A major broadcasting shake-up is sending shockwaves through Home and Away’s UK fanbase as Channel 5 prepares for a dramatic change to its daytime lineup. For the first time since the iconic Australian soap arrived on Channel 5 back in July 2001, the series is being removed from the network’s main channel entirely.

The broadcaster has officially announced that beginning January 2026, Home and Away will no longer air on Channel 5’s daytime schedule. Instead, the long-running soap will move exclusively to FiveStar and Channel 5’s digital streaming platforms, marking one of the biggest scheduling shifts the show has faced in over two decades.

This update follows Channel 5’s gradual transition toward a “streaming-first” strategy. Since March 2025, new Home and Away episodes have dropped at 6:00 a.m. on the Channel 5 streaming service, with a “first look” airing later that day on FiveStar at 6:30 p.m. Channel 5’s main channel currently airs a repeat the following afternoon—but this broadcast will be completely eliminated once the new year arrives.

From January onward, viewers hoping to catch the daytime episode will need to watch online. The evening block on FiveStar will stay exactly as it is: a repeat of the previous episode at 6:00 p.m., followed by the brand-new installment at 6:30 p.m. Channel 5 insists that this restructure cements Home and Away’s importance within its evolving digital strategy, pointing to a massive surge in online viewing as proof that the audience prefers streaming.

And the numbers back them up.

Channel 5 revealed that when the show switched to streaming-first in early 2025, Home and Away saw a 17% rise in viewing hours during its very first month. That strong performance continued consistently throughout the year, with every month surpassing the previous year’s totals. The most recent figures set an all-time record: a 23% increase compared to the same month in the previous year.

Commissioning Editor Greg Barnett praised the show’s digital success, emphasizing that viewers have embraced the flexibility of on-demand viewing. According to Barnett, fully shifting daytime episodes online is simply the next step in matching the way modern audiences consume their favorite shows.

The announcement arrives at a symbolic moment, coinciding with major changes to fellow Aussie soap Neighbours, which is airing its final episodes in the UK on Prime Video and concluding its revived run in Australia on Network 10. After originally ending in 2023 due to funding cuts from Channel 5, Neighbours returned in 2024 with Amazon’s support—but was not renewed beyond its two-year revival, aside from a brief 60-episode extension.

Meanwhile, Home and Away is currently on its annual holiday break in the UK. The final 2025 episodes aired on FiveStar on November 19th and on Channel 5 on November 21st. The show will return on Friday, January 2nd, 2026, with Episode 8601 available to stream from 6:00 a.m. FiveStar will air a repeat of Episode 8600 at 6:00 p.m., followed by the UK’s first broadcast of Episode 8601 at 6:30 p.m.

As the schedule overhaul looms, one thing is certain: 2026 marks a new era for Home and Away in the UK—and fans will now have to follow Summer Bay through a very different viewing landscape.