Hollyoaks is to drop new episodes online before they air on TV.
From March, episodes will be available to stream on All 4 prior to airing on Channel 4 and E4.
It’s the first UK soap to make the move on an ongoing basis after Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders temporarily shared episodes online first during the Euros and Olympics last year.
New episodes of Hollyoaks will be available each morning ahead of TV showings that evening on E4, and Channel 4 the following day.
Channel 4 say that the soap was the most streamed scripted series and second most streamed series overall on All 4 last year.
Channel 4 Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick said: “It feels like a natural step for Hollyoaks with its youthful outlook and audience to be the first UK soap to premiere new episodes on our streaming service on an ongoing basis.
“Our loyal audience want to get their soap fix when they want, where they want it and the series’ continued popularity on All 4 proves that with this new ‘stream-first’ approach we are serving a much broader range of viewers, from those who want to stream, to those whose tea time ritual is kicked off with Hollyoaks each evening.”
Hollyoaks Executive Producer, Lucy Allan added: “We are excited to see Hollyoaks embrace the digital first proposition so favoured by its youth skewing audience, this feels progressive and full of opportunities for the show.”
From March 2022 stream Hollyoaks first on All 4 and tune in weeknights on Channel 4 and E4.
