This is a list of years in

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. It lists important events in the

history of television The concept of television is the work of many individuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Constantin Perskyi had coined the word ''television'' in a paper read to the International Electricity Congress at the Exposition Universelle ...

, as well as the first broadcasts of many

television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

s, and launches of some television channels and

networks Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

1920s

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

Charles Francis Jenkins Charles Francis Jenkins (August 22, 1867 – June 6, 1934) was an American engineer who was a pioneer of early cinema and one of the inventors of television, though he used mechanical rather than electronic technologies. His businesses inc ...

' first public demonstration of television principles. A set of static photographic pictures is transmitted from Washington, D.C. to the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

station NOF in

Anacostia Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast (Washington, D.C.), Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Marion Barry Avenue (formerly Good Hope Road) SE and the neighborhood contains commercial and gover ...

by telephone wire, and then wirelessly back to Washington;

Philo Farnsworth Philo Taylor Farnsworth (August 19, 1906 – March 11, 1971), "The father of television", was the American inventor and pioneer who was granted the first patent for the television by the United States Government. Burns, R. W. (1998), ''Televisi ...

first describes an

image dissector An image dissector, also called a dissector tube, is a video camera tube in which photocathode emissions create an "electron image" which is then swept up, down and across an anode to produce an electrical signal representing the visual image. I ...

tube, which uses

cesium Caesium (IUPAC spelling; also spelled cesium in American English) is a chemical element; it has symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-golden alkali metal with a melting point of , which makes it one of only five elemental metals ...

to produce images electronically. Farnsworth will not produce a working model until 1927. *

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

: Charles Jenkins first demonstrates "true" television with moving images. This time 48-line moving silhouette images are transmitted at 16 frames per second from Washington to Anacostia Navy station;

Vladimir Zworykin Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (1888/1889July 29, 1982) was a Russian-American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology. Zworykin invented a television transmitting and receiving system employing cathode-ray tubes. He played a role in t ...

applies for a patent for an all-electronic television system, the first ancestor of the electric scanning television camera. The patent is not granted until 1938 after significant revisions and

patent interference In United States patent law, an interference proceeding, also known as a priority contest, is an '' inter partes'' proceeding to determine the priority issues of multiple patent applications. Unlike in most other countries, which have long had a ...

actions. *

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

John Logie Baird John Logie Baird (; 13 August 188814 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first mechanical Mechanical television, television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the fi ...

demonstrates a semi-mechanical television system with the transmission of moving silhouette images in England; Vladimir Zworykin files a patent application for the

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...

, a television picture receiver tube. *

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

performs the first public demonstration of his "televisor" at the

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of upmarket department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1908. The historic Daniel Burnham-designed Self ...

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

on London's

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

;

achieves the first synchronized transmission of a moving

silhouette A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...

(shadowgraphs) and sound, using 48 lines, and a mechanical system;

applies for a patent for color television; Zworykin first demonstrates his electric camera tube and receiver for Westinghouse corporation executives, transmitting the still image of an "X"; John Baird achieves the first live

image with tone graduations (not silhouette or duotone images) in his laboratory. Baird brings office boy William Taynton in front of the camera to become the first face televised. *

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

demonstrates the world's first television system to transmit live moving images with tone graduations, to 40 members of the

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

. *

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

: The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

begins broadcasting as the British Broadcasting Corporation under the

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

. *

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

: John Logie Baird's Television Development Company demonstrates their model A, B, and C 'televisors' to the general public. *

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

begins broadcasting 30-minute-long programmes for his mechanically scanned televisions.

1930s

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

: Baird installs a television at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pri ...

's residence. On July 14, Prime Minister

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

and his family use it to watch the first-ever British television drama, ''

The Man with the Flower in His Mouth ''The Man With the Flower in His Mouth'' ( ) is a 1922 play by the Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello. It is particularly noteworthy for becoming, in 1930, the first piece of television drama ever to be produced in Britain, when a version was ...

''. *

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

Allen B. DuMont Allen Balcom DuMont, also spelled Du Mont, (January 29, 1901 – November 14, 1965) was an American electronics engineer, scientist and inventor who improved the cathode-ray tube in 1931 for use in television receivers. Seven years later he manu ...

perfects long-lasting reliable cathode-ray tubes later used for television reception. TV reaches the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. *

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

: The

starts a regular public television broadcasting service in the UK. *

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

: The first television revue, '' Looking In'', is broadcast on the

. The musical revue featured the Paramount Astoria dancing girls. Broadcast live by the BBC using John Logie Baird's 30-line mechanical television system, part of this performance was recorded onto a 7" aluminum disc using a primitive home recording process called Silvatone. This footage, which runs to just under four minutes, is the oldest surviving recording of broadcast television. *

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

: First broadcast of ''

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

'';

demonstrates a non-mechanical television system. The agreement for joint experimental transmissions by the BBC and John Logie Baird's company comes to an end. First 30 Line Mechanical Television Test Transmissions commence in April in Brisbane Australia conducted by Thomas Elliott and Dr.

Val McDowall Val may refer to: Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Soviet assault rifle Music *''Val'', album by Val Doonican *VAL (band), Belarusian pop duo People * Val (given ...

. *

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

: First regular scheduled TV broadcasts in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

by the TV Station Paul Nipkow. The final transmissions of

's 30-line television system are broadcast by the BBC. First TV broadcasts in France on February 13 on Paris PTT Vision. *

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

: The

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

becomes the first Olympic Games to be broadcast on television. *

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

: The

BBC Television Service BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

broadcasts the world's first televised

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

play, a thirty-minute version of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', and the first

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

match,

Arsenal F.C. The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal h ...

vs. Arsenal reserves. *

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

DuMont Laboratories Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc. (printed on products as Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories, Inc., referred to as DuMont Laboratories or DuMont Labs, and DuMont on company documents) was an American television equipment manufacturer and broadcasting ...

manufactures and sells the first all-electronic television sets to the public. Baird gives the first public demonstration of color projection television. The

broadcasts the world's first-ever

television science fiction Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

('' R.U.R.''), and television crime series (''

Telecrime ''Telecrime'' was a British drama series that aired on the BBC Television Service from 1938 to 1939 and in 1946. One of the first multi-episode drama series made, it is also one of the first television dramas written especially for television rat ...

''); in one of the lengthiest experimental television broadcasts, the BBC broadcasts a 90-minute version of

Edmond Rostand Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (, , ; 1 April 1868 – 2 December 1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with th ...

's ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th ce ...

'', starring

Leslie Banks Leslie James Banks Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (9 June 1890 – 21 April 1952) was an English stage and screen actor, director and producer, now best remembered for playing gruff, menacing characters in black-and-white fi ...

Constance Cummings Constance Cummings CBE (May 15, 1910 – November 23, 2005) was an American-British actress with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life Cummings was born on 15 May 1910 in Seattle, Washington, the only daughter and younger child of Kate ...

, and

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...

. *

1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...

: The BBC suspends its television service owing to the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

was broadcast.

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

is the first Asian country to air television. An early televised broadcast of the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...

is experimented

1940s

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

: The American

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

, (

FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains ju ...

), holds public hearings about television *

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

: First

television advertisement A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

s aired. The first official, paid television advertisement was broadcast in the United States on July 1, 1941, over New York station WNBT (now WNBC) before a baseball game between the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

and the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. The announcement was for

Bulova Bulova is an American luxury timepiece manufacturing company that was founded in 1875 in New York City. Formally the Bulova Watch Company, it makes watches, clocks and accessories. History Founding Bulova was founded and incorporated as the J ...

watches. *

1942 The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...

terminates all American television broadcasting because of the war; DuMont petitions FCC to resume broadcasting and receives approval. *

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 � ...

: ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

'' is the first complete

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

to be broadcast on television, but only in New York; first (experimental) telecast of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

''. Many more telecasts of the story will follow in later years, but until film begins to be used on television, no two of the television versions of the story will have the same casts. An advertisement campaign about forest fires introduces

Smokey Bear Smokey Bear is an American campaign and advertising icon of the United States Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service in the Wildfire Prevention Campaign, which is the longest-running public service announcement campaign in United States history to ...

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...

, (ABC), is formed. *

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

National Broadcasting Company The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

(

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

) begins the first regularly scheduled television network service in the United States. *

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

demonstrates all-electronic

color television Color television (American English) or colour television (British English) is a television transmission technology that also includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improv ...

system,

resumed broadcasting through free-to-air

; the

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in ...

begins broadcasting. *

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

: First broadcast of ''

Howdy Doody ''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F. Campbell

'', ''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947, on NBC, airing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Impe ...

'' and ''

Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...

''; the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

is broadcast live for the first time; the 1947 ''

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

'' becomes the first televised parade. *

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

: First broadcast of ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' and ''

Texaco Star Theater ''Texaco Star Theater'' is an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave M ...

''; the

moves from radio to television on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. *

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

: First broadcast of ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

'' and ''

Mama Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Maternal uncle, in some parts of South Asia Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement in the Mam ...

''; 1st Emmy Awards

1950s

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

: First broadcast of ''

Come Dancing ''Come Dancing'' is a British ballroom dancing competition show made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which aired on BBC One at various intervals from 1950 to 1998. Unlike its subsequent follow-up show, ''Strictly Come Dancing'', ...

'', ''

Broadway Open House ''Broadway Open House'' is network television's first late-night comedy-variety series.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 138. It was telecast live on NBC from May ...

'', ''

Your Show of Shows ''Your Show of Shows'' is a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United States on NBC from February 25, 1950, through June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Other featured performers were Carl Reiner, Ho ...

'' and ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

'';

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

is the first Caribbean country to receive TV;

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

is the first

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

n country to receive TV;

Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

begins to provide television ratings data;

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

and Burns & Allen move from radio to TV;

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

and

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...

cartoons begin airing on television after previously only being theatrical

short films A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

;

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

appears in his first TV special. *

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

: The first broadcast of live United States transcontinental television takes place in San Francisco, California during the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference. The first broadcast of ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'', ''

See It Now ''See It Now'' is an American newsmagazine and documentary series broadcast by CBS from 1951 to 1958. It was created by Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly, with Murrow as the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, ''See It Now'' won four Em ...

'', '' Dragnet'', the ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'', ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...

'', '' Sua vida me pertence'', ''

Love of Life ''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation '' Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created ...

'' and ''

The Roy Rogers Show ''The Roy Rogers Show'' is an American Western television series starring Roy Rogers. 100 episodes were broadcast on NBC for six seasons between December 30, 1951, and June 9, 1957. The episodes were set in the prevailing times (1950s) in the ...

''; the

Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters The Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters, also known as the Television Code, was a set of ethical standards adopted by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) of the United States for television programming from 1952 to 1983. Th ...

is first issued. *

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

: First broadcast of ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' (NBC), '' I've Got a Secret'', '' This Is Your Life'', '' Omnibus'', and ''

Flower Pot Men ''Flower Pot Men'' is a British programme for young children produced by BBC Television. It was first transmitted in 1952, and repeated regularly for more than twenty years. A remake of the programme called '' Bill and Ben'' was broadcast in 20 ...

'';

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

begins its television broadcasts; ''

Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...

'' and ''

The Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

'' move from radio to TV. *

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

: The first broadcast of ''

Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...

'', ''

Make Room for Daddy ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the sho ...

'', ''

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

'';

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

launches in the Philippines; the

coronation of Elizabeth II The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Elizabeth II as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon th ...

is the first ceremony of its kind to be broadcast on television. The

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

ceremony (the Oscars) is televised for the first time after previously being broadcast by radio, beginning in 1930.

begins broadcasting the

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

is founded. The first "TV dinner" is made by C.A. Swanson & Sons. The first color television introduced in the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. The first television introduced in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. *

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

: First broadcast of ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'', ''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young (actor), Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray (actor), Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six ...

'', ''

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

'' and ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel, '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with anot ...

'';

NTSC NTSC (from National Television System Committee) is the first American standard for analog television, published and adopted in 1941. In 1961, it was assigned the designation System M. It is also known as EIA standard 170. In 1953, a second ...

video standard for

is introduced, and

National Educational Television National Educational Television (NET) was an American non-commercial educational, educational terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It op ...

(NET) is launched. *

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

: First broadcast of ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on the CBS Television Network from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes wer ...

'', ''

The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...

'', ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and briefly returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first te ...

'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', ''

Sunday Night at the London Palladium ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday ...

'', ''

The Benny Hill Show ''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketch comedy, sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' and ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

''; ITV launches in the UK; millions of viewers watch the grand opening of

in California. The first television introduced in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. *

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

: First broadcast of ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...

'', ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'', ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

'', ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'', the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

and ''Hancock's Half Hour''. The first television introduced in Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, El Salvador, Finland, Georgia (country), Georgia, Guam, Iraq, Nicaragua, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. * 1957 in television, 1957: First broadcast of ''Perry Mason (1957 TV series), Perry Mason'', ''Have Gun — Will Travel'', ''Leave It to Beaver'', ''Maverick (TV series), Maverick'', ''Front Page Challenge'', ''Senda prohibida'', and ''Carosello''; Steve Allen steps down as the host of ''

'' and ''

'' goes off the air. * 1958 in television, 1958: First broadcast of ''Blue Peter'', ''The Donna Reed Show'', ''77 Sunset Strip'', ''Moonlight Mask'', ''Naked City (TV series), Naked City'' and ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''; Canada completes its Trans-Canada Microwave, transcontinental television network; the quiz show scandals wipe out ''The $64,000 Question'' and ''Twenty-One (game show), Twenty-One''. The first color television introduced in

. * 1959 in television, 1959: First broadcast of ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Twilight Zone'', ''Telejornal (Portugal), Telejornal'', ''Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'', ''The Untouchables (1959 TV series), The Untouchables'', ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'' and ''Bonanza''; The second Grammy Awards ceremony is the first Grammy Awards to be televised and Nigeria is the first African country to receive TV.

1960s

* 1960 in television, 1960: First broadcast of ''The Andy Griffith Show'', ''The Flintstones'', ''Coronation Street'', and ''The Bugs Bunny Show''; American presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon United States presidential election debates, debate live on television. * 1961 in television, 1961: First broadcast of ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'', ''The Defenders (1961 TV series), The Defenders'', ''Morecambe and Wise, The Morecambe and Wise Show'' and ''Car 54, Where Are You?''; CTV Television Network, CTV network launches in Canada. * 1962 in television, 1962: First broadcast of ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', ''The Virginian (TV series), The Virginian'', ''McHale's Navy'', ''Steptoe and Son'', ''The Jetsons'', ''The Saint (TV series), The Saint'', ''University Challenge'', ''That Was The Week That Was'', ''Match Game'', ''The Late Late Show (Irish talk show), The Late Late Show'' (Ireland) and ''Sábado Gigante''; Johnny Carson succeeds Jack Paar as host of ''

''; first satellite television relayed by Telstar. * 1963 in television, 1963: First broadcast of ''Doctor Who'', ''General Hospital'', ''The Fugitive (1963 TV series), The Fugitive'', ''Astro Boy (1963 TV series), Astro Boy'' and ''The Outer Limits (1963 TV series), The Outer Limits'', ''Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato''; Comcast, American Cable Systems is founded; Martin Luther King Jr. addresses his famous I Have a Dream speech to the world; the world watches in horror over the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. The first color television introduced in

. * 1964 in television, 1964: First broadcast of ''Gilligan's Island'', ''The Munsters'', ''Bewitched'', ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E'', ''The Addams Family (1964 TV series), The Addams Family'', ''Top of the Pops'', ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'', ''Match of the Day'', ''Jeopardy!'', ''Jonny Quest'' and Up series, the ''Up'' series; the controversial political advertisement Daisy (advertisement), "Daisy" airs only once, but is later considered to be an important factor in Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory over Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election, and an important turning point in political and advertising history; Broadcast of U.S. president Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act Of 1964; The Beatles appear on ''

''. * 1965 in television, 1965: First broadcast of ''I Dream of Jeannie'', ''Days of Our Lives'', ''Get Smart'', ''Thunderbirds (TV series), Thunderbirds'', ''The Dean Martin Show'', ''Hogan's Heroes'', ''Lost in Space'', ''Till Death Us Do Part (British TV series), Till Death Us Do Part'', ''The Dating Game'', Peanuts animated specials, ''Peanuts'' animated specials, ''Des chiffres et des lettres'', ''Tomorrow's World'', ''The Magic Roundabout'' and ''The War Game''; ABC, CBS, and NBC all transition their prime-time programs Color television, to color. * 1966 in television, 1966: First broadcast of ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek'' (original series), ''Batman (TV series), Batman'' (the live-action TV series), ''The Monkees (TV Series), The Monkees'', ''Dark Shadows'', ''Ultra Series#TV shows, Ultra Series'', ''Family Affair'', ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special), How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'', ''That Girl'', ''Cathy Come Home'', ''The Newlywed Game'', ''Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series), Mission: Impossible'' and ''W5 (TV program), W5''; England wins the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, World Cup Final, seen by tens of millions; NBC becomes the first network to air their entire schedule in color. The first color television broadcasts introduced in Canada and the

. * 1967 in television, 1967: First broadcast of ''The Carol Burnett Show'', ''Spider-Man (1967 TV series), Spider-Man'', ''The Dating Game'', ''The Prisoner'', ''ITV News at Ten, News at Ten'' and ''The Phil Donahue Show''; Super Bowl I, first Super Bowl is broadcast by both CBS and NBC; PAL and SECAM colour standards introduced in Europe, with BBC Two, BBC2 making their first colour broadcasts. The first colour television introduced in France,

, Russia,

, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. * 1968 in television, 1968: First broadcast of ''60 Minutes'', ''One Life to Live'', The Banana Splits, ''The'' ''Banana'' ''Splits'', ''Dad's Army'', ''Julia (1968 TV series), Julia'', ''Columbo'', ''Elvis (1968 TV program), Elvis'', ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', ''Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series), Hawaii Five-O'', ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' and ''Adam-12''. The first color television introduced in Bermuda, Georgia (country), Georgia, Iraq, Latvia, Lithuania and

. * 1969 in television, 1969: First broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', ''Monty Python's Flying Circus, H.R. Pufnstuf'' and ''The Brady Bunch''; completion of Fernsehturm Berlin; the Apollo 11 Moon landing is broadcast live worldwide. The first colour television introduced in American Samoa, Dominican Republic, Finland, Martinique and Taiwan.

1970s

* 1970 in television, 1970: First broadcast of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''The Partridge Family'', ''The Odd Couple (1970 TV series), The Odd Couple, The Bugaloos'', ''All My Children'' and ''Monday Night Football''; PBS is launched. The first color television introduced in Guam, Guatemala and Sweden. * 1971 in television, 1971: First broadcast of ''All in the Family'', ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'', ''The Electric Company'', ''Lidsville'', ''The Two Ronnies'', McDonaldland, ''Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), Upstairs, Downstairs'', ''La Linea (TV series), La Linea'', "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)#TV commercial, Hilltop (I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke)" (Coca-Cola), ''The Generation Game'' and ''Parkinson (TV series), Parkinson'' First

night game televised by NBC. The first colour television introduced in

and Poland. * 1972 in television, 1972: First broadcast of ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'', ''Emmerdale'', ''Mastermind (TV series), Mastermind'', ''Kamiondžije'', ''El Chavo'', ''El Chapulín Colorado'', ''The Bob Newhart Show'', ''The Price Is Right'', ''Sanford & Son'', ''Great Performances'' and ''Maude (TV series), Maude''; the Asama-Sansō incident is the first marathon live television broadcast in Japan; Canada starts domestic satellite broadcasts; HBO is launched; the first colour television introduced in Bosnia and Herzegovina,

, Estonia, Guadeloupe, Norway, Panama, Réunion, Spain and Venezuela * 1973 in television, 1973: First broadcast of ''Hovis#Advertising, Boy on the Bike'' (Hovis), ''The Ascent of Man'', ''Moonbase 3'', ''The Young and the Restless'', ''An American Family'', ''Sigmund and the Sea Monsters'', ''The Six Million Dollar Man'', ''Ein Herz und eine Seele'', ''Schoolhouse Rock!'', ''Kojak'', ''Seventeen Moments of Spring'', Tetley Tea Folk, ''Last of the Summer Wine'' and ''The World at War''. The first color television introduced in China, Egypt, El Salvador, Gabon, Honduras, Monaco, New Zealand, Qatar and Saudi Arabia * 1974 in television, 1974: First broadcast of ''Happy Days'', ''Little House on the Prairie (TV series), Little House on the Prairie'', ''Chico and the Man'', ''Derrick (TV series), Derrick'', ''Land of the Lost (1974 TV series), Land of the Lost'', ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''Rhoda'', ''Good Times'', ''The Rockford Files'', and ''Tiswas''; 1st Daytime Emmy Awards; Richard M. Nixon announces his resignation on live television; Global Television Network launches in Canada * 1975 in television, 1975: First broadcast of ''Starsky & Hutch'', ''Barney Miller'', ''Fawlty Towers'', ''Good Morning America'', ''One Day at a Time (1975 TV series), One Day at a Time'', ''Saturday Night Live'', Far Out Space Nuts, ''Far Out Space Nuts'', ''Sneak Previews'', ''Space: 1999'', ''The Jeffersons'', ''The Naked Civil Servant (film), The Naked Civil Servant'', ''Welcome Back Kotter'', The Lost Saucer, ''The Lost Saucer'', ''Wonder Woman (TV series), Wonder Woman'' and ''Wheel of Fortune (American game show), Wheel of Fortune''; Sony introduces the Betamax home video tape recorder. * 1976 in television, 1976: First broadcast of ''The Muppet Show'', ''Alice (American TV series), Alice'', ''The Bionic Woman'', ''I, Claudius (TV series), I, Claudius'', ''Grlom u jagode'', The Krofft Supershow, ''The Krofft Supershow'', ''Laverne & Shirley'', ''Second City Television, SCTV'', ''Austin City Limits'', ''Charlie's Angels'', ''What's Happening!!'', ''Family Feud'', ''The Gong Show'' and ''Nuts in May (Play for Today), Nuts in May''; the first VHSs and videocassette recorders (VCRs) go on sale. * 1977 in television, 1977: First broadcast of ''Abigail's Party'', ''CHiPs'', ''Eight Is Enough'', ''The Love Boat'', ''¿Qué Pasa, USA?'', ''Roots (1977 miniseries), Roots'', ''Soap (TV series), Soap'', ''It'll Be Alright on the Night'', ''The Return of the Spirit (miniseries), The Return of the Spirit'', ''Hungarian Folktales (TV series), Hungarian Folktales'', ''Three's Company'', ''Top Gear (1977 TV series), Top Gear'' and ''Live from the Met''; Launch of Freeform (TV channel), Freeform and USA Network. * 1978 in television, 1978: First broadcast of ''20/20 (American TV program), 20/20'', ''An Ordinary Miracle (1978 film), An Ordinary Miracle'', ''Abarembo Shogun'', ''Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), Battlestar Galactica'', ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'', ''The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series), The Incredible Hulk'', ''Ski Sunday'', ''Fantasy Island'', ''Grange Hill'', ''Matador (Danish TV series), Matador'', ''Mork & Mindy'', ''Pennies from Heaven (TV series), Pennies from Heaven'', ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'', ''Deeply Regretted By...'' and ''Card Sharks. Tic-Tac-Dough'' returns on CBS, then moves to Broadcast syndication, syndication. * 1979 in television, 1979: First broadcast of ''Archie Bunker's Place'', ''Benson (TV series), Benson'', ''Blue Remembered Hills'', ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', ''Hart to Hart'', ''Knots Landing'', ''Life on Earth (TV series), Life on Earth'', ''Antiques Roadshow'', ''Eat Bulaga!'', ''Real People (TV program), Real People'', ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', ''The Facts of Life (TV series), The Facts of Life'', ''You Can't Do That on Television'', ''The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed'', ''The Very Same Munchhausen'' and ''Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy#Television, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy''; ESPN and Nickelodeon are launched.

1980s

* 1980 in television, 1980: First broadcast of ''Berlin Alexanderplatz (television), Berlin Alexanderplatz'', ''Bosom Buddies'', ''Magnum PI'', ''Too Close For Comfort'', ''It's a Living'', ''Nightline'', ''BBC Children in Need'', ''Vruć vetar'', ''The Kids of Degrassi Street'', ''Strumpet City (TV miniseries), Strumpet City'' and ''Yes Minister''; CNN, Cable News Network (CNN) and TLC (TV network), The Learning Channel (TLC) are launched. The first color television introduced in Bangladesh, Burma, Gibraltar and South Korea. The television are launched in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. * 1981 in television, 1981: First broadcast of ''The Smurfs (1981 TV series), The Smurfs'', ''Hill Street Blues'', ''The People's Court'', ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty'', ''Gimme a Break'', ''Postman Pat'', ''Danger Mouse (1981 TV series), Danger Mouse'', ''Elvira's Movie Macabre'', ''Falcon Crest'', ''Only Fools and Horses'' and ''Brideshead Revisited (TV serial), Brideshead Revisited''; MTV launched; hundreds of millions watch the Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer; a writers' strike disrupts U.S. television for three months. * 1982 in television, 1982: First broadcast of ''Cheers'', ''Family Ties'', ''Brookside (television programme), Brookside'', Remington Steele, ''Remington Steele'', ''The Snowman (1982 film), The Snowman'', ''Boys from the Blackstuff'', ''Newhart'' ''Silver Spoons'', and ''St. Elsewhere''; Channel 4 (UK) and The Weather Channel are launched. The first color television introduced in Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan. The television are launched in Greenland, Macau and Mauritania. * 1983 in television, 1983: First broadcast of ''The A-Team'', ''The Day After'', ''V (1983 miniseries), V'' (original miniseries), 1984 (advertisement), 1984 (Apple Computers), ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'', ''Fraggle Rock'', ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'', ''Reading Rainbow'', ''Press Your Luck'', ''Eddie Murphy Delirious'', ''Inspector Gadget (1983 TV series), Inspector Gadget'', ''The Joy of Painting'', ''An Englishman Abroad'', J. R. Hartley (Yellow Pages), ''Blackadder'' and ''Terrahawks''; first broadcast of ''Wheel of Fortune (American game show), Wheel of Fortune'' in Broadcast syndication, syndication; Disney Channel is launched. The first color television introduced in Angola, Bahamas, Burundi, Grenada and Romania. The television are launched in Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Laos, Mali, Somalia, Seychelles, Tonga and Vatican City. * 1984 in television, 1984: First broadcast of ''Airwolf'', ''Blue Thunder (TV series), Blue Thunder'', ''Charles in Charge'', ''Murder, She Wrote'', ''Miami Vice'', ''Punky Brewster'', ''Who's the Boss?'', ''The Cosby Show'', ''The Transformers (TV series), The Transformers'', ''Voltron (1984 TV series), Voltron'', ''Night Court'', ''Tales from the Darkside'', ''Thomas & Friends'', ''La piovra'', ''Santa Barbara (TV series), Santa Barbara'', ''Spitting Image'', ''Heimat (1984 film), Heimat'' and ''The Jewel in the Crown (TV series), The Jewel in the Crown''; first broadcast of ''Jeopardy!'' in syndication; A&E (TV channel), A&E and Canal+ (French TV channel), Canal+ launched. The first color television introduced in Belize, Greenland, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe. The television are launched in Nepal, Cabo Verde and Åland. * 1985 in television, 1985: First broadcast of ''MacGyver (1985 TV series), MacGyver'', ''227 (TV series), 227'', ''Growing Pains'', ''ThunderCats (1985 TV series), ThunderCats'', ''Neighbours'', ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'', ''Larry King Live'', ''The Raccoons'', ''Edge of Darkness'', ''Little Muppet Monsters'', ''The Max Headroom Show'', ''EastEnders'' and ''The Golden Girls''; the Discovery Channel is established; the first WrestleMania event is broadcast; millions watch the Live Aid concert from Wembley Stadium (1923), Wembley Stadium. The first color television introduced in Ghana and Seychelles. * 1986 in television, 1986: First broadcast of ''L.A. Law'', ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', ''Perfect Strangers (TV series), Perfect Strangers'', ''Double Dare (1986 game show), Double Dare'', ''Matlock (1986 TV series), Matlock'', ''ALF (TV series), ALF'', ''The Real Ghostbusters'', ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', ''London's Burning (TV series), London's Burning'', ''Dragon Ball (TV series), Dragon Ball'', ''Alternatywy 4'', ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' and ''The Singing Detective''; the Fox Broadcasting Company is launched; television is introduced in Mayotte and Niue. The first color television is introduced in Cambodia. * 1987 in television, 1987: First broadcast of ''Full House'', ''Married... with Children'', ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', ''Thirtysomething (TV series), Thirtysomething'', ''Ramayan (1987 TV series), Ramayan'', ''Fireman Sam'', ''DuckTales (1987 TV series), DuckTales'', ''Inspector Morse (TV series), Inspector Morse'', ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ''Square One Television, Square One TV'', ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' and ''21 Jump Street (TV series), 21 Jump Street''; The first Survivor Series, WWF Survivor Series PPV is held. * 1988 in television, 1988: First broadcast of ''Roseanne (TV series), Roseanne'', ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', ''Red Dwarf'', ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'', ''In the Heat of the Night (TV series), In the Heat of the Night'', Just Do It (Nike), ''Murphy Brown'', ''Yo! MTV Raps'', ''Garfield and Friends'', ''Unsolved Mysteries'', ''America's Most Wanted'', ''The Wonder Years'' and ''Mahabharat (1988 TV series), Mahabharat''; TNT (American TV network), TNT (Turner Network Television) is launched; the first LCD televisions go on sale; a 1988 Writers Guild of America strike, writers' strike disrupts U.S. television for five months; television in introduced in Lesotho. The first color television in Lesotho and Papua New Guinea. * 1989 in television, 1989: First broadcast of ''The Simpsons'', ''Seinfeld'', ''Baywatch'', ''Saved by the Bell'', ''Family Matters'', ''American Gladiators (1989 TV series), American Gladiators'', ''Wallace & Gromit'', ''Hey Dude'', ''British Airways face advertisement, Face'' (British Airways), ''America's Funniest Home Videos'', ''Dragon Ball Z'', ''Quantum Leap (1989 TV series), Quantum Leap'', ''Cops (TV series), COPS'', ''Rap City'', ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (TV series), Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'', ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'', ''Shining Time Station'', ''Coach (TV series), Coach'' and ''Inside Edition''; the trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu is televised.

1990s

* 1990 in television, 1990: First broadcast of ''Law & Order'', ''Twin Peaks'', ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', ''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'', ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', ''Mr. Bean'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'', ''In Living Color'', ''Northern Exposure'', and ''Pingu''; The Gulf War and 1990 FIFA World Cup are among the year's most televised events. * 1991 in television, 1991: First broadcast of ''Home Improvement (TV series), Home Improvement'', ''Step by Step (TV series), Step by Step'', ''Nummer 28'', ''Darkwing Duck'', ''Rupert (TV series), Rupert'', ''Where's Wally? (TV series), Where's Wally?'', ''The Julekalender'', ''Æon Flux'', the first three Nicktoons (''Doug (TV series), Doug'', ''Rugrats'', and ''The Ren & Stimpy Show''), ''The Jenny Jones Show'', ''Maury (talk show), Maury'', and ''The Jerry Springer Show''; Launch of Court TV and Comedy Central. * 1992 in television, 1992: First broadcast of ''The Larry Sanders Show'', ''Mad About You'', ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'', ''Batman: The Animated Series'' (first series in the DC Animated Universe), ''Barney & Friends'', ''Martin (TV series), Martin'', ''The Real World (TV series), The Real World'', ''Sailor Moon (TV series), Sailor Moon'', ''Cha Cha Cha (TV series), Cha Cha Cha'', ''Crayon Shin-chan'', ''YuYu Hakusho'', ''Melrose Place'', ''X-Men: The Animated Series'' and ''Absolutely Fabulous'', ''Mara Clara''; Cartoon Network is launched. The first color television introduced in Fiji, Nauru and Tuvalu. The television are launched in Solomon Islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Ossetia and Transnistria. * 1993 in television, 1993: First broadcast of ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Animaniacs'', ''The X-Files'', ''NYPD Blue'', ''Beavis and Butt-Head'', ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', "Aaron Burr (advertisement), Aaron Burr" (first Got Milk? commercial), ''WWE Raw, WWF Monday Night Raw'', ''Walker, Texas Ranger'', ''Homicide: Life on the Street'', ''Boy Meets World'', ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'', ''Bill Nye the Science Guy'', ''seaQuest DSV'', ''The Nanny'', ''Ricki Lake (talk show), Ricki Lake'', ''Frasier'', and ''Rocko's Modern Life''; Major League Soccer, Major League Soccer (MLS) and Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are founded; the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show becomes one of the most-watched performances in American television history. * 1994 in television, 1994: First broadcast of ''Friends'', ''Party of Five'', ''Ellen (TV series), Ellen'', ''The Kingdom (TV miniseries), The Kingdom'', ''Babylon 5'', ''The National Lottery Draws'', ''Inside the Actors Studio'', ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'', ''Spider-Man (1994 TV series), Spider-Man'', ''The Tick (1994 TV series), The Tick'', ''ER (TV series), ER'', ''Gargoyles (TV series), Gargoyles'', ''All That'', ''Allegra's Window'', and ''Gullah Gullah Island''; Turner Classic Movies is launched; 1994 United States broadcast TV realignment, Several TV stations in the US switch their affiliates until 1996; Irish dance company ''Riverdance'' is introduced to the world for the first time at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest to a thunderous ovation. * 1995 in television, 1995: First broadcast of ''Father Ted'', ''NileCity 105,6'', ''The Wayans Bros.'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', ''Freakazoid!'', ''Xena: Warrior Princess'', ''The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'', ''The Late Late Show (American talk show), The Late Late Show'', ''WCW Monday Nitro'', ''Road Rules'', ''The Drew Carey Show'', ''Budweiser Frogs'', ''NewsRadio'', ''Saksi'', ''Caroline in the City'', ''JAG (TV series), JAG'', ''Él y ella'' and ''Sevcec''; The programme ''Rox (American TV series), Rox'' makes a move to the Internet, becoming the first-ever web television, web series; History (American TV channel), The History Channel is launched; The communications satellite EchoStar I is (literally) launched; ad campaign; The O. J. Simpson murder case, O. J. Simpson murder trial is televised. * 1996 in television, 1996: First broadcast of ''3rd Rock from the Sun'', ''7th Heaven (TV series), 7th Heaven'', ''Spin City'', ''The Crocodile Hunter'', ''Hey Arnold!'', ''Blue's Clues'', ''The Daily Show'', ''E! True Hollywood Story'', ''Judge Judy'', ''Arthur (TV series), Arthur'', ''Muppets Tonight'', ''Dexter's Laboratory'', ''Superman: The Animated Series'', ''Our Friends in the North'', ''Jumanji (TV series), Jumanji'', ''The Steve Harvey Show'' and ''Everybody Loves Raymond''; Fox News is launched; the first high-definition television broadcasts; the first DVDs and DVD players go on sale; Animal Planet is launched * 1997 in television, 1997: First broadcast of ''South Park'', ''Pokémon (TV series), Pokémon'', ''Stargate SG-1'', ''Recess (TV series), Recess'', ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Teletubbies'', ''Alles Kan Beter'', ''Extreme Ghostbusters'', ''Bear in the Big Blue House'', ''King of the Hill'', ''Johnny Bravo'', ''The Angry Beavers'', ''Daria'', and ''I'm Alan Partridge''; the TV Parental Guidelines television content rating system is introduced; Netflix Inc., Netflix is founded, starting life as a mail-based rental service; the first plasma televisions go on sale; 685 children across Japan are taken to hospitals from seizures Dennō Senshi Porygon, caused by a ''Pokémon'' episode; millions watch the Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, funeral of Princess Diana. * 1998 in television, 1998: First broadcast of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (British game show), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'', ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Will & Grace'', ''Charmed'', ''Godzilla: The Series'', ''The Powerpuff Girls'', ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''That '70s Show'', ''Sex and the City'', ''WCW Thunder'', ''The Royle Family'', ''The King of Queens'', and ''CatDog''; Kingston Communications launches the first major video-on-demand service. * 1999 in television, 1999: First broadcast of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''The Sopranos'', ''Family Guy'', ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''Futurama'', ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'', ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'', ''Dragon Tales'', ''Rocket Power'', ''The West Wing'', ''Whassup?'' (Budweiser), ''WWE SmackDown, WWF Smackdown'', ''One Piece (1999 TV series), One Piece'', Ford Global Anthem, Global Anthem (Ford), ''Bob the Builder'', ''The Amanda Show'', ''Big Brother (Netherlands), Big Brother'' (Netherlands), ''Walking with..., Walking with Prehistoric Life'', ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'', ''Surfer (advertisement), Surfer'' (Guinness), ''Freaks and Geeks'', ''Trick (TV series), Trick'' and ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel''; the first digital video recorders (DVRs) go on sale, one of them being TiVo; Bhutan becomes the last country to introduce television by the celebration of the fourth king's Silver Jubilee after years of self-imposed prohibition of media technology.

2000s

* 2000 in television, 2000: First broadcast of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''Big Brother (American TV series), Big Brother'' (U.S.), ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', ''Malcolm in the Middle'', ''MTV Cribs'', ''Survivor (American TV series), Survivor'', ''Jackass (TV series), Jackass'', ''106 & Park'', ''Weakest Link'', ''Just for Laughs: Gags'', ''Dora the Explorer (TV series), Dora the Explorer'', ''Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000 TV series), Clifford the Big Red Dog'', ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' and ''Gilmore Girls''; Billy Mays shoots an infomercial for OxiClean * 2001 in television, 2001: First broadcast of ''The Bernie Mac Show'', ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''Scrubs (TV series), Scrubs'', ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (UK), ''Band of Brothers (TV miniseries), Band of Brothers'', ''Sangdo, Merchants of Joseon'', ''My Wife and Kids'', '' Alias (TV series), Alias'', ''The Amazing Race'', ''The Secret Life of Us'', ''Fear Factor'', ''Trailer Park Boys'', ''The Fairly OddParents'', ''Invader Zim'', ''The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy'', ''Samurai Jack'', ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh!'', ''Lizzie McGuire'', ''Totally Spies!'', ''How It's Made'', ''Smallville'', and ''Six Feet Under (TV series), Six Feet Under'', and ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. The world witnesses the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., Washington which sees regular programming suspended to bring up-to-date coverage of events relating to the attacks. * 2002 in television, 2002: First broadcast of ''American Idol'', ''The Bachelor (American TV series), The Bachelor'', ''The Shield (TV series), The Shield'', ''City of Men'', ''Kim Possible'', ''Extreme Makeover'', ''What's New, Scooby-Doo?'', ''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'', ''Baby Looney Tunes'', ''8 Simple Rules'', Monk (TV series), ''Monk'', ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ''Madventures (Finnish TV program), Madventures'', ''Firefly (TV series), Firefly'', ''100 Greatest Britons'', ''The Most Extreme'', ''Winter Sonata'', ''Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'', ''Clone High'', ''George Lopez (TV series), George Lopez'', ''The Wire'', ''Naruto (TV series), Naruto'', ''Wish Ko Lang!'', and ''Without a Trace'', ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear''; The WWE, WWF ends its "Attitude Era" and is forced to change its name to WWE due to a dispute with the World Wide Fund for Nature; Millions watch the 2002 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and the 2002 FIFA World Cup hosted by Japan and South Korea. * 2003 in television, 2003: First broadcast of ''Two and a Half Men'', ''The Simple Life'', ''Chappelle's Show'', ''One Tree Hill (TV series), One Tree Hill'', ''Punk'd'', ''Teen Titans (TV series), Teen Titans'', ''The O.C.'', ''Sonic X'', ''My Life as a Teenage Robot'', ''That's So Raven'', Cog (advertisement), Cog (Honda), ''Reno 911!'', ''The Bachelorette (American TV series), The Bachelorette'', ''MythBusters'', ''NCIS (TV series), NCIS'', ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'', ''All In (TV series), All In'', ''Little Britain (sketch show), Little Britain'', ''Peep Show (British TV series), Peep Show'', ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'', ''Los Serrano'', ''Martin Mystery'', ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' and ''The Venture Bros.''; The controversial Iraq War becomes the year's Media coverage of the Iraq War, most covered story on news channels around the world. * 2004 in television, 2004: First broadcast of ''Bleach (TV series), Bleach'', ''Entourage (American TV series), Entourage'', ''Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County'', ''House (TV series), House'', ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', ''Desperate Housewives'', ''Veronica Mars'', ''Danny Phantom'', ''Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series), Battlestar Galactica'' (2004), ''Ghost Hunters (TV series), Ghost Hunters'', ''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'', ''Entourage (American TV series), Entourage'', ''Hassan and Habibah'', ''Peppa Pig'', ''Drake & Josh'', ''LazyTown'', the GEICO Cavemen, ''Drawn Together'', ''Super Girl (TV series), Super Girl'', ''Maya & Miguel'', ''Winx Club'', ''Hell's Kitchen (British TV series), Hell's Kitchen'' (UK), ''The Apprentice (American TV series), The Apprentice'' (U.S.), ''The Biggest Loser (American TV series), The Biggest Loser'', and ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''; ''Euro1080'' launches the first high-definition television broadcast. * 2005 in television, 2005: First broadcast of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia'', ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''Spiral (TV series), Spiral'', ''Noghtechin'', ''Dancing with the Stars'', ''The Closer'', ''Rome (TV Series), Rome'', ''Zoey 101'', ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'', ''Ben 10 (2005 TV series), Ben 10'', ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series), So You Think You Can Dance'', ''Bones (TV series), Bones'', ''The Colbert Report'', ''American Dad!'', ''Everybody Hates Chris'', ''The Office (American TV series), The Office'' (U.S.), ''How I Met Your Mother'', ''The Girls Next Door'', ''Criminal Minds'', ''Deal or No Deal (American game show), Deal or No Deal'', ''Carlton Draught: Big Ad'', ''Balitanghali'', ''Supernatural (American TV series), Supernatural'' and ''Prison Break''; The Trials of Trial of Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson and Trial of Saddam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, the Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, Funeral of Pope John Paul II, and the Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla each get significant news coverage. * 2006 in television, 2006: First broadcast of ''High School Musical'', ''The Hills (TV series), The Hills'', ''Türkisch für Anfänger'', ''Planet Earth (2006 TV series), Planet Earth'', ''Jumong (TV series), Jumong'', ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'', ''Dexter (TV series), Dexter'', ''Psych'', ''Tom and Jerry Tales'', ''Friday Night Lights (TV series), Friday Night Lights'', ''Ugly Betty'', ''Hannah Montana'', ''Death Note'', ''Top Chef'', ''The Real Housewives of Orange County'', ''Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'', ''Code Geass'', ''Curious George (TV series), Curious George'', and ''30 Rock''; the Netherlands is the first country to move to digital television; HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc launched; Luxembourg becomes the first country to complete a Digital television transition, wholesale switch from analog television to digital over-the-air (terrestrial television) broadcasting. * 2007 in television, 2007: First broadcast of ''The Big Bang Theory'', ''Kitchen Nightmares'', ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'', ''Britain's Got Talent'', ''Gorilla (advertisement), Gorilla'' (Cadbury's Dairy Milk), ''Burn Notice'', ''iCarly'', ''The Golden Path (TV series), The Golden Path'', ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'', ''Pushing Daisies'', the John Lewis Christmas advert, ''Wizards of Waverly Place'', ''Phineas and Ferb'', ''Total Drama'', ''Xavier: Renegade Angel'', ''Gossip Girl'', ''Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (American game show), Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?'', ''Golden Bride'', ''The Killing (Danish TV series), The Killing'', ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck'', ''Mad Men'' and ''Damages (TV series), Damages''; 2007 Venezuelan RCTV protests in Venezuela; a 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, writers' strike shuts down U.S. scripted programming in November; CNN/YouTube presidential debates, CNN and YouTube sponsor U.S. presidential debates. * 2008 in television, 2008: First broadcast of ''Breaking Bad'', ''The Mentalist'', ''Sons of Anarchy'', ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series), Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', ''Paris Hilton's My New BFF'', ''Wipeout (2008 U.S. game show), Wipeout'', ''True Blood'', ''Fringe (TV series), Fringe'', ''Underbelly (TV series), Underbelly'', ''The Inbetweeners'', ''Radio Arvyla'', ''19 Kids and Counting''; the launch of Discovery Channel's ad campaign; the first 3D TV broadcasts; Thai PBS are launched; the historical miniseries ''John Adams (miniseries), John Adams'' premieres on HBO and wins a record-breaking thirteen Emmys. * 2009 in television, 2009: First broadcast of ''Pointless'', ''Modern Family'', ''Pawn Stars'', ''Cake Boss'', ''Tosh.0'', ''Jersey Shore (TV series), Jersey Shore'', ''Castle (TV series), Castle'', ''Horrible Histories (2009 TV series), Horrible Histories'', ''White Collar (TV series), White Collar'', ''The Vampire Diaries'', ''The Good Wife'', ''The Cleveland Show'', ''Cougar Town'', ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', ''Archer (2009 TV series), Archer'', ''16 and Pregnant'', ''Late Night With Jimmy Fallon'', ''The Middle (TV series), The Middle'', ''Glee (TV series), Glee'', ''Teen Mom'', ''Parks and Recreation'', ''Community (TV series), Community'' and ''Misfits (TV series), Misfits''; millions watch the First inauguration of Barack Obama, inauguration of Barack Obama as well as coverage of the Death of Michael Jackson, death and Michael Jackson memorial service, funeral of Michael Jackson.

2010s

* 2010 in television, 2010: First broadcast of ''Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), Hawaii Five-0'', ''Blue Bloods (TV series), Blue Bloods'', ''Adventure Time'', ''Regular Show'', ''Downton Abbey'', ''Good Luck Charlie'', ''Glass Home'', ''Borgen (TV series), Borgen'', ''Sherlock (TV series), Sherlock'', ''Solsidan (TV series), Solsidan'', "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" (Old Spice), ''Pretty Little Liars'', ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', ''Boardwalk Empire'', ''Justified (TV series), Justified'', ''The Great British Bake Off'', ''Treme (TV series), Treme'', ''Young Justice (TV series), Young Justice'', ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' and ''The Voice of Holland, The Voice'' (Holland); 2010 Tonight Show conflict, ''Tonight Show'' conflict between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. * 2011 in television, 2011: First broadcast of ''Game of Thrones'', ''Black Mirror'', ''Top Boy'', ''Person of Interest (TV series), Person of Interest'', ''Bob's Burgers'', ''Leyla ile Mecnun'', ''American Horror Story'', ''Suits (American TV series), Suits'', ''Shameless (American TV series), Shameless'', ''Austin & Ally'', ''The Amazing World of Gumball'', ''New Girl'', ''Jessie (2011 TV series), ''Jessie'''', and ''Homeland (TV series), Homeland''; State Farm premieres its "State of..." advertising campaign, which includes the "State of Unrest" commercial (a.k.a. "Jake from State Farm"); millions watch Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, Prince William marry Kate Middleton; IBM's Watson (computer), Watson competes against former champions Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings on ''Jeopardy!''; Barack Obama, President Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden on live television. * 2012 in television, 2012: First broadcast of ''Duck Dynasty'', ''Satyamev Jayate (TV series), Satyamev Jayate'', ''Gravity Falls'', ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV Series)'', ''Girls (TV series), Girls'', ''Key & Peele'', ''Scandal (American TV series), Scandal'', ''Nashville (2012 TV series), Nashville'', ''Državni posao'', ''Call the Midwife'', ''Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States'', ''House of Lies'', ''Veep'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''Omar (TV series), Omar'', ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (TV series), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'', and ''Kitchen (TV series), Kitchen''; the 2012 London Olympics becomes the most-watched event of the year. * 2013 in television, 2013: First broadcast of ''Rick and Morty'', ''Peaky Blinders (TV series), Peaky Blinders'', ''The Following'', Epic Split (Volvo Trucks), ''House of Cards (American TV series), House of Cards'', ''The Americans'', ''Bates Motel (TV series), Bates Motel'', ''Steven Universe'', ''Broadchurch'', ''Hannibal (TV series), Hannibal'', ''Attack on Titan'', ''PAW Patrol'', ''Vikings (2013 TV series), Vikings'', ''Orange is the New Black'' and ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine''; Television stations cover the Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the 2013 papal conclave, election of his successor while in the United States, American singer Miley Cyrus creates controversy during a performance at 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, that year's VMAs. * 2014 in television, 2014: First broadcast of ''True Detective'', ''How to Get Away with Murder'', ''Black-ish'', ''Gotham (TV series), Gotham'', ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'', ''Fargo (TV series), Fargo'', ''BoJack Horseman'', ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'', ''Gomorrah (TV series), Gomorrah'', ''Outlander (TV series), Outlander'', ''Lucha Underground'', ''Blaze and the Monster Machines'', ''Broad City'', ''Over the Garden Wall'', ''The Leftovers (TV series), The Leftovers'', ''Jane the Virgin'', ''Chrisley Knows Best'' and ''Girl Meets World''; Billions of people watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup. * 2015 in television, 2015: First broadcast of ''Better Call Saul'', ''Empire (2015 TV series), Empire'', ''Narcos'', ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV series), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'', ''Life in Pieces'', ''Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir'', ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'', ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', ''Love Island (2015 TV series), Love Island'', ''Harvey Beaks'', ''Mr. Robot'', ''Schitt's Creek'', ''Deutschland 83'', ''Lip Sync Battle'', ''Superstore (TV series), Superstore'' and ''We Bare Bears''; Super Bowl XLIX breaks the record for most-watched program in the history of American television; Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather–Pacquiao boxing match is history's biggest pay-per-view fight; Steve Harvey hosts the Miss Universe 2015 pageant in Las Vegas and mistakenly names the first runner-up, Miss Colombia (Ariadna Gutiérrez) as the winner, announcing shortly after that he had read the results incorrectly and that Miss Philippines (Pia Wurtzbach) was the new Miss Universe; ten are killed during Villa Castelli helicopter collision, a helicopter crash during filming of reality series ''Dropped (French TV series), Dropped''. * 2016 in television, 2016: First broadcast of ''Stranger Things'', ''The Night Of'', ''Lucifer (TV series), Lucifer'', ''Fleabag'', ''War & Peace (2016 TV series), War & Peace'', ''Roots (2016 miniseries), Roots'', ''Mann Mayal'', ''Atlanta (TV series), Atlanta'', ''This Is Us'', ''The Good Place'', ''My Hero Academia'', ''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee'', ''Insecure (TV series), Insecure'', ''Westworld (TV series), Westworld'', ''The Loud House'', ''Tales of Arcadia'' and ''The Crown (TV series), The Crown''; the last known company in the world to manufacture VHS equipment (VCR/DVD combos), Funai of Japan, ceases production, citing shrinking demand and difficulties procuring parts. * 2017 in television, 2017: First broadcast of ''Money Heist'', ''Riverdale (2017 TV series), Riverdale'', ''Young Sheldon'', ''Big Little Lies (TV series), Big Little Lies'', ''DuckTales (2017 TV series), DuckTales'' (2017), ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'', ''Big Mouth (American TV series), Big Mouth'', ''Carpool Karaoke: The Series, Carpool Karaoke'', ''The Handmaid's Tale (TV series), The Handmaid's Tale'', ''The Repair Shop'', ''GLOW (TV series), GLOW'', ''S.W.A.T. (2017 TV series), S.W.A.T.'', and ''A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series), A Series of Unfortunate Events''; At the 89th Academy Awards, the film ''Moonlight (2016 film), Moonlight'' is announced the correct winner for Best Picture, after actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announce ''La La Land (film), La La Land'', another acclaimed film, the winner by mistake on national television. * 2018 in television, 2018: First broadcast of ''Bluey (TV series), Bluey'', ''Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'', ''Hilda (TV series), Hilda'', ''Barry (TV series), Barry'', ''Cobra Kai'', ''Killing Eve'', ''Bodyguard (British TV series), Bodyguard'', ''Big City Greens'', ''Pose (TV series), Pose'', ''Succession (TV series), Succession'', ''The Neighborhood (TV series), The Neighborhood'', ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'', and ''Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj''; millions watch Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, marry Meghan Markle. * 2019 in television, 2019: First broadcast of ''Chernobyl (miniseries), Chernobyl'', ''The Mandalorian'', ''The Boys (TV series), The Boys'', ''Harley Quinn (TV series), Harley Quinn'', ''Watchmen (TV series), Watchmen'', ''The Masked Singer (American TV series), The Masked Singer'', ''All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite'', ''Russian Doll (TV series), Russian Doll'', ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'', ''His Dark Materials (TV series), His Dark Materials'', ''Amphibia (TV series), Amphibia'', ''The Umbrella Academy (TV series), The Umbrella Academy'', ''The Other Two (TV series), The Other Two'', ''Hanna (TV series), Hanna'', ''Euphoria (American TV series), Euphoria'', ''Ramy (TV series), Ramy'', ''What We Do in the Shadows (TV series), What We Do in the Shadows'', ''Sex Education (TV series), Sex Education'', ''When They See Us'', ''Good Omens (TV series), Good Omens'' and ''The Morning Show (American TV series), The Morning Show''; The Walt Disney Company launches its streaming service, Disney+

2020s

* 2020 in television, 2020: First broadcast of ''Ted Lasso'', ''Little Fires Everywhere (miniseries), Little Fires Everywhere'', ''Tiger King'', ''Bridgerton'', ''I May Destroy You'', ''A Teacher (miniseries), A Teacher'', ''Stargirl (TV series), Stargirl'', ''Mrs. America (miniseries), Mrs. America'', ''Outer Banks (TV series), Outer Banks'', ''Dispatches from Elsewhere'', ''Tyler Perry's Young Dylan'', ''The Owl House'', ''The Great (2020 TV series), The Great'', ''Solar Opposites'', ''Dave (TV series), Dave'', ''Dash & Lily'', and ''Love, Victor''; the Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television, COVID-19 pandemic shuts down production on many television programs; ABS-CBN shutdown in the Philippines. * 2021 in television, 2021: First broadcast of ''Squid Game'', ''Invincible (TV series), Invincible'', ''The Great North'', ''Yellowjackets (TV series), Yellowjackets'', ''Girls5eva'', ''Hacks (TV series), Hacks'', ''Reservation Dogs'', ''Ginny & Georgia'', ''Spidey and His Amazing Friends'', ''Only Murders in the Building'', ''Schmigadoon!'', ''Gabby's Dollhouse'', ''The White Lotus'', ''Abbott Elementary'', ''Arcane (TV series), Arcane'', the List of Marvel Cinematic Universe television series#Marvel Studios series, Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ shows and specials, ''It's a Sin (TV series), It's a Sin'' and ''De Verraders, The Traitors'' (Dutch); Nickelodeon's ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' debuts spin-offs: ''The Patrick Star Show'', and ''Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years'', The globally watched 2020 Summer Olympics, Tokyo Summer Olympics are held a year later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. * 2022 in television, 2022: First broadcast of ''Severance (TV series), Severance'', ''Tulsa King'', ''Peacemaker (TV series), Peacemaker'', ''Wednesday (TV series), Wednesday'', ''Smiling Friends'', ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (TV series), Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'', ''Batwheels'', ''The Bear (TV series), The Bear'', ''The Summer I Turned Pretty (TV series), The Summer I Turned Pretty'', ''Tokyo Vice (TV series), Tokyo Vice'' and ''Becoming A Popstar''; millions watch in shock as actor Will Smith Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident, slaps comedian Chris Rock live during the 94th Academy Awards; billions watch the Russian invasion of Ukraine, speculated to be the most watched television war in history and state funeral of Elizabeth II, speculated to be the most watched television event in history. * 2023 in television, 2023: First broadcast of ''The Last of Us (TV series), The Last of Us'', ''Beef (TV series), Beef'', ''Poker Face (TV series), Poker Face'', ''XO, Kitty'', '' Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'', ''School Spirits (2023 TV series), School Spirits'', ''Kiff (TV series), Kiff'', ''Based on a True Story (TV series), Based on a True Story'', ''Mrs. Davis'', ''Krapopolis'' and ''Percy Jackson and the Olympians (TV series), Percy Jackson and the Olympians''; in Hollywood, the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Writers Guild of America and 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, SAG-AFTRA begin a series of ongoing 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, strikes of actors and writers for six months separately, affecting the film and television industries; billions watch the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla and Gaza war. * 2024 in television, 2024: First broadcast of ''Shōgun (2024 TV series), Shōgun'', ''Hazbin Hotel'', ''Mr Bates vs The Post Office'', ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024 TV series), Mr. & Mrs. Smith'', ''Grimsburg'', ''Nobody Wants This'', ''Baby Reindeer'', ''The Penguin (TV series), The Penguin'', ''Doctor Odyssey'' and ''Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV''; Several national elections are held around the world including some of the world's most populated countries along with television coverage. * 2025 in television, 2025: First broadcast of ''StuGo'', ''Shifting Gears (TV series), Shifting Gears'', ''Étoile (TV series), Étoile'', ''Sherlock & Daughter'', ''Dexter: Resurrection'', ''Eyes of Wakanda'', ''Too Much (TV series), Too Much'', ''We Were Liars (TV series), We Were Liars'', ''Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'', ''Pulse (2025 TV series), Pulse'' and ''Alien: Earth'' * 2026 in television, 2026: First broadcast of ''Elle (TV series), Elle'', ''It – Welcome to Derry'', ''Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (TV series), Star Trek'', ''The Boroughs'', ''Vision Quest (miniseries), Vision Quest'' and ''Half Man (TV series), Half Man''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Television by year Television timelines, Television lists, Years Timelines by year Lists of years by topic

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

References