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VICELAND ending Shortland Street broadcasts

After that massive cliffhanger fire, NZ soap will no longer be seen in new episodes on VICELAND.

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Sorry Shortland Street fans, new episodes will conclude on SBS VICELAND this Friday.

The NZ soap just had a massive cliffhanger with the burning of its hospital after 30 years, and only returned to VICELAND last week.

An SBS spokesperson told TV Tonight, “SBS VICELAND originally acquired 250 episodes of Shortland Street for the 2022 season, which only produced 240 episodes.

“As a result, we still had an extra 10 episodes to play out between 23rd Jan – 3rd Feb.

“Sadly, these will be the last episodes we air on VICELAND.”

From next week the show screens triple repeats in an early morning broadcast at 9:30am.

32 Responses

  1. Michael Galvin shared this across their socials. They’re looking for a new Australian home.

    twitter.com/shortlandtweet/status/1621337581790306304?s=46&t=WX5h1vCWnqUTl9AH_4GIIg

  2. They say poor ratings. More like poor programming. They put the show on a low rating supplementary channel, starting it at an odd time, following it with a painting show featuring an artist that died over 10 years ago….what did they expect? Similar treatment from other channels. ABC had it on at 4am, 7Two during the 9-12pm slot, along with 10 year old episodes of Coronation Street. The only other option IMO is for it to move to Channel 10. But that probably won’t happen.

    1. They also barely advertised it during ad breaks, or posted about it on their social media (they did on their Facebook when it started airing, but from there, nothing).

      1. It would be an ideal fit for channel 10. Local content co produced by the same company that makes Neighbours. The two shows would go well back to back on 10. Maybe a partition would help.

      2. Totally agree with Christa,

        It’s like they wanted the show to fail. Such a shame. It perfectly fitted with SBS remit. As as for the low ratings, please, they have other shows that must rate lower yet they continue to show them.

  3. I found this out last week and was trying to find a way to let fans know but I couldn’t find any aussie fan groups or anything so at least this article is out to tell everyone! SBS told me via email it was being cancelled due to poor ratings.

    So far since I started watching the show it has been on 7TWO then Arena? on Foxtel and now SBS Viceland, if SBS can’t make it work here I doubt anyone can but it’s a shame that a lot of NZ shows struggle in Australia. Perhaps with so many digital/online only multichannels one of the big channels could make an NZ multichannel with all NZ content.

    For now there is no legal way to watch Shortland Street from Australia even if you pay! TVNZ Geoblocks Aussie IP’s from watching anything and no one here is showing it and I doubt anyone else will pick it up now.

  5. Is the only reason SBS are no longer screening new episodes because they only purchased 250 of them? Why would a production company agree to only selling one year’s worth of episodes to a long running series? Hardly helps build an audience.

    Surely it can’t be a local content quota thing for SBS; I thought the rules on quotas didn’t apply in the same way for ABC and SBS. To be honest, I was always surprised that Nine hadn’t picked up Shortland Street for the lazy content points in the same way 10 had/have Neighbours.

    2. The Govt has reintroduced compulsory Australian content quotas for free to air TV. The same rules are being applied to streaming services. 10s decision to rest Neighbours was financial, not to do with ratings. A new backer was found, so it’s back in production.

      1. ‘Neighbours’ was due to poor ratings here-without costs being borne by an overseas broadcaster, it wasn’t viable to continue making it, hadn’t been so for years.

        1. Alan Fletcher told me the show had been winning the target age group figures for 10Peach. He said to me a few years ago, that there was a proposal to suspend Australian content quotas for free to air TV, and if adopted, TV production would be in trouble, and he was right. That proposal was adopted. The current government is in the process of reversing that decision.

          1. A bit more complex than that. Drama sub quotas were dropped but they still have to meet overall quota points and there is a cap that stops them from doing it all with reality / doco. Govt is expanding quotas to Streaming, I haven’t heard anything about reversing current quotas.

  6. The only reason Foxtel dropped it was SBS purchased the rights to Shortland Street. Who knows, it might end up back on Foxtel. Viewers should contact Fremantle Media Australia and complain. Contact the networks, complain. Contact South Pacific Pictures, let them know what’s happened.

  7. I can’t believe Shortland Street is being cancelled again. How many Australian shows are Kiwis subjected to? They are our closest neighbours with a great show that beats Home and Away hands down. Yet SBS can’t be bothered to show a wonderfully diverse show??? Please if anyone is reading this reconsider this decision. If someone from ABC is watching please consider showing Shortland Street. Honestly, I shouldn’t have to move to NZ to watch the show!

      1. Hi Christa,

        I knew it was on SBS when first launched in the 90’s – I watched the first episode! Also knew about Foxtel screenings in the 90’s and more recently. Had no idea about ABC. However if Neighbours can be save by a streaming service why not Shortland Street? Surely there must be a way for Aussie fans to view without having to move to NZ??? Hello Netflix / Amazon / Binge / Stan etc. I would sign up just for this show!

    1. No I prefer it on actual TV. Not everyone can afford streaming services. The real reason it’s been taken off ‘it wasn’t rating well’. Yeah, the constant timeslot changes, barely advertising it, I wonder why?

  10. That’s really disappointing. I spent most of the Summer holidays watching the triple episodes screened from 9:30am on Viceland. They’re up to the 2021 season in the mornings. A true example of diversity in their storylines. A shame to see it disappear.

  11. So are they leaving it on a cliff hanger or after they show the aftermath?

    this show just can’t seem to find a permanent home in Aus. From SBS in the 90s to various Foxtel channels and back to SBS(Viceland).

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