Long-Running Australian Soap Opera That Launched Margot Robbie, Russell Crowe Getting Saved By This Streaming Company

One of the longest-running Australian soap operas was canceled earlier this year. The show is now being rescued by a leading streaming company.

What Happened: The Prime Video unit of Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN has had a big year in 2022 with the launch of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and becoming the new home of Thursday Night Football.

Amazon is now stepping up and rescuing a beloved soap opera to air on a different service it offers: Freevee, an ad-supported streaming platform, will be the new exclusive home for “Neighbours” in the U.S. and U.K. Freevee will also stream old episodes of the series prior to the new season’s premiere.

The show will start shooting in Australia next year for new episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Prime Video will be the home of the revived series in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Network 10, an Australian company owned by Paramount Global PARAPARAA, will get first-run rights to the show in Australia. Network 10 was the home of the show for 36 years in Australia.

“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,” Amazon Video on Demand Head Lauren Anderson said.

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Why It’s Important: The soap opera ran for 37 years and had almost 9,000 episodes before being canceled in the summer.

The show has seen actors and actresses come and go including Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Margot Robbie and Kylie Minogue.

Once a staple of television, soap operas in many countries have gone away, replaced by news programming and other content.

After 56 seasons on NBC, Comcast Corporation CMCSA moved “Days of Our Lives” to the streaming platform Peacock.

Streaming platforms have led to the rescue of many beloved shows with more abilities to grow and build on loyal followings.

Amazon could enjoy a boost in subscribers for Freevee, which increases advertising revenue. The company could also see more of a value add for Prime Video in certain countries where the show is a fan favorite.

Photo: Margot Robbie by Gage Skidmore via Flickr Creative Commons