Home and Away has been moved from its coveted spot in the Channel 5 daytime schedule.

The Australian soap originally aired in a 1.45pm slot on Channel 5, but will not return to the slot went it restarts following the Christmas break.

Instead, 5 said that the show would be “moving exclusively to streaming for daytime viewing”, meaning that fans will be able to catch the latest action from Summer Bay from 6am each morning on the channel’s streaming service.

The show will remain in its evening spot on 5Star, where new episodes will air from 6.30pm and the previous episode will air in the 30-minute slot directly before at 6pm.

Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor at 5, said: “Home and Away has been a phenomenal success for us on streaming. Viewers have fully embraced the flexibility of on-demand viewing, driving double-digit year-on-year growth and making streaming the preferred way to watch the show.

“Moving daytime episodes exclusively to streaming is a natural next step, reflecting how audiences want to engage with their favourite content.”

Home and Away has been on UK screens since 1989, launching in Australia the previous year. In 2001, the soap moved from ITV to Channel 5.