Coronation Street and Emmerdale announce 2022 timeslot changes

Coronation Street and Emmerdale are set to face a big schedule change this year.

ITV have announced today (January 24) that the 6:30pm national and international news broadcast will be extended to an hour, pushing the soaps back and creating a 90-minute block of unbroken soap drama three times a week from March.

Local news will stay at 6pm, followed by the longer national and international news programme at 6.30pm, then you've got Emmerdale at 7.30pm and Corrie at 8pm.

ITV

Corrie will continue to be shown on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights for an hour, and Emmerdale will continue to be an hour-long episode on Thursdays.

ITV's Managing Director of Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo said in a statement: "As viewing habits rapidly change, live audiences to our national and international news programmes remain remarkably strong. Our evening news programme reached an impressive 35.6 million viewers in 2021.

"We are very excited to be announcing this investment in what is an important public service strength of ITV – high-quality, impartial, trusted broadcast journalism – at a time when it could not be more important.

ITV

"The nation's two most popular continuing dramas, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, are fundamental to the success of ITV, and we know that, as with all dramas, viewers increasingly watch them whenever, and however they choose. The new scheduling means that viewers can watch them live on TV in one go in a continuous soap fix, as well as on ITV Hub where they are regularly in the most watched shows every month."

Apparently ITV has data that proves more viewers tune in for when Corrie airs for an hour, rather than with cliffhangers and a half hour break, but what will people do with the ITV soaps always overlapping with EastEnders?

In Scotland, the 6pm news will stay as is but Scotland Tonight will move to 8.30pm.