Soap wars have erupted between the BBC and ITV.
EastEnders will soon have to go head-to-head for viewers against both Corrie and Emmerdale.
A source said: “It is a huge blow for fans of Albert Square.”
ITV announced a shake up of its schedules on Monday.
From March, bosses will extend their half hour nightly news bulletin at 6.30pm to a full hour.
As a result, their soaps will now go out in new time slots.
Emmerdale will be airing every night at 7.30pm.
And Corrie will run its double episodes from 8pm until 9pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)
It means every time BBC One rival EastEnders goes out, it will now face tough opposition.
The soap currently goes out on Mondays at 8pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm and Fridays at 8.30pm.
So it will always now clash with Corrie and Emmerdale.
An insider said: “There used to be a gentleman’s agreement between the channels to avoid clashes but the gloves are off.”
(Image: ITV)
EastEnders is already under pressure as it has been trailing in the ratings and recently one of its key stars Danny Dyer revealed he was quitting.
Fans were quick to rant on-line about the change with comments such as “We don’t need an hour of news!”, “Why the change?” and “EastEnders won’t survive this.”
ITV continuing drama boss John Whiston said: “The new format gives Coronation Street a brilliant new canvas on which to shine. And Emmerdale will do what it does best in this new time slot.”
The BBC declined to comment.
ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo said: “As viewing habits rapidly change, live audiences to our national and international news programmes remain remarkably strong.
“Our evening news programme reached an impressive 35.6 million viewers in 2021.
“We are very excited to be announcing this investment in what is an important public service strength of ITV – high-quality, impartial, trusted broadcast journalism – at a time when it could not be more important.
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“The nation’s two most popular continuing dramas, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, are fundamental to the success of ITV, and we know that, as with all dramas, viewers increasingly watch them whenever, and however they choose.
“The new scheduling means that viewers can watch them live on TV in one go in a continuous soap fix, as well as on ITV Hub where they are regularly in the most watched shows every month.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
