Stefan Dennis believes that TV soaps may now be over for good following the end of Neighbours last week.
Writing an opinion piece for , the veteran actor, 63, said that soaps will need to find a home on streaming services if they're going to survive.
Neighbours was axed after the UK's  decided in March not to renew its contract with production company Fremantle.
Stefan Dennis (right) believes that TV soaps may now be over for good following the end of Neighbours last week
Streaming giants as a rule do not produce long-form serials like Neighbours, and instead are focused on prestige dramas of around 10 episodes per season, reports .
Stefan, who played ruthless businessman Paul Robinson on Neighbours for nearly 40 years, said that since the traditional audience has switched from free-to-air to streaming, sponsorship revenue has followed it.
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'Though I would have loved Neighbours to set another trend and be the first recognised commercial soap to make the switch to a streaming channel, sadly there were no takers,' he writes. 
'My concern is that if a soap does not soon make that transition, we will start to see the demise of these beloved programs around the world.' 
Writing an opinion piece for The Age , the veteran actor, 63, said that if soap operas were to have a future they need to make the jump to streaming 
Elsewhere in the article, Stefan paid tribute to the Neighbours cast and crew, writing that his career on the show was 'one of the great privileges' of his life.
'Such an iconic piece of television history is being lost all over the world because of the abandonment of its home country, not understanding what it truly offers other than very watchable entertainment,' he wrote.
Meanwhile, Channel 10 will partner on three new local productions with Channel 5, the same UK broadcaster that refused to save Neighbours from the axe. 
They're working together on a trio of projects that will be filmed in Australia but feature British characters, and can be produced for a fraction of what Neighbours costs.
Stefan, who played ruthless businessman Paul Robinson on Neighbours for nearly 40 years, is pictured on the soap in 1995 
Beverley McGarvey, the Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer for Paramount ANZ, owners of Channel 10, said that Channel 5 wants to finance more British-made content, like the hit series All Creatures Great and Small. 
'The investment they would make in a couple of series is nothing like the investment they would need to make in 260 episodes of Neighbours,' Ms McGarvey said.
Amongst the stars who began their career on Neighbours are Craig McLachlan, 56, who earned three Logie Awards while appearing in the series between 1987 and 1999; pop star Delta Goodrem, Смотреть мультики онлайн бесплатно в HD - hd-kino.biz 37; and famed Hollywood actor Guy Pearce, 54.
Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, both 54, join a long list of former Neighbours stars lured back for the final episodes, which also includes Ian Smith and Daniel MacPherson, alongside Mark Little and Paul Keane.
The last episode will air on August 1, and in Australia, it will appear on 10 Peach, where the show moved to back in 2011. 
The last episode of Neighbours will air on August 1, and in Australia, it will appear on 10 Peach, where the show moved to back in 2011




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