[Larry the Loafer]

When streaming the broadcast ITV channels, why is there a weird filmic/American daytime soap look to it?

Pretty much all streaming services, besides iPlayer, stream video at 25fps, whereas "proper" transmissions are shown at 50fps interlaced. For some reason, the streamers don't bother maintaining the frame rate when deinterlacing the video, so you lose half the frames and the results are more "filmic".

Though, ironically, people use American daytime soaps as a derogatory comparison when video is "too smooth", such as one of the Hobbit films. Those soaps, AIUI, are shown at 60fps and have a "live TV" look to them.