOAPnet offers same-day
episodes of popular daytime dramas, and will now include prime-time drama and
celebrity news. New features include galleries dedicated to shows, stars and
style; expanded original video offerings of the latest news about Hollywood;
and an interactive community function including editorial commenting,
friending, polls, message boards, RSS feeds and newsletters.

Also as part of the site’s
new direction, SOAPnet.com has created the SOAPnet Premium Publisher Network,
an online advertising and content integration network of sites that focus on
entertainment, celebrity, beauty and fashion. Participating
sites—approximately 45 to date—will be provided access to premium
content from SOAPnet.com, and will have an opportunity for their content to be
integrated into SOAPnet’s site.

Brian Frons, the president
of daytime for Disney-ABC Television Group, said: “We have the unique ability
to look at our world through a ‘soapy’ filter, so it is perfectly fitting that
the new SOAPnet.com is expanding beyond daytime soaps. The site’s bold new
direction, encompassing the drama of daytime, prime time and real-life soap
operas, truly takes us to a new level and enables us to provide users with a
one-stop destination where they can indulge their passion for television drama,
celebrity life, glamour and style.”

“With the launch of the
SOAPnet Premium Publisher Network, we are offering high-quality, third-party
publishers an exciting opportunity to showcase their sites and expose their
editorial to a much larger, extremely loyal audience,” said KC Estenson, the VP
of digital media for Disney-ABC Cable Networks. “We are also excited to be able
to provide marketers with the ability to be a part of the ‘long tail’ and
expand their reach, while having the certainty that their brands and
advertising messages will be treated with the utmost integrity.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski