Coronation Street and Emmerdale schedules to be cut back from 2026

ITV is to chopped down its soap docket by an hr a week, with Coronation Street and Emmerdale to beryllium changed to half-hour instalments, the broadcaster has announced.

Coronation Street presently airs for 3 hour-long episodes a week, portion Emmerdale is 4 30-minute episodes and 1 hour-long instalment.

From January 2026, determination volition beryllium a “soaps powerfulness hour” connected weekdays with 30-minute Emmerdale episodes astatine 8pm and 30-minute Coronation Street episodes astatine 8.30pm.

Episodes volition proceed to beryllium released astatine 7am connected ITVX earlier airing connected ITV aboriginal that evening.

Performing arts national Equity said the move, pursuing the cancellation of BBC soap Doctors and the changes to Channel 4’s Hollyoaks schedule, gives it “further origin for concern”, but that ITV has assured it it “will not straight interaction the formed oregon effect successful changes to wage oregon contracts”.

ITV brag Kevin Lygo said the alteration is “viewer-led” and volition marque the soaps much “streaming-friendly”.

The managing manager of media and amusement astatine ITV added: “In a satellite wherever determination is truthful overmuch contention for viewers’ clip and attention, and viewing habits proceed to change, we judge this is the close magnitude of episodes that fans tin acceptable into their viewing schedule, to support up to day with the shows.

“Research insights besides amusement america that soap viewers are progressively looking to the soaps for their pacey storytelling.

“Streaming-friendly, 30-minute episodes amended supply the accidental to conscionable spectator expectations for storyline pace, pay-off and resolution.”

We volition enactment our colleagues successful ITV Studios arsenic they enactment done these changes, and volition bash what we tin to mitigate the interaction connected our people

ITV managing manager of media and amusement Kevin Lygo

He said the “soap powerfulness hour” volition besides marque things “consistent” and “easy to find successful the linear schedule” for viewers.

However, Lygo acknowledged that the contented being chopped backmost from the existent six hours a week to 5 volition “have an interaction for the radical who enactment connected the soaps team”.

“We volition enactment our colleagues successful ITV Studios arsenic they enactment done these changes, and volition bash what we tin to mitigate the interaction connected our people,” helium said.

“These changes are motivated by doing what we judge is champion for the continuing occurrence of these important programmes successful the agelong term.

“They besides make headroom successful the wide programme fund for concern successful programming that tin assistance ITV turn scope successful a very, precise competitory market.”

Equity is successful interaction with the casts and engaging with ITV to guarantee that immoderate imaginable antagonistic impacts of these changes are minimal

Natalie Barker, Equity

Equity TV authoritative Natalie Barker said: “The past 18 months has been a hard clip for UK continuing play with the cancellation of Doctors and cuts to Hollyoaks.

“ITV’s announcement contiguous of cuts to occurrence numbers connected Coronation Street and Emmerdale is further origin for concern.

“ITV person assured america that the simplification from six to 5 episodes per week connected each soap from 2026 volition not straight interaction the formed oregon effect successful changes to wage oregon contracts. Equity is successful interaction with the casts and engaging with ITV to guarantee that immoderate imaginable antagonistic impacts of these changes are minimal.

“We bash cognize that less episodes volition mean less opportunities for enactment for our members engaged arsenic impermanent and supporting artists connected these productions.

“This is simply a important nonaccomplishment for our members successful the North East and North West regions and continues the ongoing inclination of less opportunities for surface work, particularly successful the regions and for aboriginal vocation actors.”

She added that the national volition enactment “collectively to support continuing play and run for commitments from the broadcasters to unafraid the semipermanent aboriginal of these programmes which are truthful important to the wellness of UK production”.

Since archetypal airing connected December 9 1960, Coronation Street has gone done a fig of scheduling changes.

It started with 2 episodes a week, which past accrued implicit the years to six instalments by September 2017, earlier it was moved to 3 hour-long episodes a week successful March 2022.

When Emmerdale began successful 1972 it was screened connected 2 days a week, which past accrued implicit the years to six episodes by 2004, with the sixth aboriginal changed to 1 hour-long occurrence per week.

Both soaps person stunt storylines lined up for February, with Coronation Street’s kicking disconnected connected Monday erstwhile a mysterious occurrence broke retired astatine the Platts’ house.

Emmerdale besides has a melodramatic storyline successful the works, filmed implicit a bid of nighttime shoots, which centres connected 2 limousines getting into danger, with 1 near teetering implicit a treacherous frozen lake.

ITV has said some soaps volition diagnostic an “ambitious, never-before-seen stunt” arsenic portion of a week of peculiar episodes successful the 2026 schedule.