Things are not really looking great for Coronation Street. A soap opera that would easily keep the audience captivated is now struggling to even get enough ratings to keep them afloat. This news comes as Corrie stars are offered shorter contracts this year. Long running soap like Corrie generally offer their key players long term contracts. However, this year, the cash crunch has made producers only offer the cast members contracts until the end of 2025. What is happening exactly? Keep reading to find out.
Big Cash Crunch For Coronation Street
This year, Coronation Street has failed to even make it to the top ten list on Christmas day and that is causing many issues for actors and producers. While many had hoped that the show would garner ample views for the Gail Platt storyline, only 2.6 million viewers tuned in.
Speaking about it to The Sun, a source said that Corrie has a huge cast and not everybody is getting enough episodes. Some are reduced to pay-per-episode which is now becoming an issue. Many of these stars are now looking for supplement income with personal appearances and social media endorsements to pay their mortgages.
Revealing more details, this source revealed that many cast members are also now on guest contracts. These are short term contracts and actors can take extended breaks. The bosses are also trying to use the younger generation of cast more because they are paid less money. This in the end makes the episode cheaper.
Kate Brooks, the producer of the show had previously mentioned that there are some shocking exits coming up this year. She expected that they would send shockwaves in the soap community. However, nothing like that happened and the audience figures continue to fall.
All of this has also left the cast fuming. The financial constraints are so bad at Coronation Street production that not only was the annual summer bash cancelled, but the Christmas party was cancelled too.
What will be the future of Coronation Street? We will have to wait to know. Soap Opera Daily will keep passing on all the updates as they surface. Stay tuned. Also, tell us, which one was your favourite storyline this year? Comment below.
