ITV has unveiled a new schedule for its soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale in 2026, with one 30-minute episode per weekday for each on ITV1.
The change is in line with research insights that show 30-minute episodes attracted higher audiences in 2024. Currently, Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Emmerdale airs half-hour episodes four days a week, with one hour-long episode on Thursdays.
With the new schedule pattern, episodes will still drop at 7 a.m. on ITVX prior to their evening debuts on ITV1.
“The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led,” said Kevin Lygo, managing director of media and entertainment at ITV. “We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX, and we want to present their favorite 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.
“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.
“Whilst viewing is growing on ITVX, we know a significant proportion of our soaps’ audience still watch us via the schedule. This new pattern is in the DNA of the soap genre—nobody else does 30-minute drama this successfully.
“This new commissioning pattern will mean five hours of soaps a week, rather than the current six. We are conscious this will have an impact for the people who work on the soaps team. We 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.
“These changes are motivated by doing what we believe is best for the continuing success of these important programs in the long term. They also create headroom in the overall program budget for investment in programming that can help ITV grow reach in a very, very competitive market.”
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) responded to ITV’s scheduling change, with Chair Emma Reeves noting the move is “a further blow to continuing drama.”
“ITV’s announcement of cuts to episode numbers on Coronation Street and Emmerdale is a real cause for concern, coming in the wake of the axing of BBC’s Doctors last year and the cancellation of Holby before that,” Reeves said. “The reduction from six to five episodes per week on Coronation Street and Emmerdale from 2026 means fewer opportunities for work for our members.”
“We are seeking further clarity from ITV and talking to our affected members as a matter of urgency,” she added.