Well, that didn’t take long. “Neighbours” is coming back.
The Australian soap has found a new home on Amazon’s AVOD service Freevee, which has picked up the rights from “Neighbours” producer and distributor Fremantle. The show will begin shooting in Oz in 2023 and air in the second half of next year.
The new series will premiere exclusively for free on Amazon Freevee in the U.K. and U.S. and will include streaming rights to thousands of episodes from the previous seasons, whch will be available prior to the new series’ premiere. The series will also stream on SVOD counterpart Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Australia’s Network 10, the home of “Neighbours” for 36 years, will retain first-run rights in the country.
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The new season is a continuation of the long-running daily drama series about the lives, loves and challenges of the residents on Ramsay Street in Erinsborough, Australia, a fictional suburb of Melbourne. It will follow on from the show’s finale earlier this year, which was watched by millions of fans.
Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney, and Jackie Woodburne will return to reprise their leading roles.
Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming for Amazon Studios, said: “‘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. 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.”
Jennifer Mullin, global CEO for Fremantle, added: “‘Neighbours’ is a unique series with a powerful connection with its fans across the world. 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.”
“Neighbours” ran for more than three decades and nearly 9,000 episodes before being canceled earlier this year when the show’s primary funder, U.K.’s Channel 5, pulled out.
The final episode of the show aired in July and featured guest star appearances from Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan, and Margot Robbie, all of whom were series cast members earlier in their careers.
Jason Herbison, “Neighbours” executive producer since 2013, will maintain his position on the new season, with Andrew Thompson returning as producer.
Watch a teaser for the new show below:
