Page "Soap opera" Paragraph 109

Attempts to replicate the success of daily teen-oriented serials Neighbours and Home and Away saw the creation of Echo Point ( 1995 ) and Breakers ( 1999 ) on Network Ten.

None of these programs emerged as long-running successes and Neighbours and Home and Away remained the most visible and consistently successful Australian soap operas in production.

In their home country they both attract respectable although not spectacular ratings.

By 2004 Neighbours was regularly attracting just under a million viewers per episode — low for Australian prime time television.

By March 2007 Australian viewing figures for Neighbours had fallen to fewer than 700, 000 a night, prompting a revamp of cast and graphics used on the show, and a deemphasis on the action oriented direction the series had moved in with a move to refocus the show on the family storylines it is traditionally known for.

However, Neighbours and Home and Away both continue to achieve significant ratings in the UK.

This and other lucrative overseas markets, along with Australian broadcasting laws that enforce a minimum amount of local drama production for commercial television networks, help ensure that both programs remain in production.

Both shows get higher total ratings in the UK than in Australia ( the UK has three times Australia's population ) and the UK networks make a major contribution to the production costs.