ITV soap fans were left fuming after the channel confirmed a schedule shake-up for Emmerdale and Coronation Street due to the FIFA World Cup. The soaps typically air at 8pm and 8.30pm on weeknights in what ITV calls the "soaps power hour," but this week's schedule has been altered.
Schedule Changes Announced
ITV posted a message on Instagram stating that neither Emmerdale nor Coronation Street would air on Monday, June 29. "Team Soap fans, here's your fixture changes for this week!" the post read, revealing that from Tuesday to Friday, Emmerdale would air at 7.15pm, and Coronation Street from 8.15pm to 8.45pm.
Fan Backlash
Many viewers expressed frustration in the comments. One wrote: "It does my head in that things get moved for football. We are not all fans." Another said: "I do not understand in an age of stream everything why do soaps have to miss days? Surely boomers like me can stream." A third viewer pleaded: "Please ITV can we upload episodes onto ITVX at the beginning of the week and not have this malarkey going on! It's very stressful for people like me who are autistic and need routine."
Another suggestion was: "Can’t we just miss the soaps only when England plays," while one fan admitted they were "sick" of the football. A commenter argued: "Football should go on the sports channels because that's what it's classified as, so put it on there, you're going to get the same figures." Another viewer proposed: "I just don’t get why they can’t put them on ITV2 or on ITVX instead of messing soap fans around. Plus I don’t understand why we need to show every single game if it’s not a home game."
Positive Reactions
However, some fans were relieved the shows were still airing most of the week. One posted: "At least we have almost every day not only three like the past week, I am so glad for this." Another viewer pointed out: "For some people football really helps their mental health. Football isn't just simply people kicking a ball around the pitch."
Emmerdale and Coronation Street air on ITV.
