Broadcaster’s cost-cutting measures mean a new look schedule for ITV1 in January and new times for favourite shows.
Daytime shows use break to move to new production facilities, while ITV1 rejigs early primetime.
⬇️ Main points
ITV1 daytime and primetime seeing biggest changes in years.
New Millionaire Hot Seat debuts in ex-soap slot.
New soap schedule starts with two hour special on 5th January.
Viewers tuning into ITV1 (or streaming on ITVX) will see a whole host of changes to some of ITV’s most popular shows from January.
The commercial broadcaster is introducing a raft of changes to its schedule starting Monday 5 January. Behind the changes is a range of cost-cutting measures and adjustments to how shows are scheduled, reflecting changes in viewing habits.
ITV has suffered from an industry-wide downturn in advertising revenues. It’s also had to play catch-up on streaming rivals who gained a lead long before ITVX launched in 2022. Comcast, the owner of Sky, is in talks to buy the linear channels and streaming business. That would leave ITV Studios, the company the produces This Morning, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and I’m A Celebrity as a seperate business.
In its biggest cost-cutting measure, ITV has terminated its lease of facilities at Television Centre, the former BBC HQ, which has been the home of ITV daytime since 2018. Instead, it’s transferring responsibility of Good Morning Britain to ITN. The other daytime shows move to cheaper facilities in Covent Garden.
Changes to the ITV1 primetime schedule will make it easier for ITV to strip shows in specific timeslots through the week, with Coronation Street and Emmerdale gaining new timeslots from Tuesday 6 January.
ITV has experimented a number of configurations for its soaps, including two episodes on the same evening, before deciding on creating a dedicated soap hour from 8pm.
ITV’s loss of FA Cup football means sport related changes are less likely in 2026.
Overall, ITV expects to reinvest some savings into drama, a genre that attracts good audiences on both live TV and on-demand streaming services.
How are the schedules changing?
Breakfast time
Ahead of the change, Good Morning Britain takes an extended New Year break to move to its new home at ITN. From Monday 5 January, the breakfast show is extended to run until 9:30.
ITN already produces all other national news programmes for ITV, and viewers are expected to see more on-screen reporters being shared between Good Morning Britain and the lunchtime news, similar to the BBC’s arrangement. A dedicated core team will remain responsible for the breakfast programme.
Daytime shows
Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women are moving to a new shared studio at The H Club in London’s Covent Garden.
In their new location, Lorraine and Loose Women will be cut to just 30 weeks a year. For the remaining 22 weeks, Good Morning Britain will run until 10:00 and Loose Women will be replaced by other programming.
In its new home, Loose Women is no longer able to accommodate a live audience.
In contrast to eight years ago when ITV moved daytime to Television Centre, ITV has so far been more reluctant to share more details of the changed shows.
Early primetime
At the other end of the day, ITV is introducing a new nightly “soap hour” at 8pm. While audiences for traditional soaps have declined in recent years, the broadcaster believes the genre still has life in it – particularly among long‑standing viewers – even as more people choose to stream episodes early on ITVX, where they are available from breakfast time.
The new soap hour starts on Tuesday 6 January.
Before then, ITV will for one night only turn back the clock, airing both Emmerdale and Coronation Street in their historic timeslots. On Monday 5 January, Emmerdale returns to its original 7pm position, followed by Coronation Street at 7:30pm. Then at 8pm, ITV1 will screen a special one‑off crossover episode – named Corriedale – rounding off a two‑hour soap celebration. And for old time’s sake – Corriedale won’t be released early on ITVX.
From Tuesday 6th, Emmerdale will move to 8pm and Coronation Street to 8:30pm.
Millionaire Hot Seat
The changes leave a slot between the end of the ITV Evening News and the soaps.
For the first week, ITV1 is filling the time with a new quiz show. A spin-off fromWho Wants To Be A Millionaire? originating from Australia, Millionaire Hot Seat features six contestants competing for a million pounds. However, only one player is able to take a place in the hot seat at a time. Jeremy Clarkson hosts. The programme also gets a late night repeat on ITV1.
The Martin Lewis Money Show will move to its new pre-soap Tuesday slot in the second full week of January. That’s after the show returns for a one-off 9pm special on Tuesday 6 January.
The 9pm slot otherwise features a range of ITV drama, including thriller Red Eye (Monday 5th) and the return of Grantchester (Episode 1, Wednesday 7th, Episode 2, Thursday 8th January).
On Fridays, cost-cutting kicks in as ITV1 opts for a 9pm repeat of Beat The Chasers.
Meanwhile, rival broadcasters are preparing to launch their own schedules to beat ITV1. 5 will extend its daytime live shows until 3pm on the same day ITV makes its cuts. 5 will hope it can pick up audiences that ITV1 might shed, particularly when Loose Women goes on one of its extended breaks. It shows there’s still some life left in live linear TV, albeit on lower budgets.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: ITV | Last updated: 21:37.