Corrie and Emmerdale announce huge change to episode releases

Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be released early on ITVX permanently in a surprise shake-up.

ITV has announced that the change will come into force next week on Monday, October 14.

Moving forward, the latest episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale will go live on ITVX from 7am each morning ahead of their traditional broadcast on ITV1 that evening.

The decision has been made to give viewers more flexibility in how to watch the soaps – and follows in the footsteps of Hollyoaks and EastEnders adopting similar strategies in recent years.

carla barlow, lisa swain, coronation street

ITV

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Corrie and Emmerdale have already experimented with early releases during sporting events and other one-off occasions over the past few years.

The change also coincides with the launch of a new dedicated soap destination on ITVX, which includes easier navigation to find new episodes, classic editions and a newly-curated collection of greatest ever episodes.

There'll also be a "Stars of the Soaps" collection featuring successful ITV dramas starring familiar soap faces like Suranne Jones and Katherine Kelly. Memorable episodes of former soap Crossroads will also be available to stream.

Craig Morris, Managing Editor of ITV Channels and ITVX, commented: "The positive response when we made the soaps available at 7am during The Euros and the Olympics this year shows that audiences want to choose when to watch their favourite soap, and the new dedicated destination on ITVX is a fitting home for the nation's biggest and best continuing dramas.

sam dingle, belle dingle, cain dingle, emmerdale

ITV

"Now you can choose when to enjoy your daily dose of drama - whether during the morning commute, over lunch or at a time that suits you each evening."

Coronation Street and Emmerdale's executive producer Iain MacLeod added: "This is great news for soap fans! Having the ability to catch your favourite show at a time that suits you fits perfectly with people's busy days and flexible lives. And who doesn't love the idea of watching the latest Dingle drama in the Dales or calamity on the cobbles on the tram to work, or over a brew after dropping the kids at school?

"As a soap nerd, I should also say that the new soap page is an absolute treat. It's a one-stop shop for fans of Coronation Street and Emmerdale and it will now be so easy to enjoy your favourite shows, and delve into their illustrious histories and beyond."

According to new figures released by ITV, soap viewing has grown significantly on ITVX this year – with Corrie and Emmerdale both up around 30% on the service compared to last year.

Both soaps are in the top five shows for streaming hours on ITVX, and combined they have brought in nearly 300 million streams this year alone.

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.