The two giant networks in Britain are having changes to their respective line-ups beginning March 7, 2022.
In late February, the BBC has shared to the public that its long-running soap opera EastEnders will be axing its episodes every Friday night. In lieu, the program, which also airs every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, will now have a Wednesday episode, beginning March 7, 2022. The Beeb’s management says that the move is a reflection of the change in viewers’ consumption of television. No longer would watchers have to catch programs on a certain time on linear channels, but rather indulge on streaming online.
Meanwhile, BBC’s archrival ITV was first to announce their scheduling shake-up in January. For the commercial channel, primetime soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street will have new runtimes as the ITV Evening News with Mary Nightingale doubles its length to an hour beginning March 7. That, will be talked about more later.
On the soaps first, Emmerdale will be bumped from its usual 7:00 pm slot, and permanently settle airing at 7:30 pm every weeknight, with a double-feature on Thursdays that would broadcast for one hour. As for Corrie, viewers will see the events from the cobblestones unfold every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights at 8:00 pm, and will see its length extended to 60 minutes. For Coronation, it will be the first time that it will permanently run on a different time slot after 62 years, as well as extend from the traditional 30 minute-format.
Now, back to the news, Mary Nightingale’s nightly newscast will now be reformatted and still aired 6:30 pm each weeknight. This means that the program, produced by ITN, will now also go up against The One Show on BBC One and even the first half of Channel 4 News, which is also made by ITN. The extension will also mean new segments and even staffers for the weeknight newscast, which ITV says would see the addition of at least 27 personnel to the current team.
ITV Border, Wales, Northern Ireland (UTV), and Scotland (STV) will be opting out of the Evening News every Friday at 7:00 pm to broadcast their respective regional shows.
The extension of ITV’s 6:30 news also comes in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a story that is expected to take up most of the bulletin’s airtime in the forseeable future.
These changes from the Beeb and its leading rival commercial broadcaster are the latest in the traditional television space in the United Kingdom, and more importantly, during this period when more viewers are switching their methods of media consumption.