Neighbours Shocking ratings this year!.

[j.laur5]

Neighbours ratings in Australia are below 200 each night.

Not good!.

Going to enjoy 30th anniversary as I don't think Neighbours will be around in ten years!.

[Bobby Forever Missed]

Not surprised if the promo for the nude run is anything to go by i won't be watching except for the 30th episodes

[Homeandawayfan.]

I wonder what the future for Neighbours will hold once the 30th anniversary is over. I think the UK audience is what keeps Neighbours afloat, otherwise it would have been axed years ago if not. H&A has no need to worry as it still rates well in many countries. I can see H&A becoming the longest Aussie soap in production in a few years time.

[rachel1990]

I think the last few years the Uk audience has kept Neighbours on the air and I'm willing to bet that Channel 5 pay Fremantle a fortune to keep it running. I'm starting to wonder if Neighbours is now directed straight to UK audiences and the Australian audiences no longer matter to Fremantle or 11

[alexx]

I don't think the show is produced solely for the UK market. I think they will always continue to try and be as successful as possible in Australia, but the very poor promotion, the very slack marketing makes the show drift off into the shadows. Out of sight, our of mind. The move to Eleven damaged the ratings too (there are still people who think Neighbours was axed years ago!!)

If H&A or any other Australian drama was treated the same way as Neighbours is I'm sure its ratings would plummet too. H&A have a very prominent marketing campaign it's almost impossible to go a day without being reminded of the show, whether it be articles in the paper, magazines in the shops, consistent promotion on TV etc.

The content of the show itself is quite standard and on par with what is being produced in other successful Aussie dramas, the set's look dated but other than that it's reasonably well produced and the writing could improve, but the same could be said for a lot of other shows. I think it all boils down to the marketing, the channel it has been shifted to and the lack of promotion/awareness.

[LondonF4]

I don't think the show is produced solely for the UK market. I think they will always continue to try and be as successful as possible in Australia, but the very poor promotion, the very slack marketing makes the show drift off into the shadows. Out of sight, our of mind. The move to Eleven damaged the ratings too (there are still people who think Neighbours was axed years ago!!)

If H&A or any other Australian drama was treated the same way as Neighbours is I'm sure its ratings would plummet too. H&A have a very prominent marketing campaign it's almost impossible to go a day without being reminded of the show, whether it be articles in the paper, magazines in the shops, consistent promotion on TV etc.

The content of the show itself is quite standard and on par with what is being produced in other successful Aussie dramas, the set's look dated but other than that it's reasonably well produced and the writing could improve, but the same could be said for a lot of other shows. I think it all boils down to the marketing, the channel it has been shifted to and the lack of promotion/awareness.

I agree that lack of promotion and awareness is to blame. Most people I know wouldn't even realise it was still on the air, the way its been shunted to Eleven and forgotten about. It's a shame because Ten gave so much promotion to the 2007 revamp which was a flop, yet the show has quietly gone about another revolution in the past 2 years which has been enjoyed by fans yet there was no promotional support to bring a wider audience back. I agree that the production values could be a lot better though, but I suppose thats a question of budget.

[Jezz]

The ratings for Neighbours in Australia have been alarming to say the least and I think they come down to various factors.

The most obvious one being the lack of promotion that the show has received especially in its 30th anniversary year which is a pivotal moment for the show to recapture lost viewers and those who have switched off from the show in the past. Alexx made a good point earlier in saying that some people still think that Neighbours is axed. For example, older relatives of mine used to be avid viewers of the show until its switchover to Channel Eleven and after many years they either don't know that the show is still on or they find it difficult to get back into the show in terms of understanding new characters and storylines after a three or four year absence from it.

Secondly, the switchover to Channel Eleven coincides with the lack of promotion and advertising that the show receives in contrast to Home and Away. The quality of storylines and characters in Home and Away is no better to what we're seeing in Neighbours but Home and Away will always gain larger ratings because of its heavy promotion on TV and magazines and the fact it's on a main channel as opposed to Neighbours which is on a new multi-channel that came about with digital television as analog television started fading away slowly over the years until everyone was forced to switch over to digital TV eventually.

Lastly, Australia is still experiencing Summer and many people have either been away on holidays, been participating in summer-like activities such as heading to the beach, attending the Australian Open (I'm a case in point) and enjoying the last of what summer has to offer to them before everyone starts returning to work, university or school. I think the show came on far too early this year on Monday January 5 and for most avid fans it's great that the show was back so soon after Christmas and New Year but I think it can be anti-climatic for some when it returns so soon and secondly most people are still away or out doing other activities in contrast to getting into a normal routine to watching shows like Neighbours and Home and Away until the Autumn and Winter period where routines are established and most are back at work rather than holidaying as they do in December, January and February.

Overall these ratings figures have been concerning but I always hold out a glimmer of hope that the 30th anniversary celebrations will draw in many more viewers, whether they're casual viewers or former viewers who have stopped watching the show after many years of following it previously. After all I still hold the belief that the Susan Bower years did severe damage to the show and it's only now that Richard Jasek and now Jason Herbison have rebuilt and rejuvenated the show to an acceptable standard for viewers.

[Homeandawayfan.]

I agree with Jezz here when he mentions why Neighbours has had lower ratings recently. So it does seem the show is not in danger of being axed am I right?

I hope not as Richard and Jason have rejuvenated the show and it is much better quality than H&A is at the moment. Neighbours is the least sensational of any soap now I think, anyway.

[emmasi]

I think that's the "problem". It's not sensationalised so it's not demanding people tune in every single day to see who's going to almost-but-not-quite die every episode. I agree that Neighbours is the better show at the moment, but I think it's targeted to a much broader audience, which is a great thing for loyal fans who can watch it and enjoy it through every stage of life, but doesn't really translate well into ratings, because the "genre" if you like isn't focused enough to bring in one die-hard sector of the audience on a consistent basis (i.e. people looking for hot bodies and cheap thrills... guilty as charged over here!). Neighbours is what a soap should be - a daily program that you can check in on once or twice a week and still have an idea of what's going on. I enjoy watching it every day, but I don't stress too much if I miss an episode. That's the way it should be. But like I said, if you're relying on every single episode getting good ratings, that can be a problem. Personally, I think it's perfect right now, give or take a few characters (*cough*sonyandnate*cough*) and I hope it stays this good, and stays on air, for a a long time.

Anyway if they can run "Family Feud" on three different channels at the same time and call it good programming, I don't think they'll be looking to shaft any Australian content any time soon. It seems like they're struggling to make their quota as it is.

[Jezz]

I agree with Jezz here when he mentions why Neighbours has had lower ratings recently. So it does seem the show is not in danger of being axed am I right?

I hope not as Richard and Jason have rejuvenated the show and it is much better quality than H&A is at the moment. Neighbours is the least sensational of any soap now I think, anyway.

I think if the ratings are higher enough in Britain I couldn't see the show being axed in the near future. If the ratings were to ever go down in the UK then I'd be extremely concerned by the show's future.