Neighbours cancelled again as Amazon drops out

Amazon has confirmed that Australian soap Neighbours has been cancelled again, two years after it was dropped by Channel 5. 

The Neighbours X account also confirmed that the show would be “resting” from next year, with new episodes becoming available on Prime Video globally until the end of 2025. Existing eps will remain on the service. 

Neighbours was first picked up in the UK by the BBC in 1986, before moving to Channel 5 in 2008.  

The Fremantle show, which airs on Network Ten in Australia, ran for 37 years before it ended production in 2022 when Channel 5 withdrew support and another UK broadcaster could not be secured. 

Freevee then rescued the show after striking a deal with Fremantle, but Amazon subsequently shut down the free ad-supported streamer last year and moved shows such as Neighbours to Prime Video. 

An Amazon spokesperson said: “Forty years is an incredible milestone and we are proud that Amazon MGM Studios was able to have a small part of bringing further episodes to Freevee and Prime Video customers over the last two years, spanning over 400 episodes.” 

The Neighbours X account stated: “We are sad to announce that Neighbours will be resting from December 2025.  

“New episodes from the 40th anniversary season will continue to air on Prime Video and Ten four times a week until the end of the year, with all the big soapie twists and turns that our viewers love.” 

A Network Ten spokesperson added: “We are grateful to all those who worked so hard to keep Neighbours on air for more than 400 episodes. 

“It is a mighty achievement that the series will reach the 40-year milestone next month. The program will be missed by the fans and the people who have been part of this amazing journey. We wish them well.” 

The development means Neighbours is again dependent on securing another international sale or streaming deal to save it, something exec producer, Jason Herbison, suggested could yet happen.

“As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for Neighbours – bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally,” he said. “We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.”