'Coronation Street' and 'Emmerdale' are set to move to new timeslots.
Corrie and Emmerdale to get a schedule revamp from March 2022
The ITV soap operas will undergo a schedule shake-up from March 2022, which will see 'Coronation Street' ditch its split episode format and move to three hour-long instalments on a Monday, Wednesday and a Friday at 8pm whilst 'Emmerdale' will remain as a half-hour show but will be broadcast every week night at 7:30pm as opposed to its current slot of 7pm.
In a statement, ITV said: "The nation’s two most popular continuing dramas, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, are fundamental to the success of ITV, and we know that, as with all dramas, viewers increasingly watch them whenever, and however they choose. The new scheduling means that viewers can watch them live on TV in one go in a continuous soap fix, as well as on ITV Hub where they are regularly in the most watched shows every month.”
The new scheduling will put the soaps in a direct clash with BBC rival soap opera 'EastEnders', which airs four times a week at 7:30pm, 8pm and 8:30pm on varying nights.
Along with the announcement, John Whiston, ITV's Managing Director of Continuing Drama promised fans of 'Coronation Street' that the new format would give the long-running soap a "brilliant new canvas" whist Yorkshire-based soap 'Emmerdale' will "do what it does best" in its new timeslot.
He said: “With 'Coronation Street' bursting at the seams with fantastic story and character, the new format gives the show a brilliant new canvas on which to shine. And 'Emmerdale' will do what it does best in this new time slot where viewers can continue to enjoy the dramatic goings on in the Dales.”