Quick Read
- Emmerdale and Coronation Street will not air tonight, January 13, 2026.
- The soaps are preempted by the Carabao Cup semi-final between Newcastle United and Manchester City.
- This disruption occurs just one week after ITV launched its new ‘soap power hour’ schedule.
- Fans have expressed significant disappointment over the schedule change.
- Both Emmerdale and Coronation Street will return to their regular slots on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
Devotees of ITV’s beloved soaps, Emmerdale and Coronation Street, are facing an unexpected twist in their viewing schedule tonight, January 13, 2026. Just a week after the highly anticipated launch of the new ‘soap power hour’ — a revamped programming block designed to offer consistent, back-to-back episodes — both shows will be conspicuously absent from the airwaves. Instead, football will take center stage, leaving many fans feeling sidelined and frustrated.
The disruption stems from ITV’s commitment to live sports broadcasting. The Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie between Newcastle United and Manchester City is slated to air from 7:30 pm to 10:25 pm, directly clashing with the soaps’ newly established slots. This sudden change, coming so quickly after the new schedule’s rollout on January 6, has understandably sparked a wave of reactions among the loyal fan base.
The ‘Soap Power Hour’ and Its Short-Lived Consistency
The ‘soap power hour’ was introduced with much fanfare, promising a streamlined viewing experience. Under this new format, Emmerdale moved to a permanent 8 pm slot, immediately followed by Coronation Street at 8:30 pm, with both shows airing consistent 30-minute episodes every weekday. This was a significant shift, intended to simplify the schedule and offer viewers a more predictable routine, especially after years of ad-hoc changes due to sporting events or other programming demands.
As Radio Times reported, Kevin Lygo, ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, had championed the new pattern as ‘viewer-led,’ stating, ‘We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX, and we want to present their favourite soap to them in the most digestible way.’ He emphasized that in a competitive media landscape, the goal was to provide an optimal number of episodes that fans could easily integrate into their viewing habits. Chris Bisson, who plays Jai Sharma in Emmerdale, echoed this sentiment during a red carpet event, expressing relief that the new schedule meant ‘No more moaning that they are shifting Corrie around because of the football and nobody knows when it is on – all that kind of stuff. We all know where we are up to now – 8pm to 9pm everyday of the week.’ Yet, just as these words were settling, the very scenario they sought to avoid has unfolded.
Fan Frustration and the Appeal of Predictability
The immediate consequence of this schedule shake-up is, predictably, fan disappointment. Social media channels and fan forums have been alight with comments reflecting a sense of exasperation. As highlighted by the Liverpool Echo, viewers were ‘fuming’ and ‘unimpressed’ by the cancellation of their Tuesday trip to the cobbles and the Dales. One frustrated fan on a Coronation Street Facebook page simply noted, ‘No soaps tonight due to football,’ a sentiment echoed by many. Another disgruntled viewer, quoted by Digital Spy, exclaimed, ‘Football AGAIN,’ adding, ‘There’s plenty of other channels that could air football!’
Beyond the immediate disruption, some fans also voiced concerns about the new 30-minute episode format itself. While ITV’s research, as cited by both the Liverpool Echo and Digital Spy, suggests that ‘streaming-friendly, 30-minute episodes better provide the opportunity to meet viewer expectations for storyline pace, payoff and resolution,’ not everyone agrees. A user on Instagram, according to Digital Spy, lamented, ‘I wanted 1 hour episodes, 3 times a week instead, these 30 minutes on separate days is not enough,’ with others chiming in about missing the longer installments.
The Aftermath of ‘Corriedale’ and What Lies Ahead
This scheduling interruption comes on the heels of the much-talked-about ‘Corriedale’ crossover episode, which launched the new ‘soap power hour’ on January 6. This special event saw the worlds of Emmerdale and Coronation Street collide in a dramatic car crash, drawing a peak of 4.7 million viewers and setting the stage for ongoing storylines in both shows. Characters like Debbie and Carl in Corrie, and Victoria and John Sugden in Emmerdale, have been dealing with the aftermath, creating compelling narratives that viewers are eager to follow.
For those worried about missing out, there is good news: both Coronation Street and Emmerdale will make their return to their usual slots on Wednesday, January 14, and will continue through Thursday and Friday of this week. While the early release on ITVX is also affected tonight, fans can expect the shows to resume their regular streaming availability alongside their broadcast times from tomorrow. This temporary alteration underscores the ongoing challenge broadcasters face in balancing popular dramas with live sporting events, even with a seemingly ‘permanent’ new schedule in place.
The brief suspension of ITV’s flagship soaps, merely a week into their much-touted ‘soap power hour,’ highlights a persistent tension in broadcast scheduling. While the network aims for viewer-led consistency, the commercial imperative of major sporting events often takes precedence, demonstrating that even the most carefully planned television schedules remain vulnerable to the dynamic demands of live content. This episode serves as a stark reminder that in the world of television, true permanence is an elusive concept, especially when a Carabao Cup semi-final is on the line.