End of Neighbours’ streaming run confirmed

The speculation has been confirmed by Neighbours production company Fremantle…

The Reg Watson created serial is coming to a halt for a third time after two years as a streaming serial. The saga that launched in Australia forty years ago this March is to end following it’s “third axing”. The Australian soap opera will stop production this summer after Fremantle, who create the content for Amazon, failed to agree a new deal to carry on production for the streaming service.

Following tabloid reports Fremantle have today confirmed the series will go off air in December 2025.

“We are sad to announce that Neighbours will be resting from December 2025. New episodes from the 40th anniversary season will continue to air on Prime Video and Ten four times a week until the end of the year, with all the big soapie twists and turns that our viewers love.” – Fremantle statement released by the Neighbours social media team

It was announced in November 2022 that the soap set in a fictional cul-de-sac in Melbourne would be back in Mid-2023 following a deal to air four episodes a week on Amazon’s video streaming offering. The deal saw Neighbours get a first screening on Prime Video in the UK with episodes also streaming Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

While the show didn’t return to terrestrial television in the UK in its native Australia editions have also been airing on Network 10, however it has failed to draw viewers to the channel with episodes pushed earlier in the schedules last year.

In July 2023, the last episode of the Australian soap, which aired for 37 years at the time, aired on Channel 5 in the UK. The broadcaster ditched the programme to free up money for its drama budget. A petition against the show’s cancellation garnered over 71,000 signatures. In an announcement in February of 2022 Viacom, owners of Channel 5, confirmed they had failed to renew a contract to keep airing the show. Network 10 said without a partner the series couldn’t carry on in Australia either.

“Neighbours will no longer air on Channel 5 beyond this summer. It’s been a much-loved part of our schedule for more than a decade, and we’d like to thank the cast, Fremantle and all of the production team for their fantastic work on this iconic series,” Channel 5 said in a statement.

“We’d also of course like to thank the fans for their loyal support of Neighbours across the years. We recognise that there will be disappointment about this decision, however our current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers.” – Channel 5 / Viacom

It was the second time the show had been dropped by a channel with the Seven Network in Australia first terminating the series back in 1986.

Neighbours originally aired on BBC One in the UK between 1986 and 2008, before Channel 5 bought the rights to the show to make an ‘Aussie Soap Hour‘ having previously gained the rights to Seven Network’s Home and Away, in 2000, which had aired on ITV since 1989. It joined the network’s line-up in 2001.

Jason Herbison, Neighbours Executive Producer:

“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.

“As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for Neighbours – bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally. 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.”

Created by Reg Watson, who also devised UK soap Crossroads (1964-88/2001-03), The Young Doctors (1976-83), Prisoner: Cell Block H (1979-86) and Sons and Daughters (1982-87) – to name only a few – it follows the lives of a group of families and friends living on a street in the fictional suburb of Erinsborough, itself an anagram of Neighbours.

Storylines in the early days revolved around the three key families on the street, the Robinsons, Ramsays and Clarkes. Since the show was first broadcast on 18th March 1985, on the Seven Network, it has become part of the daily routine for millions of viewers around the world and has launched the careers of some of the biggest names in showbusiness, including Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie, Jesse Spencer, Delta Goodrem and Holly Valance. It’s big finale on Channel 5/Network 10 saw the return of some of those big names including Kylie and Jason.

Neighbours streams on Amazon with episodes dropping Monday to Thursday from 7 am