In a major shift for legacy television, Fremantle and vertical TV platform RoseBerry have partnered to reimagine the iconic Australian soap opera Neighbours into a mobile-first, vertical series.
Decades of classic storylines from Ramsay Street will debut on RoseBerry’s direct-to-consumer streaming app, epis, this fall, with additional distribution deals expected to follow.
Key Takeaways
- Neighbours is being adapted into a mobile-first vertical series.
- Fremantle and RoseBerry are behind the new project.
- Classic Ramsay Street storylines will be repackaged for vertical viewing.
- The first adaptation is expected on epis this fall.
- RoseBerry’s RedSnapper technology will help identify story arcs and key moments.
Neighbours Is Going Vertical
The transformation relies on RedSnapper, RoseBerry’s proprietary AI-assisted workflow designed to adapt existing TV and film libraries into short-form vertical video. The platform’s 12-step process scans thousands of episodes to map out character arcs, key plot points, and iconic moments, enabling human editors to reformat and shape standalone vertical arcs for mobile viewers without doing manual tracking work.
Launched in 1985, Neighbours aired over 9,300 episodes across four decades and served as the launching pad for international superstars including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce, and Margot Robbie.
“Neighbours is an iconic piece of television history and exactly the kind of premium entertainment IP we believe can thrive in the vertical format,” said Guy Hameiri, Co-Founder and CEO of RoseBerry Media. “This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to apply RedSnapper to a long-running soap with such a rich library of characters, storylines and cultural moments… We believe premium vertical television will become a significant new entertainment category, and partnerships like this demonstrate how iconic IP can find new audiences, new relevance and new value in that future ecosystem.”
Jens Richter, CEO Commercial and International at Fremantle, emphasized the commercial and creative potential of the partnership:
“Working with RoseBerry allows us to explore an incredible archive in an entirely new way, bringing much-loved IP to new audiences while demonstrating how established television libraries can continue to evolve, find new relevance and importantly create new commercial opportunities.”
A Massive Neighbours Archive
RoseBerry launched epis globally in July 2026 as a dedicated destination for vertical entertainment. The platform features over 100 vertical-native originals and studio-adapted titles, operating alongside industry partnerships with distributors including A+E Global Media, All3Media International, Banijay Rights, and Cineflix Rights.
The first Neighbours vertical adaptation is scheduled to premiere on epis this fall, with specific storyline announcements expected in the coming weeks.
Would you watch classic Neighbours storylines in a vertical format on your phone, or do you prefer watching the soap the traditional way? Tell us what you think!
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