Emmerdale and Coronation Street schedule shake-up: Sunday episodes and new 8pm slot
Why the schedule change matters
ITV’s long-running soaps are central to many viewers’ nightly routines, advertising revenue and the broadcaster’s primetime strategy. The emmerdale coronation street schedule shake-up therefore has wide relevance: it affects viewers’ viewing habits, streaming availability and promotional activity across ITV1 and ITVX. Changes such as rare Sunday episodes or a shift to an 8pm slot can also influence audience figures and the way storylines are paced.
What is changing
Rare Sunday episodes
Coronation Street and Emmerdale will air rare Sunday episodes in a forthcoming schedule change. Sources say the pair are set to broadcast on a Sunday in a few weeks’ time, a departure from their usual weekday-centric pattern that is likely to affect viewers used to the typical weeknight schedule.
Short-term disruption in March
There is also a planned disruption on Friday 27 March, when neither Coronation Street nor Emmerdale will be shown on ITV1 or on ITVX. Normal scheduling is expected to resume from Monday 30 March, with both soaps returning to their usual slots. Viewers have been warned to check listings around that date to avoid missing episodes.
Prime-time shift for Emmerdale
Looking further ahead, ITV is making a bolder change from January 2026: Emmerdale will move to an 8pm prime-time slot. This repositioning aims to strengthen the show’s evening audience and to align its broadcast time more clearly within ITV’s evening schedule.
Additional content and promotion
Alongside scheduling changes, ITV is continuing to promote related content such as exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and the Scoop podcast, which offers weekly discussion and deeper dives into upcoming plotlines. These pieces of content are intended to keep viewers engaged across platforms even when broadcast times vary.
Conclusion and what viewers should do
The emmerdale coronation street schedule shake-up signals both short-term disruption and a longer-term realignment of ITV’s soap strategy. For viewers this means checking local TV listings and ITVX updates around late March and preparing for Emmerdale’s new 8pm slot from January 2026. The changes may refresh audience patterns, but fans keen to keep up with storylines should monitor official ITV announcements and the Scoop podcast for the latest information.
