Emmerdale and Coronation Street fans will soon be able to watch their favourite soaps early as part of huge changes at ITV.
The broadcaster has announced that both shows will now drop first on streaming platform ITVX, before airing in their traditional slots on ITV1.
From Monday 14 October new episodes will be available on ITVX from 7am, ahead of their evening broadcast.
ITV said the change is part of its strategy to ‘offer our viewers ultimate choice in how they watch our programmes’.
Both soaps have previously offered fans the chance to catch the action from the cobbles and the Dales early during the Olympics and Euros this summer.
The permanent changes to the schedules bring Emmerdale and Coronation Street in line with BBC rival EastEnders, which has long been dropping episodes on iPlayer at 6am each morning ahead of their TV broadcast.
ITV’s new 7am ‘soap drop’ also coincides …