Long-running-soap Neighbours is again on the chopping block after production company Fremantle reportedly failed to reach a new deal with Amazon.
Production on new episodes will stop in the middle of this year, with the series’ 40th season to air on Prime Video and Network 10 until the end of 2025.
It comes two years after Amazon stepped in as an international production partner for the drama on the back of British broadcaster Channel 5 deciding no longer fund the series.
Following a finale featuring well-known alumni, such as Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, and Jason Donovan, cameras began rolling again at Melbourne’s Nunawading studios in April 2023, with Network 10 retaining first-run broadcast rights in Australia.
The new episodes screened on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US, and exclusively on Prime Video in Canada.
Amazon has since folded its Freevee platform into its Prime Video offering, and according to reports, was unwilling to continue funding the soap.
In a statement, executive producer Jason Herbison thanked Amazon MGM Studios for bringing Neighbours to new audiences globally.
“Audiences all around the world have loved and embraced Neighbours for four decades and we are very proud of the huge success over the last two years including often appearing as one of the Top 10 titles in the UK and the show’s first-ever Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Daytime Series in 2024,” he said.
“We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.”
Not only did the program build up a loyal viewership over its four-decade run but also gave a start, training, and long-term employment to a variety of creatives in front of and behind the camera.
In 2023, the Neighbours Training Program was expanded to incorporate opportunities across a spectrum of above and below-the-line production specialties, including directing, writing, production, post-production, art department, accounting, sound, lighting, and grip.
MEAA Acting Chief Executive Adam Portelli said news of the axing highlighted the urgency of local content rules for streaming services.
“Today’s news is a stark example of why the federal government needs to act now and implement local content quotas on streaming services to provide certainty for the Australian screen industry,” he said.
“Australian stories shouldn’t be left to the whim of huge multinational corporations like Amazon, Netflix, or Apple.
“MEAA will be seeking urgent clarification from Fremantle about the future of the production. “Workers should be treated with respect – and certainly don’t deserve to find out through the media they’ve been sacked.”
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