ITV soap fans, brace yourselves, because the schedules are shifting yet again with Emmerdale and Coronation Street are both being moved around later this month thanks to live sport. But there is a twist this time with a rare Sunday night episode thrown into the mix.
Football and rugby have long caused chaos for the ITV soaps, with episodes regularly bumped from their usual slots.
Viewers have made it clear they are not fans of the disruption, especially when there have not always been catch-up instalments. But in a change that may soften the blow, extra episodes are on the way to balance things out.
It’s important to us that you never miss our articles when searching for stories! We have all the latest TV & Celebrity news to share with our community of loyal readers.
Click here and tick Entertainmentdaily.com
Emmerdale and Coronation Street heading to Sunday night
As reported by Digital Spy, viewers will need to tune in on Sunday March 29, when Emmerdale airs at 7pm, followed by Coronation Street at 7.30pm. The special scheduling is to make up for both soaps being pulled from later in the week.
Normal service resumes on Monday March 30, but the disruption does not end there. On Tuesday March 31, there will be no ITV soaps at all, with England’s football match against Japan taking over the schedule from 7pm.
The rest of the week continues in a similarly mixed-up fashion. On Wednesday April 1, both soaps return to their usual 8pm and 8.30pm slots. However, on Thursday April 2, they will air earlier than usual at 7.30pm and 8pm to accommodate a two-hour run of Vera repeats from 8.30pm.
It is certainly a lot for viewers to keep track of.
The soap power hour continues to divide opinion
These latest changes come after the launch of the so-called soap power hour earlier this year, which shook up the long-standing schedule for both shows.
Emmerdale now airs five nights a week at 8pm, with episodes still dropping on ITVX at 7am daily, moving away from its previous 7.30pm slot. Meanwhile, Coronation Street has switched from hour-long episodes on selected days to half-hour instalments every evening at 8.30pm, and Emmerdale’s Thursday double episode has been reduced.
The shorter, more frequent format has proved popular with many viewers. One fan said: “So much better having the episodes on 30 mins a night in my opinion.” Another added: “Finally, I can watch my three favourite soaps in a row. Much prefer this schedule and the 30 min episodes.”
Viewers still want one key change
Despite the positive reaction to the new format, one issue keeps coming up, the later timeslot.
“I think Emmerdale should be on at 7pm then Corrie at 7.30pm so it won’t be too late,” one viewer commented.
Another agreed: “Can’t help feeling that the 8pm timeslot will mean losing viewers who watch it live. You’re up against bigger programs such as The Traitors in that time slot. 7pm was the best slot for Emmerdale I felt.”
“Why couldn’t this ‘power hour’ be from 7-8pm, returning both shows to their traditional, long held timeslots? Bad move, ITV,” said a third.
A poll run by Emmerdale Insider also backed this up. 88 per cent of viewers saying they would prefer the soap power hour to run from 7pm to 8pm instead.
With a Sunday episode now on the cards as well, it remains to be seen how audiences will react to yet another shake-up in the schedule.
Read more: Emmerdale cast shake-up 2026 as exits confirmed and big returns teased – so who’s leaving?
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 8pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!