The British Soap Awards is understood to have been permanently scrapped by ITV as the broadcaster grapples with ongoing financial pressures and a reported failure to secure sponsorship deals.
According to an industry source, the annual celebration of serial drama has reached its permanent end.
"Sadly, The Soap Awards have had their day and won't be returning," the insider told The Sun.
"It's a real shame, but they no longer pull in the advertising or sponsorship money anymore. It won't be back. It's dead in the water."
The British Soap Awards have been airing since 1999
|ITV
The ceremony, which honours performances across Britain's major continuing dramas, had already been confirmed as taking a break for 2026. However, fresh reports suggest this pause will now extend indefinitely.
The awards ceremony has been a fixture of the British television calendar since its launch in 1999, recognising excellence in programmes including EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
However, the event's scheduling has become increasingly erratic in recent years.
The show ran annually for more than two decades before the pandemic forced a two-year suspension. It returned in 2023, was then rested again for 2024, before making another comeback last year.
The latest British Soap Awards took place in 2025
|ITV
Jane McDonald presided over the 2025 ceremony at Hackney Empire, having taken over presenting duties from Phillip Schofield in 2023 following his departure from This Morning.
The broadcast drew 1.5 million viewers, with EastEnders dominating proceedings by claiming eight awards including the coveted Best Soap prize.
The source explained that competing ceremonies such as the Bafta TV Awards and National Television Awards already incorporate soap categories within their programmes.
"They don't need their own event anymore," the insider added.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Jack P Shepherd won Best Actor at the British Soap Awards in 2018
Despite the reports suggesting a permanent end to the awards, ITV has not confirmed the cancellation outright.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster told The Sun that "no decision has yet been made" regarding the future of the ceremony.
GB News has also contacted ITV for a comment on the reports.
The uncertainty surrounding the show's fate comes as ITV continues to implement significant cost-cutting measures across its operations.
Lacey Turner and Gillian Wright won Best Onscreen Partnership at the 2022 British Soap Awards
|ITV
The broadcaster announced major changes to its daytime output last year, with the restructuring reportedly leading to hundreds of redundancies across the company.
The financial squeeze has already reshaped ITV's daytime lineup considerably.
Lorraine has been cut from a full hour to just 30 minutes, whilst Loose Women now airs for only 30 weeks per year rather than broadcasting throughout the entire calendar.
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV's Media and Entertainment Division, addressed the changes when they were announced last year.
"Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres," he stated.
The daytime programmes have also been relocated to new production facilities as part of the cost-saving measures.