Only months after saying goodbye, ‘Neighbours’ are moving back to Ramsey Street as Amazon Freevee announces the beloved soap will return on the free streaming service in 2023!
Back in March, after 37 years on air, the soap, which followed the day-to-day lives of residents in the cul-de-sac of the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough, was axed when Channel 5 opted not to continue its contract with the show. Although the series is set and made in Australia, the production relied heavily on the funding from the UK broadcaster to allow it to continue. Fremantle, who produce the series, had approached a number of other UK broadcasters in an effort to save the show, but no one was prepared to step in… until now…
Amazon Freevee, the free streaming service, has now said it will not only fund a new season to air in the latter half of 2023, but will also be adding thousands of previous episodes to the service.
“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 favorite moments. We look forward to immersing the audience in new Ramsay Street experiences when we relaunch the show next year for Amazon Freevee and Prime Video customers.”
This will be the third home of ‘Neighbours’ in the UK, following the BBC who originally aired the soap in 1985, and Channel 5 who took over the UK broadcasting rights 2008. It has produced over 9000 episodes since it first aired, and has served as a springboard for so many Australian stars such as Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, and many more.
“Neighbours is a unique series with a powerful connection with its fans across the world,” adds Jennifer Mullin, Global CEO, Fremantle. “We cherish the show and all those who have been part of its incredible story over many decades, so we are thrilled that we have found a new home with Amazon Freevee. Thanks to the innovative Amazon Freevee platform, many classic episodes will be available to fans, and Neighbours will go back into full production in Australia early next year, providing our fans with new episodes. This partnership with Amazon Freevee marks an exciting new chapter, and we look forward to collaborating with them, along with our long-term and valued partner in Australia, Network 10.”
This new iteration of the soap will be produced by Fremantle Australia with exec producer Jason Herbison returning to shepherd the series.
‘Neighbours’ will return in the latter half of 2023 on Amazon Freevee in the UK and USA.
5 comments
Just fantastic news! ?
Why does it have to return on Amazon?
So many people don’t have it which includes me!
Amazon freevee is totally free. You just need a free Amazon account to access it, so it’s open to everyone.
Only if you can afford internet access. My seventy something mother, a lifetime Neighbours viewer, can’t, so will miss out.
That’s unfortunate but can’t be helped. Not every TV show can be available to everybody. The main thing is that Neighbours will continue on a free with ads streaming service, when until now it looked certain it was cancelled for good. If Amazon Freevee was the only service willing to take on the show, it was either that or nobody at all gets to see new Neighbours episodes.
Who knows, perhaps it might eventually get an airing on a free-to-air linear TV channel, like Breaking Bad did on Spike after it first became popular on Netflix.
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