Emmerdale and Coronation Street episodes cut and time slots changed – I think it’s the right move to save the soaps – OPINION

Emmerdale and Coronation Street are having their episodes cut and their time slots changed, ITV has announced today. Some might think it signals the soaps are on their way out, but I think it’s the best move the channel could have made.

For months we’ve had reports of Emmerdale and Coronation Street being in crisis. Large numbers of big-name cast departures have set fans on edge over the future of their favourite serial dramas.

And now ITV has made its latest announcement, there is more panic amongst viewers.

ITV announces cuts for episodes of Emmerdale and a new time slot

From January 2026, both Emmerdale and Coronation Street will be part of a soaps ‘power hour’. Both will air every day, Monday to Friday and both will be just 30 minutes long.

Emmerdale’s new time slot is at 8pm, with Corrie following at 8.30pm. They will continue to drop at 7am on ITVX.

All this means there is five hours of each soap per week rather than six.

ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment, Kevin Lygo said of the move: “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.”

He added: “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.”

On the impact on the teams, Kevin assured they 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 also admitted the move is in line with their budget constraints so they can invest more in programming at ITV.

A cut in Emmerdale and Coronation Street episodes means less commitment

Although some may think this is the beginning of the end for the ITV soaps, I really don’t think it is. I think the channel has taken a very sensible decision to move with the times in order to safeguard the future of our favourite shows.

I have been a soap journalist for over 20 years and I love them all (most of the time!), but with a young family and a full-time job, I simply cannot commit to the amount of episodes per week. The hour-long Corrie three times a week is a definite struggle, that’s for sure. And I’m positive many others feel the same.

Of course, with the arrival of the eps on ITVX, it has become much easier to watch them in our own time. But still, the commitment is huge – go away for a week and I’m so behind, I feel like I’ll never catch up.

It’s not just the amount of time, but psychologically half an hour as opposed to an hour feels more like you can fit it in. Even if in reality, you’re only losing 60 minutes in total a week, it all seems more manageable.

Get rid of the deadwood!

Kevin’s point about the pace of storytelling is also a good one. Take the recent April going missing plot. It has felt like we have spent a looooong time listening to Marlon crying. We all know that in reality these things do go on for a long time, however, as viewers we don’t always want to see it. Soaps have some level of poetic licence to speed things up – and 30 minute episodes help do just that.

But at the same time, it will also help us invest in the storylines more. Whilst I would never wish anyone out of a job, it’s fair to say there is some deadwood in both Emmerdale and Corrie that they could do without (naming no names!)

This move means the soaps can now focus on the characters we love, we can invest in them more, rather than the ‘filler’ plots being used to make up the time.

Will the move work for the ITV soaps?

Look at Hollyoaks: they completely changed their schedule in September 2024. They dropped from five to three episodes a week with the eps being streamed online before being shown on E4. It also moved from Channel 4 altogether. Everyone thought it was the beginning of the end – but it turned out to be the smartest move the soap could have made.

The move was made in line with changing viewer habits for their core 16-24 year old audience. Their viewing figures have risen, with them finishing 2024 23 percent up on where they were for 2023. I’d consider that a win.

And I think this cut to Emmerdale and Coronation Street is the right move for ITV to save the soaps from disappearing altogether.

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

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