Changes are expected to make shows ‘streaming-friendly’ to compete. ITV has announced a major shake-up to its soap schedule, as Coronation Street and Emmerdale see their airtime slashed by 30 minutes. On Tuesday (4 February), the network announced the changes would take effect from January 2026. Coronation Street, which has been beleaguered by a cast exodus and alleged “cash crisis” in recent weeks, currently airs for three hour-long episodes every week. Emmerdale runs for four 30-minute episodes and one hour-long show a week.

The new changes will see ITV debut a “soaps power hour” on weekdays. The schedule will feature 30-minute Emmerdale episodes at 8pm, followed by 30-minute Coronation Street episodes at 8.30pm. The show will continue to be released at 7am on ITVX before airing on ITV later that evening. The change is expected to enable the soaps to be more “streaming-friendly” and “viewer-led” according to ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment.

“In a world where there is so much competition for viewers’ time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows,” he said. “Research insights also show us that soap viewers are increasingly looking to the soaps for their pacey storytelling. “Streaming-friendly, 30-minute episodes better provide the opportunity to meet viewer expectations for storyline pace, pay-off and resolution.”.

He said the “soap power hour” will also make things “consistent” and “easy to find in the linear schedule” for viewers. However, Lygo acknowledged that the content being cut back from the current six hours a week to five will “have an impact for the people who work on the soaps team”. “We will support our colleagues in ITV Studios as they work through these changes, and will do what we can to mitigate the impact on our people,” he said.

Since first airing on December 9 1960, Coronation Street has gone through a number of scheduling changes, starting with two episodes a week, which then increased over the years to six instalments by September 2017, before it was moved to three hour-long episodes a week in March 2022. When Emmerdale began in 1972 it was screened on two days a week, which then increased over the years to six episodes by 2004, with the sixth later changed to one hour-long episode per week.

Both soaps have stunt storylines lined up for February, with Coronation Street’s kicking off on Monday when a mysterious fire broke out at the Platts’ house. Emmerdale also has a dramatic storyline in the works, filmed over a series of night shoots, which centres on two limousines getting into danger, with one left teetering over a treacherous frozen lake. ITV has said both soaps will feature an “ambitious, never-before-seen stunt” as part of a week of special episodes in the 2026 schedule.