Aussie broadcaster Ten has cut Neighbours from five episodes a week down to four for the foreseeable future, it has been announced.
The long-running soap has been on air since 1985 but now faces an uncertain future as its UK broadcaster Channel 5 reportedly weighs up its fate.
UK funding effectively keeps the soap in business but should Channel 5 pull out then the show would almost certainly be axed unless another broadcaster were to step in and take over the rights.
"Channel 5 aren't happy. They think the show is stale," a source told Woman's Day. "They're deciding whether to continue the show or not.
"Many believe this is the beginning of the end. It doesn't help that the cast's contracts are also said to be stripped back too - with many of them only being renewed for a few months at a time."
Channel 5 will continue to air Neighbours five days a week for the time being, with a four-week delay between Aussie and UK broadcasts meaning that it will take until the end of the year for British viewers to get caught up.
Neil Wilkes
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