Two-thirds of soap viewers won't watch reruns of classic episodes in lieu of new ones
Our recent TV habits survey found that soap fans don't want to watch reruns in lockdown
A RadioTimes.com survey has found that 65 per cent of soap viewers would not watch classic soap episodes in the absence of new ones during lockdown.
The survey, which asked those who took part about their quarantine TV habits, found that while 65 per cent of over 800 soap viewers said they would not watch soap reruns, 17 per cent said they would and 18 per cent said they maybe would.
These results may come as a blow to broadcasters, who will be running out of new soap episodes in the next few weeks after production on all TV shows was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The BBC recently announced however that EastEnders filming will resume next month, after the government released new lockdown guidelines which allow film shoots providing crews adhere to the two-metre social distancing rules.
While, according to The Sun, production on Coronation Street and Emmerdale will continue filming in June and although there's no word on Channel 4's Hollyoaks just yet, Channel 4 reportedly has enough new episodes for the soap to last until July.
RadioTimes.com also found that almost 50 per cent of the survey respondents are watching more TV in lockdown than ever before, with people watching dramas (24 per cent), news (18 per cent) and comedies (16 per cent) more than usual.
However, despite the release of Disney Plus during quarantine, only 12 per cent of TV viewers have signed up to the platform so far, with almost half of TV viewers refraining from joining any new streaming services.
Lockdown has proved to be a successful time for many free streaming platforms, including BBC iPlayer, which recorded its biggest day ever on Sunday 10th May. The site received 22.5 million requests for programmes, including the Prime Minister's statement, Normal People and Killing Eve.
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