Hollyoaks' new era has officially begun, with the show no longer airing in its traditional five-episodes format.
The soap has undergone a schedule shake-up as part of a new deal with Channel 4, which will keep it on air for its milestone 30th anniversary in October 2025 and beyond.
Channel 4 bosses first announced the latest changes earlier this month, but just in case you missed it, here's a quick recap of everything you need to know.
Why is Hollyoaks not on E4 five nights a week?
Hollyoaks was recommissioned on a new deal with Channel 4 in February, but this came with a catch, as the broadcaster would only commit to a smaller number of episodes per year.
Channel 4 announced that from this September, Hollyoaks would air for three nights a week rather than five. It also confirmed that episode runtimes would be slightly reduced to 20 minutes.
The disappointing news led to major production changes at the soap, which was forced to significantly cut the number of cast, crew and writers to match the new three-episodes format.
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Channel 4 cited changing viewing habits for the decision, revealing that many Hollyoaks viewers were only watching three episodes per week due to the amount of competing content available.
Hollyoaks marked the changes by writing a one-year time jump into the storylines, which helped to explain the departures of some cast members and provided a 'jumping-on' moment for new viewers.
What time is Hollyoaks on and how can I watch?
Channel 4's free streaming service remains the place to see Hollyoaks first, with new episodes being released at 7am every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Channel 4 streaming app is available to download on all major devices, or you can also access episodes in your web browser via the official Channel 4 website.
Hollyoaks still gets a TV outing too, with episodes airing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm on E4. However, fans watching at E4 pace may want to be wary over spoilers, as episodes will have been available to view on streaming for 12 hours by the time this screening airs.
There's also an additional catch-up opportunity on Hollyoaks' official YouTube channel, where full episodes are released one week after their broadcast on Channel 4 streaming and E4. This option is also available for international viewers, as Hollyoaks now streams worldwide for free.
Channel 4's Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said last 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.
"It was the first UK soap to move to a stream-first model 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."
Why is Hollyoaks not on Channel 4 anymore?
Up until 2022, Hollyoaks had aired in its familiar 6.30pm slot on Channel 4 for 28 years, but the soap is no longer broadcast on the main linear channel at this time.
The change was made because viewing habits have shifted away from the 6.30pm showing in recent years. As part of Channel 4's ongoing stream-first strategy, daily Hollyoaks episodes have been released early on the broadcaster's free streaming service since March 2022. There's also the 7pm first-look slot on E4, which usually outrated the Channel 4 repeat the following day.
In a press release in 2023, Channel 4 commented: "In 2023, 64% of viewers have 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' weekly omnibus will continue to air on Channel 4.
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
