Fans of Coronation Street and Emmerdale might want to prepare for a rocky few months, because this summer isn’t looking great when it comes to soap schedules. The big disruption? The 2026 World Cup. With the tournament kicking off in June and matches being held across Canada, Mexico and the United States, ITV is expected to prioritise live football coverage, and that’s set to throw its regular programming into complete disarray.
For soap viewers, that likely means constant changes to when (and even if) their favourite shows air. And behind the scenes, it sounds like things are already getting complicated. Insiders have previously said the situation is proving to be a real challenge, especially as audiences have only just got used to the schedule shake-up introduced earlier this year when ITV introduced the ‘soap power hour’. Now, with even more changes on the horizon, there’s growing concern that viewers could start to drift away altogether. Consistency is key for soaps, and when people can’t keep track of when episodes are on, it’s easy for them to lose the habit of watching.
One of the biggest sticking points seems to be the idea of moving episodes to Sundays. While it might seem like a simple solution on paper, it hasn’t exactly gone down well with fans. Many feel that Sunday evenings just don’t have the same appeal, and it disrupts the routine that weekday episodes usually provide. With World Cup matches expected to dominate prime-time slots, though, ITV may not have much choice. Reports suggest that ongoing discussions are taking place as bosses try to minimise the impact, but there’s no clear solution that keeps everyone happy.
ITV has also experimented with releasing episodes early on its streaming platform, ITVX, in an attempt to give viewers more flexibility. But that approach has had mixed results. While some fans appreciate being able to watch ahead, others have been left confused about when episodes are actually available or what counts as the ‘main’ broadcast.
Digital Viewing Figures on the Rise
Despite all the scheduling chaos, there is a surprising upside. According to ITV, digital viewing figures are on the rise. Streaming for both Coronation Street and Emmerdale has jumped by 48% compared to last year, suggesting that more people are turning to on-demand viewing rather than traditional TV slots. In fact, January 2026 was a record-breaking month, with the two soaps pulling in a combined 65 million streams, around 10 million more than any previous high. Coronation Street alone reached an audience of 5.9 million across both TV and streaming platforms, showing that the appetite for the soaps is still very much there.
Still, strong viewing figures haven’t stopped fans from voicing their frustration. Normally, Emmerdale airs at 8pm, followed by Coronation Street at 8:30pm, Monday to Friday on ITV. But lately, that routine has been anything but reliable. So far this year, multiple schedule changes have been implemented for Emmerdale and Corrie due to sports matches airing instead.
Meanwhile, over on BBC One, EastEnders has continued airing at its regular 7:30pm slot without interruption, something ITV viewers might be feeling a little jealous about right now. With the World Cup still to come, the big question is whether ITV can find a balance between football and fan-favourite soaps, or if viewers are in for months more of schedule chaos.
