Why Emmerdale won’t be axed after Sky’s takeover of ITV

A new report has come out that might have Emmerdale fans spooked following Sky’s takeover of ITV, but it seems there’s nothing to worry about.

However, both ITV and Sky have stated that the long-term future of the Yorkshire-set soap has been secured as part of the deal.

A direct quote from Sky (included in The Sun‘s piece itself) reads: “TV fan favourites are here to stay.

“We’ve agreed a long-term content partnership with ITV Studios, to secure the future of many of Britain’s most-watched programmes, including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Love Island, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, This Morning, Lorraine and Loose Women.”

A further official statement explains that ITV’s shows won’t be going behind a paywall either, reading: “ITV’s channels and ITVX will remain free-to-air, with all public service broadcasting commitments continuing in full, including regional news and programming.

“Viewers will continue to enjoy the shows they know and love, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Love Island, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine and News at Ten – alongside major live sporting events.”

Emmerdale, along with a vast amount of shows that air across ITV, the BBC and Channel 4, is made by production company ITV Studios, which will remain independent as part of the Sky takeover deal.

When/if the deal goes ahead (it has to be approved by regulators first), ITV Studios is set to provide five years of content to the merged Sky-ITV company. If, hypothetically, it were to happen tomorrow, it would mean that Emmerdale would be sticking around until at least mid-2031.

Looking at the soap’s more immediate future, here are the spoilers for this week’s episodes.