ITV Pulls Loose Women, The Chase for Royal Ascot Coverage

ITV has implemented significant schedule changes affecting popular daytime shows Loose Women and The Chase to accommodate extended coverage of the Royal Ascot horse racing festival. The Chase will not air from June 17 until June 23, as its usual 5pm slot is preempted by racing coverage running from 1:30pm to 6pm. Similarly, Loose Women has been taken off air for six days, with This Morning extended by 30 minutes to 1pm, followed by the ITV Lunchtime News and then Royal Ascot coverage. Loose Women’s absence this week marks another disruption amid recent cuts, as the show will only air for 30 weeks annually going forward, and a significant part of the program is reportedly being axed due to budget constraints. The changes have caused frustration among viewers, with hosts like Ruth Langsford informing audiences of the temporary pause before returning on June 23. These schedule shake-ups reflect ITV's prioritization of live sports coverage and cost-saving measures impacting established daytime programming.