Why are Coronation Street and Emmerdale not on today? ITV schedule change explained

For soap lovers, the usual early evening routine on ITV is about to be thrown out of balance - at least for the day.

The broadcaster has been forced into a schedule rejig, and neither Coronation Street nor Emmerdale will be on as normal tonight (September 16). Fans will have to wait an extra 24 hours to get their regular fix of melodrama and twists.

ITV has once again made the soaps a victim of its live sports coverage, and instead of trips to the Yorkshire Dales and Weatherfield it will be instead showing football. It is set to broadcast the EFL Carabao Cup match between Manchester United and Brighton today.

The broadcast is due to begin at 7.30pm and will run through until 10.25pm. It even means the 10 o’clock news has been pushed back by nearly 30 minutes.

The coverage runs through the usual time spots for both Coronation Street and Emmerdale, meaning they have been pulled for the night. However, fans won’t have to wait too long for them to return.

ITV rejigged its soap schedule at the start of the year and returned its flagship dramas to a normal five day schedule. Episodes of Emmerdale usually start at 8pm and are followed by Coronation Street at 8.30pm - making a power hour.

Both programmes will be back on Thursday, September 17, at the usual time.

The preview for tomorrow’s Emmerdale, via Radio Times, reads: “Charles attempts to comfort a grieving Nicola, while Billy confronts Joe about the private funeral plans and Kev makes his opinion known.”

Meanwhile, Coronation Street fans can expect: “Shona's erratic behaviour arouses concern, Kit encourages Bethany to pursue romance with Ryan, Ross begs for Tyrone's forgiveness, and Summer harbours reservations about Marco.”