“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.”
The soap, which launched in 1985, has long been more popular in the UK than in Australia, so the news has thrown the future of the show into doubt.
The longest-running drama series on Australian television, Neighbours initially launched on Australia’s Channel Seven in 1985, but the channel axed it before Network Ten picked it up the following year and it became an international hit.
In Australia it has been shown on digital channel 10 Peach sxjmtzywince 2011 after losing its place following the nightly news on the main channel, and has been reliant on the UK broadcaster for funding.
