ABC has licensed its iconic soaps, "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" to Prospect Park. The deal was announced late Thursday morning by the Disney/ABC Television Group and Prospect Park.
Under the agreement, Prospect Park will produce and deliver the two long-running programs to consumers via online formats and additional emerging platforms including internet enabled television sets.
In a press release, Prospect Park promised to retain the "same quality," "format and length" of both series.
"We are privileged to continue the legacy of two of the greatest programs to air on daytime television, and are committed to delivering the storylines, characters and quality that audiences have come to love for over 40 years. 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live' are television icons, and we are looking forward to providing anytime, anywhere viewing to their loyal community of millions," said Frank and Kwatinetz with Prospect Park, "Technology changes the way the public can and will view television shows. Now that there are so many devices available in addition to television sets, viewers are taking advantage of watching shows wherever they are and on any number of devices. The driving force in making the switch and attracting new audiences is to have outstanding programs that people want to watch. We believe that by continuing to produce the shows in their current hour format and with the same quality, viewers will follow the show to our new, online network."
The statement did not detail if the current casts of the shows will participate in the online versions.
Prospect Park is a media and production company founded in 2009 by entertainment industry veterans Jeffrey Kwatinetz and former Disney Studios head Rich Frank. Along with successful film and music divisions, the company's television group has numerous shows in development and breakout network hits airing, including "Royal Pains" and "Wilfred."
In April, ABC announced that it was expanding the focus of its daytime lineup to include more programming that is informative and authentic and centers on transformation, food and lifestyle. "The Chew," an innovative and groundbreaking daily talk show that celebrates and explores life through food, will premiere on September 26th. "The Revolution," a daily show about health and lifestyle transformations, will replace "One Life to Live" in January 2012.
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ABC News contributed to this report.
Disney is the parent company of ABC and ABC30.
