DirecTV is selling a $19.99 online subscription service to fans of Passions, which is making its ninth-season debut on the satellite provider’s original entertainment channel, The 101.
Starting Oct. 1, fans of the daytime drama will be able to keep up with all the action through a subscription service available at www.nbc.com/passions.
Every new episode from The 101 will be posted daily to the site and housed for eight weeks, ensuring that fans will have plenty of time to keep up with the plot. DirecTV has also added four new Passions Live! episodes to The 101 schedule, giving fans a chance to interact with their favorite cast members on a weekly live call-in show.
Passions Live! is hosted by Eric Martsolf who plays Ethan Winthrop, and airs at 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
“We know that Passions fans are religious about keeping up with the happenings in Harmony, and are happy to be able to offer them the option of an online subscription if they can’t make the switch to DirecTV,” Eric Shanks, executive vice president of DirecTV Entertainment, said in a prepared statement. “Now fans can catch the daytime drama anywhere, anytime by signing up for the monthly subscription.”
In response to the success of Passions Live!, DirecTV extended the weekly show for an additional four episodes. The 30-minute live call-in shows are hosted by cast member Eric Martsolf (Ethan Winthrop) and welcomes new cast members weekly who discuss their roles and answer questions from a live call-in audience.
Fans can participate by calling 1-800-860-8537 to speak with their favorite cast members directly or by submitting questions via email at viewermail@passionsondirectv.com to be answered on-air. Fans can also visit www.stickam.com to post questions and videos to be aired on the live program. Immediately following each episode of Passions Live!,viewers can also tune into the Stickam Web site to take part in an online conversation with the cast and other fans. McKenzie Westmore (Sheridan) and Liza Huber (Gwen) will headline the next episode airing Thursday, September 27.
Each episode of Passions Live! will be broadcast on The 101, as well as streamed live on the Passions’ Web site www.nbc.com/passions.
DirecTV has also added a unique feature to Passions episodes with interactive quizzes where viewers can use their remote control to answer questions about the show, the characters and the cast. These trivia features will be found within each episode and will test fans on their Passions knowledge with questions pertaining to the week’s story line, as well as from past seasons.
Passions explores the lives, loves and losses of four core families in the small New England town of Harmony: the Cranes, the Lopez-Fitzgeralds, the Bennetts and the Russells, each of whom have their own distinct and diverse personalities. The series debuted on NBC in 1999.
Passions airs on The 101 Monday through Thursday at 2:00 p.m., with encore presentations at 7 p.m. and marathons every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
