With Neighbours’ exit, the heat is on to remain ‘architects of our storytelling’

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Local soap operas have long been television’s workhorses, employing and nurturing countless writers, directors, set designers, costume-makers, actors and production crew. They gave us Kylie Minogue and delivered era-defining cultural milestones: 2.2 million people watched Molly die on A Country Practice in 1985. Unimaginable today.

At the peak of A Country Practice in 1985, 2.2 million people watched Molly (played by Anne Tenney, pictured with co-star Shane Withington) battle with leukaemia.

However, in December, Neighbours will take its last gasp after 40 years. The final scenes were shot in July. Two years ago, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon offered a reprieve, funding Neighbours to anchor a new UK streaming platform. But Amazon’s strategy changed, and while veteran cast member Stefan Dennis quickly signed up for Britain’s Strictly Come Dancing, an Australian creativity incubator is in its death throes.

Bosses at rival Home & Away insist it’s secure, citing solid ratings on Seven’s main channel. Seven also signed a £40 million “lifetime” deal in 2000, forcing Britain’s Channel 5 to buy Home & Away while it remained in production.

Actors Alan Fletcher (left) and Stefan Dennis on the set of Neighbours on the final day of filming.

However, no show is impervious to big-tech disruptors and audience fragmentation in the digital age. Australian Communications and Media Authority data reveals free-to-air TV viewership in any given week declined from 71 per cent of the population in 2017 to just 46 per cent in 2024.

While Deirdre Brennan, CEO of funding body Screen Australia, praises “distinct, complex and courageous” Australian TV, soaps are on life support.

Last month, the New Zealand government granted $NZ11 million to keep Shortland Street on air another year. In March, the BBC axed Scotland’s River City after 23 years. In 2022, America’s Days of Our Lives moved to streaming after 57 years on NBC. In July, it was reported that budget cuts at Britain’s ITV will likely claim one in 10 characters on Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner says broadcasters have turned to cheaper reality TV formats to meet local content quotas, while the federal government is yet to introduce similar quotas for streamers.

“Quotas ensure we are the architects of our storytelling,” Deaner says. “Otherwise, we’re just service providers to international productions lured here by offsets.” Not far from Deaner’s Sydney office, an Australian crew is shooting the US version of Lego Masters.

According to Screen Australia, 65 per cent of the $715 million spent on Australian drama over the 2023-24 financial year was for streaming and online. Series such as Netflix’s hit Apple Cider Vinegar are much more expensive to create than Neighbours, Deaner adds: “It’s less output, which means that’s less opportunity.”

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