Hollyoaks will no longer have a daily slot on Channel 4’s linear service, with new episodes instead airing on All4, E4 and YouTube.
Channel 4 said it was essentially the next step in how the younger audience engaged with the soap, which last year adopted a streaming-first model.
What it means is that new episodes will be available to stream on All4 a day before they are broadcast on E4, a week later they will be uploaded to YouTube. But the only time they’ll air on Channel 4 will be the weekly omnibus.
The reason for it becoming the UK’s first “national digital-led soap” is down to the stats. In 2023 64% of viewers watched the soap via streaming or E4, resulting in 556 million minutes of the show being streamed in the first half of the year.
“Hollyoaks has always been the youngest and most innovative soap so it’s fitting that it should be the first to embrace the changes in the behaviour of younger viewers and switch to a genuinely digital-led release pattern,” stated Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer, Ian Katz.
“It was the first UK soap to move to a stream-first model last year and this is the next phase of that evolution. We hope making Hollyoaks available on YouTube, as well as our own platforms, will introduce a whole new generation to the show.”
The Lime Pictures’ soap will begin its new digital journey on Monday 25th September – which coincides a “massive stunt week of spectacular and standout storylines set to grip audiences in dramatic scenes shot in sensational new locations.”
Last month it was confirmed that Lucy Allan, the Executive Producer of Hollyoaks was stepping down after 3 years. Its Series Producer and Script and Storyline Executive have also left the soap.
