Five Wins Neighbours!

[simmins]

I have a feeling it would go to channel FIVE!

[Alison C]

Even if Neighbours stays on BBC I think we will have a break coming up soon anyway. By the start of next year we will only be about a week behind Australia so we will either see a few months gap or very few episodes a week.

[Dan F]

From Broadcast

ITV pushes hard to poach Neighbours

ITV has entered advanced negotiations with Fremantle Media to acquire Neighbours and is understood to have offered up to four times the amount currently paid by the BBC.

The news comes after the BBC, which is thought to pay around £20,000 an episode for the Aussie soap, failed to renew its deal after a period of exclusive talks with the show's distributor, Fremantle.

According to Australian and UK sources, Fremantle was this week set to accept ITV's offer for the soap but negotiations hit a glitch over ancillary rights.

A source close to negotiations said: "It's a lot of money for ITV to pay if it's not able to exploit all the additional rights."

If ITV does lose out after coming this close it will come as a disappointment to ITV bosses, in particular recently installed executive chairman Michael Grade.

Grade has made the daytime show a target along with the recently acquired Champions League football. Five is also understood to have bid.

BBC director of acquisitions George McGhee said: "No deal has been done. We are all still talking to one and other and Fremantle will ultimately do what it wants to do. I'm sure ITV would like to have it but would that be best for Neighbours?"

ITV refused to comment.

[James Martin]

I think the best thing for both Aussie soaps is Five, with H&A at 5.30 and N at 6.

I reckon it would help both programmes out as N would tempt viewers back to H&A, and Five would have the teen market cornered.

[Zetti]

BBC suit Neighbours.

Five have HAA and ITV have Emmerdale and Corrie.

[Ryan]

The only reason the BBC "suits" Neighbours is because it's been there for twenty years, in many ways it's one of the least "BBC1" programmes it's got.

[Furzie]

Hope five gets it! Dont think it will do as well in the rating on five than on ITV!

[ste]

I think the best thing for both Aussie soaps is Five, with H&A at 5.30 and N at 6.

H&A at 5.30? Yeah that's a great idea. Then we can enjoy it edited to death like it was on ITV all over again

H&A is definately and by far the more "adult" of the two shows and should be on at a time where more people are home from work as opposed to 5.30 when a lot fewer adults are. Neighbours has been on at 5.30 forever so if Five did get it, the most sensible thing to do would be to cause minimal disruption to fans and leave it in that slot, not go changing it and therefore disrupting H&A fans in the process.

[MarcHall0606]

I don't really have much to say because I don't watch Neighbours much. Only on some odd days. But it'd suck if it moved because that'd mean another show with adverts! Pfft! I cant stand adverts lol.

That's what I can't stand about Australian TV (no offence) they have about three or four sets of averts for a 30 minute show (whereas we have one set) and they'll show an advert right before the end credits of a show lol. I still love Aussie though! . Sorry for going a bit off topic here.

I think Neighbours should just stay put....or stop airing completely. -ducks-

[James Martin]

My thinking was that it stopped Home & Away being up against The Simpsons.