Bad news for soap fans as Coronation Street and Emmerdale are heading for yet another schedule shake-up, and it’s landing right in the middle of ITV’s new “power hour” era. After weeks of settling into the refreshed routine, viewers are now facing two nights with no episodes at all next month. Thanks to some major sporting fixtures that will take over the evening slots.
Coronation Street and Emmerdale Are Getting Pulled Off Air Again
ITV has already taken the soaps off air occasionally in recent times due to sports clashes. And it looks like that disruption is about to hit again. During the week starting 2 February, both Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be missing for two nights.
The first break comes on Tuesday 3 February, when the usual episodes won’t air because ITV1 will instead be showing the Carabao Cup match between Arsenal and Chelsea, starting at 7.30pm.
That’s a big fixture, and it’s pushed the soaps out of their normal evening slot once again. Then, just two days later, the soaps will disappear again on Thursday 5 February, with ITV1 airing a Six Nations match between France and Ireland from 7.20pm. So across that week, viewers lose two nights of the “power hour” schedule. And it’s happening at a time when the new format is still bedding in.
The ‘Power Hour’ Disruption Makes the Change Even Worse for Coronation Street Viewers
What makes this schedule change sting more is that Corrie and Emmerdale won’t be doubling up on other nights to make up for the missing episodes. That means fans don’t get replacement instalments later in the week.
It will leave a noticeable gap in the soaps’ momentum and disrupting the flow of the new routine. The new schedule only kicked off this month, and both ITV soaps now airing back-to-back between 8pm and 9pm.
Each show runs for half an hour, creating a shared “soap power hour” that ITV clearly wants viewers to treat as a regular daily slot. But the shift has also come with a downside even without sports interruptions. Under this new structure, each soap has lost 30 minutes per week, because the shows moved away from their previous six-episode transmission format. So when sport wipes out two full nights and ITV doesn’t replace them elsewhere.
ITV has already addressed why it introduced the new format, and the reasoning comes down to changing viewing habits. ITV’s Managing Director, Kevin Lygo, said the move was “viewer-led”. He explained that they “want to present their favourite soap to them in the most digestible way.” Lygo added that research shows viewers increasingly want quicker movement and stronger pacing in soap storylines. Still, for fans trying to stay invested, schedule gaps like the ones coming in early February can feel like the worst kind of interruption. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more Coronation Street spoilers.