Hollyoaks enjoys ratings boost after major changes

Hollyoaks has had a ratings boost following a major revamp to the storylines earlier this year.

Producer Lime Pictures has released some impressive ratings data for the soap following its shift to a digital-led format several months ago.

Building on a huge hour-long crash episode back in January, Hollyoaks has experienced 40% growth in streaming episodes year-on-year and achieved 5.8 million minutes of watchtime on YouTube for the first quarter.

January's crash-themed special episode was Hollyoaks' most-streamed instalment since 2020, up 62% on the average from the previous four weeks.

The soap has also found major success on social media, as Snapchat viewers have increased 350% year-on-year and TikTok viewership is up 116%. In March, there were 194 million viewers across the show's social platform.

Lime Pictures

These impressive viewership milestones have come during a changeover in creative leadership, with new executive producer Hannah Cheers taking over the show in November.

"The Blockbuster year we promised has gotten off to a flying start; with bold and daring storylines sparking debate and helping to drive an impressive increase in young viewers, who have really connected with the current and relatable issues we’re exploring, especially across social and streaming," Channel 4 commissioning executive Ben Wadey said.

"We have so much more to come, and viewers will be gripped throughout the summer and as we approach the much-anticipated Autumn stunt, that will throw us forward, both in time and into an exciting, addictive and fresh new era of Hollyoaks.

"We are of course mindful of the impact these changes are having on the Hollyoaks team and we aim to honour our amazing characters, whilst ensuring we remain the most relevant and loved soap among young audiences as we approach our 30th anniversary in 2025 and well beyond.”

As the executive mentioned, there will be more extensive changes to Hollyoaks later in the year as it moves from a five-day week to just three episodes weekly.

Lime Pictures

Soap bosses have sadly confirmed that there will be cuts to the cast, with iconic cast member Steph Waring announcing that she will be among those leaving the show.

The soap recently wrote out Jamelia's character Sharon Bailey, with Warren Fox, Scott Drinkwell and Hunter McQueen also set for dramatic exits in the months to come.

Because of these cast changes, producer Hannah Cheers and the writing team will introduce a time jump this autumn to bring the story forward by one year.

Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.