Alan Fletcher talks about Neighbours move to Eleven

Neighbours actor Alan Fletcher has discussed the Australian soaps recent move to digital station Eleven.

Neighbours returned last night for its 2011 season, following its Christmas break, and aired on Eleven for the first time. The move to the digital station was announced last year in response to falling ratings on Channel Ten. However, while some have predicted the move signals another nail in the coffin for the soap actor Alan Fletcher doesn’t believe so. The actor, who plays Karl Kennedy in Neighbours, is confident over its future.

“When Neighbours moved to Channel 5, people kept ringing me up and saying, ‘It’s a disaster’. But it has been the opposite. The audience is really strong and people can watch it more than once and they are not tied to a timeslot like on free-to-air.” – Alan Fletcher in the Herald Sun

The move isn’t the first time Neighbours has changed channels in Australia. The soap originally launched on Seven Network in Australia in 1985 but was cancelled after several months because of poor ratings. Channel Ten then stepped in and acquired the soap in 1986. In the UK more recently Neighbours moved from BBC One, where it had aired since 1986, to Channel Five.