The soap2day website has been closed down and replaced with a redirect to the BBC News website.
In September 2021, soap2day was closed down and replaced with a redirect to the BBC News website. The site’s closure was not a surprise, as it had been failing to attract viewers for several years. Soap2day had been an online soap opera since 1999 and featured real actors from popular UK soaps like EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
The soap2day website first launched in 1999 and initially featured two soaps, EastEnders and Coronation Street. In 2001, Emmerdale was added to the mix and by 2002 Hollyoaks joined in too. The shows were streamed live on the site every weekday at 5pm GMT/1pm EST for 24 hours. Viewers could watch all of their favourite characters interact with each other on screen, while interacting with other viewers through social media.
The decision to close soap2day came after it failed to keep up with modern trends in viewing habits. By 2021 most people were using social media or streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video rather than websites like soap2day. The BBC decided that it would be more cost effective to use its licence fee money on making new programmes instead of funding a service that few people used anymore.
