Neighbours cancelled by Channel Ten

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Virgin Media One, Two, Three, and Sport.

Delta2113

Head off Virgin Media Television should give Richard Branson a call and ask him could he chip in and help save Neighbours. Would give great publicity for the Virgin brand if they saved Neighbours.

It would then move here from RTE to Virgin - would still need to get it carried in the U.K. by some channel. Stranger things have happened.

Maz2016

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589926#Comment_118589926

RTE would have the rights, UK people wouldnt even notice if Richard Branson stepped in, wouldnt imagine Neighbours is something VM would want

Delta2113

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591614#Comment_118591614

Not sure what contract RTE have but Virgin would take it away from them in admittedly a fairly far fetched proposition.

If Branson personally stepped in it would be all over media and UK people would notice. Virgin are loving themselves with showing Baywatch on the player. I'm sure they would love to have Neighbours.

icdg

I wasn’t sure if your comment was meant flippantly or seriously, but Branson has very little to do with Virgin Media beyond getting a cheque in the door for the use of the Virgin brand every month.

Ballycommon Mast

There was a day that TV3 would have jumped at the chance to poach neighbors and Home and away from RTE, 10/15 years ago having them on 3e would have been a massive coup but considering that those soaps ratings have fallen off a cliff the past decade and the fact that the none of the virgin media stations are in any way youth focused the way 3e was, that day has gone.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118593577#Comment_118593577

AFAIK Home and Away gets on average 100,000 viewers on RTÉ ONE at lunch time, it has between 50,000 and 70,000 viewers at 6:30 on 2, and it often the most popular on their player.

For VM to step into save Neighbours it would have to come from VM 02 in the UK.

I know RTÉ had 7 year contracts for Home and Away in the past.

TV3/Virgin Media TV I don't think even took an interest in either show when they saw the exit of Emmers and Coro St. But the could have still been under contract to RTÉ.

Bring Back Breakers!

iseegirls

Channel 5 have done the right decision - focusing on creating homegrown drama, instead of a lot of their drama budget going into an Australian soap, where they probably don't gain as much as they would from their own productions like All Creatures Great And Small where they have sold it to different countries and achieved a 5 year rating record for them too. Ben Frow has done well with them - has transformed them into a credible channel, unlike the trash they had when they launched and through the 00's. It's a pity TV3 couldn't keep hold of him at the time.

icdg

Neighbours is a bit of an oddity anyway in that if it were down to its domestic ratings it would have got cancelled years ago - it’s been long booted off Channel Ten to spin off channel 10 Peach. Only the overseas (and particularly U.K.) sales deals have kept it going. But this all really has nothing to do with Virgin Media beyond a particularly bizarre suggestion here (which I initially assumed to be a joke, because it makes absolutely zero business sense).

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594577#Comment_118594577

I think the idea of VM taking the series is that it would suit 7pm week nights :) while also being available to UK viewers via on-demand. However since VM Ireland and VM O2 are now separate it is not a possiblitly and really only a UK broadcaster can save Neighbours unless they can sell it to 10 more countries the size of Ireland/NZ, RTÉ is paying about 250,000 per year for the series, if even. So it might be more like 20 small countries. Unlikely to happen.

Delta2113

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118593009#Comment_118593009

Comment was serious. It would get Virgin worldwide publicity. Yes it's highly unlikely getting saved by Branson but Michael Grade former chairman off the BBC predicts a U.K. channel will pick up Neighbours.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594799#Comment_118594799

Branson has nothing to do with either VM Ireland or VM O2 in the UK other than the name of the franchise. John Malone is your man.

I cann't see ITV or BBC looking to pick up Neighbours TBH. Channel 4, I think there would be a question mark there, maybe UKTV for W???

Sky??? unlikely they would have an interest IMO.

After that there are few options with smaller English broadcasters.

icdg

Just to summarise, what is being suggested is that Branson might put up the previous cost of the U.K. rights to this show, just to obtain Irish rights to what is essentially an early evening filler programme. In what world does that make any business sense?

Branson could only get involved as a PR stunt (and he’s not adverse to that, but this one makes no sense) He gets his cheque from VM no matter what they do, and the reality is that the possibility of this company being sold and the VM brand (his only real connection with the company) being dropped hasn’t gone away. Strategically it doesn’t fit where LibertyGlobal have gone and the biggest obstacle to it being sold is the lack of a buyer.

Beyond that, the BBC will not pick up Neighbours now. It would be absolutely toxic for them to be seen to be using license fee payers money to save a show produced on the other side of the world. ITV possibly but I’m not sure it would be a good fit for them. For the money they’d have to spend, they’d need to be thinking about putting it on the ITV Network, but they’ve already a five days a week half hour soap and a three days a week soon to be hour soap in early evening. There’s not really room for it there, and they’re not going to stump up the required cash only to hide it away on ITV2.

The reality is that the show is dead. Nobody is watching it in Australia. It’s tucked away on a digital channel getting a fraction of the ratings in its home market that it does as an import from the far side of the world in the U.K.. Channel 5 have kept it on life support but it doesn’t make business sense for it to continue to do so.

Ballycommon Mast

Iirc, RTE came late to showing neighbors, it was around 2001 that they first started showing it and on RTE one only, it's only been on RTE 2 since about 2003/4ish . In recent times Shortland street has also come to RTE 2's teatime lineup after RTE trimmed back kids programs by an hour.

dublinman1990

If ITV got the rights to Neighbours in the UK; I think it will struggle to get any meaningful audience figures if the show was placed in the ITV early evening schedule in between The Chase & ITV local News.

The Chase would get an average of 3 million & 5 million viewers per episode which could help it with a healthy lead in of viewers who want to watch the ITV local news.

The average viewership of Neighbours on Channel 5 at the moment is about 600k to 900k per episode in the UK. That would command a huge drop in viewership for ITV local news which goes up against the BBC local news on BBC One in the UK.

If Fremantle Media were going into talks with other broadcasters. They must understand with the greatest respect that the broadcasters involved in them will find it very hard to justify paying huge fees for this soap.

They should understand a common ground that they are facing a lot of significant financial challenges & personal criticism from millions of members of the public while they operate their own services from within their own country.

If that means that Neighbours does shut up shop for good; then it will be game over.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118597360#Comment_118597360

I think ITV would not consider moving The Chase from its currently time slot. If they did they would hope that the ITV brand and Neighbours, being between 2 highly rated programmes, that it might double its audience (which still wouldn't been enough).

Neighbours was never very good, its a Kitch 80's TV show that even Australian audiences know has had its day. In fairness to Home and Away at least it grew up and moved away from its Teeny bopper image in later years.

Delta2113

If Branson came on board with money it certainly wouldn't be just so it could be shown in Ireland. I never suggested that. The show is far from dead - constantly over 1 million viewers in the U.K.

Netflix could easily make it work for them. It may not be all year round,hourly episodes,only 3 a week etc. They might drop batches off episodes every month or week but they have deep pockets and could make it work.

Netflix could also do with a good news story based on recent events.

QuestioningStuff

Neighbours was huge in the 1980s and 90s but I think both of those classic Aussi soaps are gone way off the boil in the last decade or so.

Maybe the format is just dead.

iseegirls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118597360#Comment_118597360

There's no way That ITV would move The Chase from 5pm - it's a ratings winner, similar to how BBC1 will never move Pointless at 5:15. ITV extending their Evening News to an hour from 6:30-7:30 next month, and with local news at 6pm. Tipping Point has remained at 4pm for many years too - so it looks like there is no space for it at all.

Only hope is that Sky One / Max / Showcase takes it.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118598041#Comment_118598041

What recent events?

Netflix is going to struggle over the next few years, cannot see a soap like neighbours helping them. If anything Netflix will want stronger drama from Austrailia and it could easily get a strong drama with €5m, this is why channel 5 is moving away.

Delta2113

Recent events - Jimmy Carr joke, film Cuties, Chappelle comedy.

mikeym

It’s not even popular in Australia what does that tell you about the show.

Jason Donovan was hoping Neighbours doesn’t get cancelled but does he watch it himself? I doubt it.

Some shows aren’t meant to be around forever.

AJB39

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118611868#Comment_118611868

His daughter Jemma Donovan stars in Neighbours so there is a good chance he does watch it.

RoTelly

Neighbours has been axed

mikeym

People’s viewing habits are changing with Netflix & other on demand streaming services.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118736169#Comment_118736169

Not sure about that do we expect the end of other soaps. It's interesting that Channel 5 didn't make the same decision on Home and Away, will Hollyoaks be next.

Also this week would be a great oppertunity for RTÉ to move Home and Away to 7pm.

Tork

It seems to have been the funding of Neighbours that was the dealbreaker. It does better in their ratings than Home and Away but they only have to buy that in. It's telling that nobody stepped in to save Neighbours even though the name recognition is there. I can't see the big soaps (Corrie etc.) ending any time soon but the likes of Hollyoaks will come under the microscope. Is there any great clamour for Home and Away to move to 7pm? I haven't watched it for years so I don't know whether they've ever moved it from that 6:30 time slot. As a teenager watching it, that early time slot suited me down to the ground.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118742931#Comment_118742931

Home and Away actually grew up from what I can see, it is much more like an English soap than a teeny bopper soap.

I suggest 7pm as Emmerdale now moves to 7:30, and it might help RTÉ2's dwindling audiences, Home and Away is bigger in Australia and in fairness to it it has better actors, scripts and sets. Neighbours always was a bit naff, perhaps that is why people liked it, its just brain candy.

RoTelly

You also have to ad their 5 Star audience to Home and Away https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/most-viewed-programmes/

I am sure Neighbours has an audience on that channel also but it doesn't appear in their top programmes while home and away is 1 to 5.

icdg

The next soap to be axed will probably be whoever loses the battle of Eastenders v Emmerdale tbh (and it’s a battle I think the BBC are utterly mad to try, but maybe cancellation is the endgame here anyway and this is an easy way to do it when it’s a long runner).

Yeah the half hour daily soap doesn’t really fit the streaming model, it’s not something you binge, it’s more appointment to view tv.

iseegirls

Interesting that BBC2 will be showing Doctors at 7pm weeknightly. It's a repeat of the earlier shown version on BBC1. This could perhaps boost this soap/drama.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118746039#Comment_118746039

3 weeks later Doctors moves to RTÉ2 at 7pm

EdmondShiels3

Will RTE more Shortland Street to 6pm?