Once catch-up watching data is included, Neighbours’ ratings for the final-ever episode have increased even more.
According to TV Tonight, the number of viewers increased by 27% nationally in Australia, going from 1.2 million to 1.38 million when catch-up and live viewing are included.
On July 28, Neighbours bid its Australian viewers a last farewell when the series finale aired on Channel 10 to the show’s greatest ratings in 13 years.
There’s no doubt that the popularity of Neighbours increased as a result of several prominent former cast members returning.
In the finale, cameo roles were played by Jesse Spencer, Delta Goodrem, Kym Valentine, Carla Bonner, and Natalie Imbruglia in addition to returning actors Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie, and Guy Pearce.
The show typically averages 100,000 people, but the finale surpassed expectations with 873,000 viewers in Australia’s five major cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth).
After 37 years on the air, Neighbours was confirmed to be ending this year after Channel 5 said it will be airing the soap opera after the summer.
After the series finale aired, Minogue posted a sequence of nostalgic images of her and Donovan’s characters coupled with a picture from the series finale to Instagram in an emotional ode to the serial that helped establish her career.
The post’s caption read: “There were tears, for sure! Congratulations to the @neighbours crew for the joyful and uplifting conclusion. You’ll always be in my heart!”
