Following the tragic news that Neighbours would be ending, Home and Away has received widespread support from its Australian network.
In a recent interview with TV Tonight, Channel 7’s head of content scheduling Brook Hall pledged the network’s continued commitment to the Summer Bay serial, implying that the show isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“I know it’s not a sexy thing to say, but Home and Away is our main drama that we run pretty much all year,” he said.
“It’s an expensive drama, a high-quality one. It runs on our main channel in primetime. It’s not something that we use on the multi to get drama points. It is our most expensive outlay of content. And that gets lost.
“There’s no other network that would have as big a price tag on a show. It’s our biggest production of the year.”
In Australia, television networks are required to meet quotas by commissioning a set quantity of drama, documentary, and children’s programming. Hall, on the other hand, reiterated that their support for the Summer Bay soap was not based on reaching targets.
“I’m very proud of Home and Away, and it’s arguably our most important show and our biggest cash outlay,” he said. “We don’t have to do it. We believe in it.
“We don’t do it because it’s a drama quota. We do it because it’s an amazingly successful show.”
In the United Kingdom, Channel 5 broadcasts Home and Away. Unlike Neighbours, the station has a life-of-series deal, which means it will continue to air the show as long as episodes are produced in Australia.
Neighbours have already cast a number of returning characters, including Lucy Robinson, Shane Ramsay, and Harold Bishop, to see the show out after its 37-year run.
