By 2003, Bunker was let go soon after, the show ceased filming original material. Soap Center, which debuted the same day as Soapnet's launch, was initially hosted by former soap stars Brooke Alexander and David Forsyth, they were replaced the following year by Peggy Bunker discussing soaps taped on the East Coast and Tanika Ray discussing West Coast-based soaps. As the years went on, Soapnet tried its hand at original programming, such as Soap Center and Soap Talk, the latter of which was nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards, most recently in 2006 for Best Talk Show Host(s). Soapnet's inaugural lineup aired current soaps such as All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital, along with canceled daytime and nighttime soaps such as Port Charles, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing, The Colbys, Hotel, Sisters and Ryan's Hope. The plans for the SoapCity cable channel were abandoned early in 2000 after Sony failed to secure cable carriage, though the website component remained.

When Soapnet was announced, Sony Pictures Entertainment planned to launch a competing cable channel and website called SoapCity, which would air all of the CBS soap operas and the Sony-owned/produced NBC soap Days of our Lives.

Soapnet eventually gained high cable coverage due to Disney's aggressive policy of pulling ABC-owned broadcast stations and the popular ESPN channels from cable providers if they did not agree to carry Soapnet as well this was the main reason for ABC owned-and-operated station WABC-TV being pulled from Time Warner Cable's New York City system for two days in May 2000, when the provider was originally controlled by Time Warner.

1.3 Decline and end of operations (2010–2013)īy the time that Soapnet launched on January 20, 2000, the channel aired only current ABC soap operas in the evening and early morning, so that people who worked during the day could watch them at their convenience programming was inclusive, as the channel is owned by ABC.

Soap opera network channel