Coronation Street fans are expressing their frustration as the beloved soap faces yet another schedule change. ITV's new 'power hour' soap lineup, introduced earlier this year, has been disrupted by live football coverage.
Schedule Changes Explained
Under the new timetable, Emmerdale airs for 30 minutes at 8pm Monday to Friday, followed by Coronation Street at 8.30pm. Both shows are also available for streaming from 7am on ITVX. However, on Tuesday, June 9, both soaps were pulled from their regular slots to make way for ITV's live broadcast of the FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier between England and Ukraine.
Coronation Street returns on Wednesday, June 10, airing an hour earlier at 7.30pm, with Emmerdale following at 7.00pm. On Friday, June 12, both soaps will air extended hour-long episodes from 8pm to 10pm to make up for the missed episodes.
Fan Backlash
Viewers have taken to social media to voice their displeasure. One fan raged on Facebook: "Give football its own channel there's plenty to choose from grrrrrrr." Another added: "Come on ITV, stop taking our programmes off, or put us on a different channel for the football."
A third commented: "It's quite ridiculous in this day and age that programmes have to be cancelled for b****y football that not everyone watches!! All channels have 1,2,3 so the football or other programmes should be moved rather than this!!"
ITV's Response
Kevin Lygo, ITV's director of television, previously defended the new 'power hour' format, stating: "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."
He added: "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. 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, payoff and resolution."
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
