Coronation Street fans in for a shake-up

Major changes have been announced by TVNZ regarding its coverage of popular UK soap opera, Coronation Street.

From June 11, the broadcaster is jumping forward 18 months to almost be in sync with the UK -  airing episodes just one week behind the show’s mother country.

TVNZ’s General Manager of Programming, John Kelly, says the move comes after staggering results from viewer feedback and surveys.

In the recent TVNZ Greenroom Panel over 80% of the respondents said they were keen to skip ahead to match the UK’s broadcast, saying they’ve had enough of seeing spoilers online.

“We’re with them on this, which is why we’ve decided to take this huge step.”

For those who don’t want to skip ahead, the storylines currently on air will be played at the new time of 1pm, Monday to Friday and will also be available online.

Barbara Cobb, 82, grew up in the Wales and has been watching Corrie since its debut in 1960.

“When people say it’s a UK staple, it’s a UK staple,”

She says despite immigrating to New Zealand over 15 years ago, it’s hard to watch the show so many months behind her family and friends back home.

“It’s a point of conversation for people, especially my age. I talk about the UK storylines with my sister and then I also talk about the New Zealand storylines with my friends here.”

Creative Director of Serial Dramas at ITV Studios in London, John Whiston, says its stories such as this that has driven the move.

“Watching Corrie is a shared experience… it’s brilliant that people in New Zealand will now be able to be a proper part of that.”

One fan who isn’t happy about the shift is Noeleen Dunning, 73, calling it inconsiderate after watching the show since its New Zealand debut.

“I’m sure there’s many of us who won’t be able to watch the new time of one o’clock, and also just as many who can’t use a computer well enough to find the show on demand.”

Inconsiderate or not, viewers of the show have only a month left to savour our current Corrie coverage before the big leap comes in to play.

A two-hour special will be aired on June 10 to bring viewers up to speed with what has transpired over the past 18 months on the cobbles of Coronation Street.