Soap Opera Websites

From LoveToKnow Soap-Operas

Soap opera websites range from the professional to the amateur, from the industry professionals to the fans of the shows themselves and everyone in between. Creating and maintaining a website is a relatively simple process and despite worries of waning viewing audiences, they can be enormously popular Internet destinations.

Soap opera websites include those devoted to all aspects of soaps.

Different Types of Soap Opera Websites

There are many different types of soap opera websites including those devoted to the shows, the actors, the characters and the couples. Network soap operas often have an official site that features everything from character to actor biographies, upcoming teasers, full episodes in streaming and even family trees. For longer-running soap operas, these official sites can prove invaluable to new viewers who are trying to play "catch up" with the various characters’ lives.

Official Websites

Most major soap operas that air on the networks are available online. Each of these official websites is maintained by the network that airs the show.

News Websites

Soap opera news websites cropped up usually as labors of love by the fans that slowly evolved into Internet access points for soap opera news, comings and goings and more. Soap Central, for example, began as a fan site written exclusively by founder Dan J. Kroll. His site is now an extensively quoted news source featuring exclusive interviews with actors and more.

Spoiler Websites

Spoilers may often be found on the news sites and even on the official sites. Other websites crop up that are exclusively devoted to soap opera spoilers.

Soaps Online and Off

Websites devoted to soap operas are labors of love. They demonstrate a devoted fan base. Many soap opera sites also feature chat rooms, message boards and mailing lists. While some websites are built around a profit model, they begin as fans showing their deep affection for the genre. The proliferation of websites, blogs and other Internet materials devoted exclusively to the genre may over saturate the information and contribute to reduced numbers viewing on daytime television.

Networks and soap operas are taking advantage of the various media options presented by the Internet to show their shows online as well as on the networks. It began with the launch of SoapNet by ABC Disney. Soap Net would air ABC soaps in the evening hours allow viewers who could not record their shows another timeslot to see their favorite daytime soap operas. Days of Our Lives and The Young and The Restless also enjoy delayed viewing on SoapNet as of 2009.

The official sites may show full episodes such as can be found on the CBS sites. Hulu also offers viewers a chance to see full episodes of As the World Turns. These multiple platform offerings of traditional television shows allow viewers to watch their soaps where they want, when they want.

Keep up with current events on daytime, primetime and international soap operas via Soap Speak, Love To Know Soap Operas blog.

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