Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be bumped from their usual slots once again next month as ITV hands over primetime airtime to England's Women's World Cup qualifiers.
The broadcaster's two flagship soaps are facing a fresh round of schedule changes, with episodes moved, condensed and in some cases pulled from the schedule entirely to accommodate live football coverage.
The disruption comes just months after ITV introduced its new soap format, reducing output to five 30-minute episodes a week in a bid to create greater consistency for viewers.
At the time, ITV's Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo, said: “We believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows.
“Research insights also show us that soap viewers are increasingly looking to the soaps for their pacey storytelling.
“Streaming-friendly, 30-minute episodes better provide the opportunity to meet viewer expectations for storyline pace, pay-off and resolution.”
However, a packed summer of live sport means regular trips to Weatherfield and the Yorkshire Dales are set to become anything but predictable.
On Friday, June 5, both soaps will be taken off air entirely as ITV broadcasts live coverage of England's Women's World Cup qualifier against Spain.
The next visit to Weatherfield and the Dales will instead come on Sunday, June 7, with a special hour-long soap block between 8pm and 9pm.
The disruption continues on Tuesday, June 9, when both programmes will once again be pulled from the schedule to make way for England's Women's European qualifier against Ukraine.
On Wednesday, June 10, the soaps return but at earlier times, with Emmerdale airing at 7pm and Coronation Street following at 7.30pm.
There will be no soaps at all on Thursday, June 11, due to coverage of the tournament's opening ceremony.
The biggest change arrives on Friday, June 12, when ITV temporarily revives the old hour-long format. Emmerdale will air at 8pm, followed by Coronation Street at 9pm.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm and Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1. Both can be streamed on ITVX from 7am on day of transmission
