Channel 5 confirms commitment to Home and Away
Channel 5 have today reassured viewers that Home and Away will continue to air on UK screens.
The broadcaster caused shockwaves amongst Aussie soap fans over the weekend, with the news that they were axing Neighbours this summer after 14 years on the channel.
The move has put Neighbours in a perilous position, with producer Jason Herbison confirming that the show will have to cease production completely in June if a new broadcast partner isn’t found.
Despite Channel 5 having a deal to broadcast Home and Away for as long as it is produced by the Seven Network, recent developments with the channel shifting the show’s evening airing to 5Star has had viewers speculating whether they could be seeking a way out of its commitment.
In a statement released to press today, a Channel 5 spokesperson confirmed that Home and Away is safe at this moment in time:
“Home and Away has broadcast on Channel 5 since 2000, and it has a longstanding and continuing home on the channel” they said.
“It will continue to air on Channel 5 on weekdays at 1:15pm and on 5STAR at 6pm, with a first look on 5STAR every weekday at 6:30pm.”
Channel 5’s deal to air the show came in March 2000 when they outbid existing broadcaster ITV, in an agreement rumoured to be worth up to £40million over the first five years. Although they reportedly hadn’t offered as much money as ITV, it was their commitment to air the show for its lifetime that swung the bid in their favour.
With Channel 5 also meeting more than 50% of Home and Away‘s production costs, they were permitted by the ITC to include the show in their quotas as an originated series, as opposed to an acquisition.
The cast of Home and Away in 2001
Speaking to UK industry paper Broadcast at the time, Home and Away‘s Executive Producer John Holmes said that ITV had only begun returning their calls when it realised their rival broadcaster was interested in the show.
“Suddenly the phones did start to ring with a little bit more vigour from London,” he explained. “But once the deal’s done, the deal’s done. They had their reasons and, er, it’s got ‘Crossroads’ now, which, I believe, is going from strength to strength.”
Following the deal, ITV activated a clause in their contract which prevented Channel 5 from commencing broadcasts until July 2001, leaving the show off-air in the UK for over a year.
Channel 5 viewers are currently seeing episodes that aired in Australia in November, with the 2021 season finale due to air in the UK on Friday 4th March. When the 2022 season debuts the following Monday, the UK will be 5 weeks behind Australian airings.