Do Soap Operas require continuous numbering

I am one of the editors for general hospital and when I started, I tried to switch to the season numbering that ABC uses but was denied due to a policy stating that continuous series have all of their episodes in one season.

I have noticed the most recent soap opera, “Beyond the Gates” do not follow these guidelines and would like clarity regarding this since the other four American soaps still retain the one season guideline.

Thanks.