Breaking News
Amazon Freevee To Bring Back Iconic Australian Soap ‘Neighbours’ with All-New Episodes
In an absolutely stunning twist, the beloved Australian soap opera Neighbours which was canceled after 37 years and aired its final episode in late July after nearly 9,000 episodes, is coming back!
Amazon Freevee and the show’s producer, Fremantle have revealed that they are set to revitalize the soap opera and it will premiere exclusively, and for free, on the streamer in the UK and U.S.
In addition, this will include streaming rights to thousands of episodes from the previous seasons, which will be available to view prior to the launch of the new season. Neighbours will also be available via Prime Video; in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, word is that new episodes will begin shooting in Australia next year. Cast already signed-on include: Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Jackie Woodburne who return to reprise their leading roles.
In a way, this news is a bit reminiscent of Prospect Park’s online save of All My Children and One Life to Live, when the company originally had hoped to move the soaps immediately and seamlessly following their network TV broadcast ending, to their new online home, only to run into pitfalls to eventually launch a year later.
Back in March, Neighbours ran into funding issues, when its key UK broadcast partner, Channel 5 pulled out and their attempts at finding alternative funding never panned out.
In a statement, Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming at Amazon Studios, expressed: “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 catalog 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, 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.”
Previously, Neighbours ended its 37-year run with a memorable final episode where many of its most well-known stars returned to make an appearance including: Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce. The episode scored the soaps highest ratings since 2019.
You can watch a teaser for Neighbours in their upcoming new home below, and a social media teaser from the series itself.
What do you think about Neighbours being saved to live another day? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
🚨 Breaking News from Erinsborough! 🚨
Neighbours will return for a brand-new series next year exclusively on @AmazonFreevee, alongside thousands of episodes from previous seasons to stream as you please. 🎉 pic.twitter.com/1Qq2fIPgog
— Neighbours (@neighbours) November 17, 2022
This is amazing news!!! Neighbours‘ loss was felt, even as an American, and I am so happy that we are going to be getting it here, too! It’s just a shame we got the [then] series finale, because it did feel like the perfect way to conclude a soap opera. But this is fantastic news, and cannot wait for the next generation of stories told!
I do know the cast were not told ahead of time… so I can only imagine how negotiations are going to go right now. Wishing them all nothing but the best of luck!
Congratulations to them. The very best of luck. I hope this works out better than Prospect Park’s All My Children and One Life to Live did for us.
The problem with Prospect Park was the timing. I think DAYS is doing just fine on Peacock. I would love to see more original soaps pop up in the streaming world as well. Perhaps a reboot or two of some older shows GL comes to mind.
I just signed up for the free Freevee..
To watch- Judy Justice –
Judge Judy’s new show, It’s different and good..
So- perhaps other soaps will revive on Freevee..
Looks like a good place for reviving..
Breaking News
George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”
March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.
However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture
Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.
Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory, when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”
Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”
The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean, and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”
When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”
The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.
So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.
Breaking News
Robyn Bernard, ‘General Hospital’s’ Terry Brock, Dead at 64
Breaking News
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.
The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.
Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.
So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.
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