Amazon’s resuscitation of Neighbours: can Aussie TV become good friends with streaming?

Description

Amazon’s resuscitation of Neighbours is unprecedented in the Australian context, as it represents the first time a multinational streaming service has commissioned a stripped (weeknightly), continuing soap. Yet, in a global context, Neighbours seems to be part of a recent trend. This year, soaps in other significant Anglophone markets shifted from daily broadcast to online streaming: Hollyoaks in the UK and Days of Our Lives in the US. No one knows how this will play out for the US-based streamer and its new ad-supported, free streaming service Amazon Freevee. What we do know is there are very good reasons why a streaming platform could be interested in a show like Neighbours.