Coronation Street and Emmerdale viewers were left furious after ITV removed both soaps from the TV schedule.
Coronation Street and Emmerdale fans have been left angry after ITV removed both popular soaps from its schedule for two nights next week.
This comes just weeks after the channel launched its new soap power hour, which introduced revised time slots airing Emmerdale and Corrie back-to-back for half an hour each between 8pm and 9pm. Despite the recent shake-up, both shows will be absent from ITV’s Tuesday and Thursday schedules.
The decision has sparked frustration among viewers, with one fan describing the move as “so painful”.
ITV1 has dropped both soaps to make room for sporting coverage next week, including Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg match between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Coverage will begin at 7.30pm and is expected to finish at approximately 10.25pm, with Mark Pougatch hosting the live broadcast from the Emirates Stadium.
Meanwhile, ITV1 will air the opening match of the 2026 Six Nations on Thursday night, as reigning champions France host Ireland in Paris to kick off the tournament.
This will be the first time a Six Nations match has been played on a Thursday, as fixtures are traditionally held at weekends, with Friday night games only introduced in 2009.
However, the match has been moved to midweek due to the Winter Olympics opening ceremony taking place on Friday, with broadcasters keen to avoid a clash in scheduling.
The opening match of the tournament will kick off at the Stade de France at 8.10pm on Thursday, with ITV1’s coverage beginning at 7.20pm.
As a result, soap fans will be left without their usual episodes of Emmerdale or Coronation Street on both evenings, prompting a wave of frustrated reactions on social media over the scheduling shake-up. One annoyed viewer complained, “This is stupid,” adding, “They’ve already reduced the number of episodes from six a week to five.
“Now it feels like every other week another episode disappears. By 2026, how many fewer episodes will there actually be compared to 2025?”
Another fan echoed the frustration, saying: “I remember when episodes used to be moved to different times because of football — even as recently as last year. Now it seems the new normal is simply no episode at all on sports nights.”
A third viewer claimed: “This whole new schedule feels like a tactic to slowly take away our beloved soap episodes,” while another added: “This is so painful. There are only a handful of shows I enjoy watching, and they keep getting pushed aside.”
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