Definitions of Soap Opera Found On The Web

• Daytime dramas so named because they were originally sponsored by the makers of laundry detergent in the early days of television. http://www.screenwriting.info/glossary.php
• radio (now TV) serial originally sponsored by soap companies; "The networks still rely heavily on soap operas to anchor their daytime schedules." http://www.variety.com/index.asp
• A soap opera is a type of TV programme – a drama about people and their problems. http://www.netlanguages.com/samples/englishforteens/courses/coursea/05_tv/wordlist.htm
• a serialized program usually dealing with sentimentalized family matters that is broadcast on radio or television (frequently sponsored by a company advertising soap products)http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television or radio. Programs described as soap operas have existed as an entertainment long enough for audiences to recognize them simply by the term soap. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter and Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Lever Brothers as the show's sponsors. http://wapedia.mobi/en/Soap_Opera
• A television serial, typically broadcast in the afternoon or evening, about the lives of melodramatic characters, which are often filled with strong emotions, highly dramatic situations and suspense http://blogs.mediaeducation.ca/3747/?p=160