Emmerdale and Coronation Street Off Air Due to Live Football Broadcast

What Happened

ITV's scheduled broadcasts of the popular soap operas Emmerdale and Coronation Street were preempted on Wednesday, August 12th. The network aired a live pre-season friendly football match between Manchester United and Leeds United in place of the usual programming. The football coverage began at 7pm, with kick-off at 7:30pm, occupying the time slots normally allocated to the soaps.

Background

This schedule alteration is part of a pattern of disruptions faced by viewers of both Emmerdale and Coronation Street throughout the summer due to sports broadcasting. The football match, a pre-season friendly for the 2026/2027 campaign, took place at Croke Park in Dublin. The new ITV soap schedule, implemented at the start of 2026, features a "power hour" for the two shows, airing from Monday to Friday, with episodes also available on ITVX from 7am daily.

Key Facts

• Emmerdale and Coronation Street were not aired on Wednesday, August 12th.
• The programs were replaced by a live broadcast of the Manchester United vs. Leeds United football match.
• Match coverage on ITV1 started at 7pm, with the game kicking off at 7:30pm.
• Both soaps are scheduled to return to their regular weekday slots on Thursday, August 13th.
• Emmerdale will air at 8pm, followed by Coronation Street at 8:30pm on Thursday.
• The match was broadcast from Croke Park in Dublin.

What Happens Next

Both Emmerdale and Coronation Street are set to resume their normal broadcast schedule on Thursday, August 13th. Emmerdale will air at 8pm, with Coronation Street following at 8:30pm on ITV1. Episodes are also available on the streaming service ITVX from 7am on the day of broadcast.