Coronation Street has been removed from ITV's Tuesday night schedule to make way for two World Cup football matches, leaving fans frustrated. The popular soap opera was replaced by the Argentina vs Egypt match at 4:15pm and the Switzerland vs Colombia game at 8:15pm on July 7.
Schedule Shake-Up During Summer Sporting Season
ITV has struggled to manage its programming amid the summer sports calendar. A source told The Sun: "It's proving quite the headache behind the scenes." The channel previously aired an hour-long episode on Monday, July 6, to compensate for Tuesday's cancellation. Coronation Street will return to its regular schedule on Wednesday, July 8, with a 30-minute episode at 8:30pm.
Viewer Concerns and Behind-the-Scenes Discussions
The scheduling changes have sparked fears of audience loss. The source added: "Soap fans have already had to get used to the new slots, which came in at the beginning of the year, so with more changes coming there's a real fear they could lose more viewers. Airing the episodes on a Sunday just does not work and now with the new schedule it's very unlikely they'll be able to run before these big World Cup matches start."
Last year, ITV launched a 'soap power hour' with Emmerdale and Coronation Street airing back-to-back from 8pm to 9pm. However, sporting conflicts have disrupted this plan for months, leading to hour-long special episodes to cover missed slots.
Sky's Acquisition of ITV
On Monday, July 6, Sky announced a £1.6 billion deal to buy ITV, including its broadcast channels and ITVX streaming service, but excluding the studio sector. Sky reassured viewers that shows like Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Love Island, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine, and News at Ten will continue alongside major live sports.
Coronation Street airs next on Wednesday, July 8, at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
