Coronation Street and Emmerdale viewers face further scheduling chaos five months after ITV unveiled new plans

Coronation Street and Emmerdale viewers face further updates as schedule chaos is said to continue for five months From ITV’s new look plans.

The two soap operas have been ITV’s flagship shows since their launch, but they have had to change their schedules regularly when it comes to live sports.

Although the recent cancellation of episodes has angered viewers, it looks like it will continue until 2026. Sun.

The scheduling chaos comes just months after the broadcaster repositioned the soap’s content as a ‘soap power hour’, which would air both programs back-to-back every weekday evening.

This meant that both series had to say goodbye to their usual sixth episodes amid ongoing cuts.

Emmerdale leads the charge at 8pm, followed by Coronation Street at 8.30pm.

The two major soap operas have been ITV’s flagships since their launch, but they have had to change their schedules regularly when it comes to live sports

But with the World Cup just a few weeks away, both series will face constant turmoil.

Soap viewers are reportedly bracing for a bleak summer as the 2026 World Cup threatens to disrupt soap schedules.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States, will start in June and ITV is expected to prioritize live match coverage.

However, hit soaps will be forced out of their usual slots for some matches after ITV bosses introduced a ‘soap power hour’ from 8pm to 9pm each evening.

A source told Sun: ‘This proves to be quite a headache behind the scenes.

‘Soap fans have had to get used to the new slots arriving at the start of the year, so there’s a real fear they could lose more viewers with more changes coming.

‘Broadcasting episodes on Sunday doesn’t work and under the new schedule it’s unlikely they’ll be able to continue running before those big World Cup matches start.’

According to insiders, ‘a lot of discussions’ are ongoing as bosses scramble to minimize the impact.

But with the World Cup just weeks away, both series will face constant turmoil

The Daily Mail contacted ITV for comment at the time.

In recent months, episodes have been dropped entirely due to sporting events, while other episodes have been pushed to less popular Sunday evening broadcasts, disappointing loyal viewers.

Earlier this week, both series were removed from their regular schedules and their episodes were shifted to a one-hour Sunday broadcast.

ITV had previously attempted to mitigate the disruption by airing episodes early on ITVX, but this strategy reportedly confused viewers.

Despite the scheduling chaos, the broadcaster claims the changes have increased digital viewing.

Broadcast figures for the soaps increased by 48 per cent year-on-year, with both Coronation Street and Emmerdale recording their highest ever monthly figures.

The programs were watched with a total of 65 million streams in January 2026, 10 million more than any previous record, and Coronation Street reached an audience of 5.9 million on TV and online.

Earlier this year Coronation Street and Emmerdale fans were in turmoil as the popular shows were canceled again by ITV.

The ‘soap power hour’ was canceled once again on April 14 to make room for sporting events on the channel.

This time it was the Women’s European Qualifier match, with England’s Lionesses facing Spain.

Emmerdale usually airs Monday to Friday at 8pm on ITV, while Coronation Street usually airs at 8.30pm.

But this was good news for EastEnders fans, as the series was still airing at 7.30pm as usual on BBC1.