This year’s festive shows from ITV, including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special and more, will be available on ITV Hub hours before their broadcast on ITV’s over-the-air channels.
This means that ITV’s evening Christmas specials on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day will show up on ITV Hub each morning, from 7am – ahead of their evening broadcast (see the full list below).
Therefore, if you’re able to watch ITV Hub’s streaming content – you’ll get to watch these shows ahead of everyone else.
Otherwise, you should be wary of spoilers over those three days…
ITV Hub is ITV’s streaming service/app, which is currently available on desktop PCs, smartphones, tablets and tellies, via apps on Smart TVs or streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
ITV Hub is also available on Freeview Play boxes (that combine over-the-air Freeview with catch-up streaming apps), and on modern Freesat boxes.
Sky Q customers don’t currently get the “full” ITV Hub app (and instead get a limited one with only 30 days of catch-up apps) – though the full app is expected to come to Sky Q in 2022.
Normally, the content on ITV Hub has advert breaks – but there’s also a “Plus” version that lets you watch ITV without adverts.
ITV Hub’s Early Christmas Schedule
This early debut of shows on ITV Hub isn’t a totally new concept for ITV.
Last year, they launched “EarlyBe”, a section of their streaming service where popular unscripted programmes, like The Only Way Is Essex, The Real Housewives of Cheshire and more are available to stream in the morning – BEFORE they air on the regular broadcast channel later that day.
The BBC, which also recently announced its Christmas schedule for 2021, will have its shows available on BBC iPlayer – but those will debut on the streaming service once they air on the BBC’s terrestrials channels – and not before (though plenty of box-sets are available only on iPlayer – but they’ve all been on the terrestrials channels in the past).
The full list of shows, which will be made available on ITV Hub from 7am, ahead of their evening broadcast, include: (In brackets – the terrestrial channel’s timings)
- Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale
- Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special (Christmas Eve, 3.55pm)
- The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special (Christmas Eve, 5:30pm)
- Gino’s Italian Family Adventure: A Festive Feast (Christmas Eve, 6.30pm)
- Bradley and Barney: Breaking Dad at Christmas (Christmas Eve, 9pm)
- Christmas Comedy Club with Lost Voice Guy (Christmas Eve 10.30pm)
- Paul O Grady: For The Love of Dogs at Christmas (Christmas Day, 5.30pm)
- The Masked Singalong (Christmas Day, 6pm)
- The Larkins Christmas Special (Christmas Day 9pm)
- Saturday Night Takeaway Presents: Double Trouble (Boxing Day 4.15pm)
- The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special (Boxing Day, 5pm)
- Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special (Boxing Day, 6pm)
- All Star Musicals at Christmas (Boxing Day 8pm)
- Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure (Boxing Day 9.30pm)