Margot Robbie's 'Neighbours' Gets Shocking Microdrama Makeover on New Platform!

The venerable Australian soap opera “Neighbours,” a television institution that ran from 1985 to 2025 with approximately 9,363 episodes, is undergoing a significant transformation. RoseBerry Media is spearheading an initiative to recut the series into short-form vertical video content for its specialized platform, Epis. This innovative project is commencing with episodes featuring globally recognized film star Margot Robbie, who played Donna Freedman on the series from 2008 to 2011.

For the microdrama launch on Epis, two distinct storylines from Robbie's tenure as Donna will be meticulously edited into vertical micro-episodes. This curated content is expected to total around 150 minutes, offering a fresh, mobile-first viewing experience. The intricate process of converting the extensive “Neighbours” library into a vertical series is facilitated by RedSnapper, RoseBerry Media's proprietary production workflow that leverages artificial intelligence to adapt existing TV and film content.

RoseBerry Media was set to announce this pioneering vertical series edit of “Neighbours” in collaboration with Fremantle, the series producer. Beyond Margot Robbie, the show boasts a remarkable list of famous alums, including Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, and Jesse Spencer, underscoring its rich history and cultural impact.

Guy Hameiri, co-founder and CEO of RoseBerry Media, expressed enthusiasm for the project, stating, “’Neighbours’ is an iconic piece of television history and exactly the kind of premium entertainment IP we believe can thrive in the vertical format.” He highlighted the unique opportunity to apply RedSnapper to a long-running soap with such a vast repository of characters, narratives, and cultural moments, praising Fremantle as a collaborative partner in realizing this vision.

Jens Richter, Fremantle’s commercial and international CEO, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing “’Neighbours’ has an extraordinary legacy, with decades of memorable characters, stories and talent.” Richter noted that the partnership with RoseBerry allows for an entirely new exploration of the incredible archive, bringing much-loved intellectual property to new audiences. He views it as a demonstration of how established television libraries can evolve, find new relevance, and importantly, create new commercial opportunities, showcasing how technology and creative thinking can unlock fresh value from diverse content catalogs.

This initiative with Fremantle is part of RoseBerry Media's broader strategy. The company has secured deals with other major content providers, including Banijay Rights, All3Media International, A+E Global Media, and Cineflix Rights, to explore methods for adapting their intellectual property for mobile and other emerging technologies. Hameiri sees the “Neighbours” deal as merely the beginning of reimagining existing programming for varied distribution channels.

For RoseBerry, this project serves as a “powerful proof point for the infrastructure we are building to support the future of premium vertical television,” Hameiri added. He firmly believes that premium vertical television will become a significant new entertainment category, and such partnerships illustrate how iconic IP can achieve new audiences, relevance, and value within this evolving future ecosystem. The trend of creating vertical video and microseries is not solely focused on original, low-budget content; there is a growing market for adapting pre-existing material into micro-sized segments, with companies like Snips, which partners with Banijay Rights and BIG Media, also active in this space.