Neighbours

[Brekkie]

@Harriet

Very interesting article.

Why am I not surprised 10/CBSViacom invest so little. They really do not care about Australian drama at all, even cheap schedule filler.

Though that $150,000 price tag per episode seems high. Surely Fremantle could trim some more fat. Reduce location filming, cull some more cast (sad but necessary) just film in the sets and get creative with the writing.

It does seem high considering £125k is only just under the reported £130k spend on each episode of EastEnders, which run 7-8 minutes longer and clearly have much more money spent on them.

Neighbours is already clearly the budget soap - a small cast (which actually works to it’s advantage) and rarely leaving the sets and regular locations. It’s probably better to end it than compromise it even further with more budget cuts.

@MBB

What’s to say the run of the show won’t be all year round though?

I think if it does get saved by another network here it will be a reduced episode order / format change. Could become 1hour show once a week.

It’s quite possible as a lot of the broadcasters looking at it would look how to make it viable.

$150k currently for an ep for 30 mins x 4 times a week - $600k

Make that 1 hour once a week $300k - already a cut of half the budget. No doubt a cast cull would have to happen but there are ways of making it work.

Doesn’t quite work like that though - the overheads means halving production doesn’t half the costs.