Amazon Freevee Saves ‘Neighbours’ After Channel 5 Axing

17.11.2022 - 13:05 / deadline.com

Turns out it wasn’t a final goodbye from Australia’s Neighbours after all.

The iconic soap, about the Ramsay Street residents in the fictional Erinsborough, has been saved from the scrapheap by Amazon’s free streamer Freevee, following a deal with program maker Fremantle.

A new series will begin filming in Australia next year, with the likes of Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Jackie Woodburne reprising their roles. A premiere is slated for the second half of the year.

Watch a teaser for the new run here.

The daily series had bowed out on Network 10 in Australia and long-time British home Channel 5 in June after 37 years, after the Paramount-owned UK network pulled its funding from the show. Due to the costs of running a daily drama, Network 10 and Fremantle relied on a British co-funder to keep it going.

Alumni such as Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce returned for an emotional finale, which scored the show’s best ratings since 2009.

Freevee will have the exclusive rights in the UK and U.S. and will take streaming rights to thousands of previous episodes, which will be available before the new run’s premiere. Network 10 will have first run rights in Australia but Prime Video will also show it there Australia, along with in New Zealand and Canada. 

“Neighbours has captivated its audience for nearly 40 years, building a dedicated and loyal following for the lives and stories of the characters on Ramsay Street,” said Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming, Amazon Studios.

“With the power of streaming, we’re able to offer a catalogue of thousands of Neighbours episodes for new audiences to discover this legendary series and current fans to relive their