Emmerdale viewers have been left outraged after the soap announced a significant scheduling update. The ITV programme first graced screens back in 1972 - and it's fair to say it has remained a firm fixture on British television since.
Power Hour Schedule Change
Earlier this year, ITV introduced its new "power hour" soap schedule, shifting Coronation Street and Emmerdale to a revised broadcasting format that left viewers split down the middle. From Monday to Friday, 30-minute Emmerdale episodes air at 8pm, followed by 30-minute Coronation Street episodes at 8.30pm. Both shows are also available to stream from 7am on ITVX.
Football Disruption
On Wednesday (August 11), however, both soaps were displaced from their regular timeslot. The disruption comes as ITV broadcasts live coverage of the Manchester United and Leeds football match, reports the Daily Star. Both soaps return to screens on Thursday (August 12), with Emmerdale airing at 8pm and Coronation Street following at 8:30pm.
Unsurprisingly, fans were far from pleased at yet another scheduling disruption. One viewer wrote: "This is a wind-up to put football on a different channel." Another fumed: "With all the channels we have, surely they could put football on one of those instead of interfering with the soaps. Boils my pee how everything stops for blokes kicking a football about for 90 minutes!!!!"
Echoing these sentiments, a third viewer chimed in: "Cos it's bloody football AGAIN. Haven't we had enough already?" while a fourth added: "I'm sick of all this messing around because of football."
ITV Defends Format
Speaking previously about the new "power hour" soap format, ITV's director of television Kevin Lygo said: "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."
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
