Coronation Street has been pulled from the schedules again this week as the ITV soap is set to air just five episodes a week from now on after a major TV shake-up

Coronation Street has been taken off our screens this week in yet another scheduling reshuffle, amid ITV’s recent announcement of plans to reduce their weekly soap episodes.

On January 31st, Corrie devotees were left stunned when their daily dose of the cobbles was supplanted by Six Nations Live. Regrettably, it’s set to happen again. Instead of Coronation Street on Friday night (7 February), football enthusiasts can tune into Manchester United vs Leicester City as part of the FA Cup. The match will commence at 7:30pm following Emmerdale. Coronation Street typically broadcasts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for one hour from 8:00pm.

However, this week, Weatherfield fans have seen the soap air on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday instead. On Tuesday, ITV confirmed that fan-favourite soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale will adopt a new scheduling pattern due to ongoing budget cuts.

Emmerdale currently airs six episodes weekly, Monday to Friday with a double bill on Thursdays. Similarly, Coronation Street also airs six episodes per week, with two episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Now, only five 30-minute episodes of each show will be broadcast – a real terms cut to soap airtime of 17%. Bosses will now roll out a soaps power hour from Monday to Friday with 30-minute Emmerdale episodes airing at 8pm and 30-minute Coronation Street episodes airing at 8:30pm. However, each episode will continue to be available at 7am on ITVX before airing that same evening.

The launch of the new 2026 schedule is set to be a dazzling affair, as both Coronation Street and Emmerdale gear up for an audacious stunt that’s never been attempted before during a week of special episodes. Insights from research indicate that 30-minute episodes garnered higher audiences in 2024, offering more manageable chunks of drama that align better with evolving viewing patterns.

Coronation Street will air every day for half an hour in the new schedule shake-up
Coronation Street and Emmerdale, the UK’s most-watched soaps, boast a combined weekly audience exceeding 8 million viewers. This week, Corrie was ablaze with action – quite literally – beginning with a mysterious fire at the Platts’ residence last night, threatening to ruin far more than just the building itself.

Meanwhile, Emmerdale is set to deliver a pulse-racing plot, shot across several night shoots, revolving around a perilous evening that sees two limousines face danger, with one precariously perched on the edge of a treacherous frozen lake.

Kevin Lygo, ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, commented: “The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led. We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX and we want to present their favourite soap to them, in the most digestible way. 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.”

Coronation Street have explosives storylines coming up
The soaps are renowned for their brisk storytelling. The streaming-friendly, 30-minute episodes offer a better chance to meet viewer expectations for storyline pace, pay-off and resolution.

While viewing is increasing on ITVX, we’re aware that a significant portion of our soap audience still tunes in via the schedule. This new pattern is ingrained in the soap genre – no one else pulls off 30-minute drama this successfully.

It forms a consistent soap power hour that’s easy to locate in the linear schedule, for the UK’s biggest soaps. This new commissioning pattern will result in five hours of soaps a week, rather than the current six.

This week saw The Platts household go up in flames“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. Whilst viewing is growing on ITVX, we know a significant proportion of our soaps’ audience still watch us via the schedule. This new pattern is in the DNA of the soap genre – nobody else does 30-minute drama this successfully. It creates a soap power hour that’s consistent, and easy to find in the linear schedule, for the UK’s biggest soaps. This new commissioning pattern will mean five hours of soaps a week, rather than the current six.”

“We recognise this will impact the people who work on the soap team. We’ll support our colleagues in ITV Studios as they navigate these changes, and will strive to minimise the impact on our staff. These changes are driven by what we believe is best for the long-term success of these crucial programmes. They also free up space in the overall programme budget for investment in programming that can help ITV expand reach in an extremely competitive market.”