A television film , alternatively known as a television movie , made-for-TV film/movie , telefilm , telemovie or TV film/movie , is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network , in contrast to theatrical films made for initial showing in movie theaters , and direct-to-video films made for initial release on home video formats. In certain cases, such films may also be referred to and shown as a miniseries , which typically indicates a film that has been divided into multiple parts or a series that contains a predetermined, limited number of episodes.
98-513: After Jimmy is a 1996 American made-for-television drama film based on a true story starring Meredith Baxter as a woman, with her family, mourning the suicide death of her teenage son. As of 2008, the film has not been released on video or DVD. Depressed eighteen-year-old Jimmy Stapp commits suicide by shooting himself in the head with his father's gun. His family (mother Maggie, father Sam, and two young siblings Billy and Rosie) struggles to deal with life, amid questions of why they didn't see
196-527: A multiple-camera setup , but are written to be easily broken up into individual 30- or 60-minute episodes for syndication . Many such movies relocate the cast of the show to an exotic overseas setting. However, although they may be advertised as movies, they are really simply extended episodes of television shows, such as the pilots and the finales of Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . Most of these are made and shown during sweeps period in order to attract
294-475: A Deal (1963–1968 and 1990–1991, as well as a short-lived prime-time revival in 2003), Jeopardy! (1964–1975 and 1978–1979), The Hollywood Squares (1966–1980), Wheel of Fortune (1975–1989 and 1991), Password Plus/Super Password (1979–1982 and 1984–1989), Sale of the Century (1969–1973 and 1983–1989) and Scrabble (1984–1990 and 1993). The last game show ever to air as part of NBC's daytime schedule
392-804: A Saturday edition of Today . Most of the series featured on the TNBC lineup were executive produced by Peter Engel (such as City Guys , Hang Time , California Dreams , One World and the Saved by the Bell sequel, Saved by the Bell: The New Class ), with the lineup being designed from the start to meet the earliest form of the FCC's educational programming guidelines under the Children's Television Act . NBA Inside Stuff , an analysis and interview program aimed at teens that
490-561: A Star World premiered to an audience of over 60 million people on September 17, 1978. The most-watched television movie of all time was ABC 's The Day After , which premiered on November 20, 1983, to an estimated audience of 100 million people. The film depicted America after a nuclear war with the Soviet Union , and was the subject of much controversy and discussion at the time of its release due to its graphic nature and subject matter. The BBC 's 1984 television film Threads earned
588-594: A co-branded version of InfoSpace to deliver minimal portal content. In mid-2007, NBCi.com began to mirror the main NBC.com website; NBCi.com was eventually redirected to the NBC.com domain in 2010. Only one legacy of this direction remains in the website of then-O&O WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio (now owned by Nexstar ), which continues to use the URL "nbc4i.com". NBC has used a number of logos throughout its history; early logos used by
686-475: A company specializing in search engines that learned from searches initiated by its users, for $ 32 million. The experiment lasted roughly one season; after its failure, NBCi's operations were folded back into NBC. The NBC Television portion of the website reverted to NBC.com. However, the NBCi website continued in operation as a portal for NBC-branded content (NBCi.com would be redirected to NBCi.msnbc.com), using
784-651: A controlling interest in NBCUniversal in 2011 and acquired GE's remaining stake in 2013. NBC is the home broadcaster of some of the longest continuously running American television series , including the news program Meet the Press (debuted 1947); Today (debuted 1952); The Tonight Show (debuted nationally 1954); and Saturday Night Live (debuted 1975). The drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , which debuted in 1999, began its 26th season in October 2024 and
882-623: A digital subchannel or because a primary feed NBC affiliate has not yet upgraded their transmission equipment to allow content to be presented in HD. NBC's master feed has not fully converted to 1080p or 2160p ultra-high-definition television (UHD). However, some NBC stations have already begun broadcasting at 1080p via ATSC 3.0 multiplex stations. One notable example is WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina (a station that re-joined NBC in February 2016), which
980-486: A few smaller markets, such as Binghamton, New York ( WBGH-CD ), Jackson, Tennessee ( WNBJ-LD ) and Juneau, Alaska ( KATH-LD ), that do not have enough full-power stations to support a standalone affiliate. In some markets, these stations also maintain digital simulcasts on a subchannel of a co-owned/co-managed full-power television station. Southern New Hampshire receives NBC programming via network-owned WBTS-CD , licensed to serve Nashua ; while nominally licensed as
1078-417: A film which deals with abortion in three different decades (the 1950s, the 1970s and the 1990s) became a huge success, and was HBO 's highest rated film on record. If a network orders a two-hour television pilot for a proposed show, it will usually broadcast it as a television movie to recoup some of the costs even if the network chooses to not order the show to series. Often a successful series may spawn
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#17330858024721176-419: A film's expenses would be lessened by filming using video , as the movies were contracted by television studios, these films were required to be shot on 35 mm film . Various techniques are often employed to "pad" television movies with low budgets and underdeveloped scripts, such as music video -style montages, flashbacks, or repeated footage, and extended periods of dramatic slow motion footage. However,
1274-589: A heavily advertised online venture serving as an attempt to launch a web portal . This move saw NBC partner with Xoom.com (not to be confused with the current money transfer service ), e-mail.com, AllBusiness.com , and Snap.com (eventually acquiring all four companies outright; not to be confused with the current-day parent of Snapchat ) to launch a multi-faceted internet portal with e-mail, web hosting, community, chat and personalization capabilities, and news content. Subsequently, in April 2000, NBC purchased GlobalBrain,
1372-528: A large television audience and boost viewership for a show. Crossover episodes containing a number of episodes of the characters of individual series interacting with characters across different shows (as has been done with the CSI , NCIS and Chicago franchises, along with between Murder, She Wrote and Magnum, P.I. , Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder , and Ally McBeal and The Practice ) also play as films, encouraging tune-in among all
1470-522: A low-power class A station, it transmits a full-power signal under a channel share with the WGBH Educational Foundation and its secondary Boston station WGBX-TV from Needham, Massachusetts , and serves as the NBC station for the entire Boston market. Until 2019, NBC operated a low-powered station in Boston, WBTS-LD (now WYCN-LD ), which aimed to serve as its station in that market while using
1568-517: A national reach of 88.91% of all households in the United States (or 277,821,345 Americans with at least one television set). Since January 24, 2022, when CBS affiliate WBKB-TV in Alpena, Michigan affiliated its DT2 subchannel with NBC, NBC is, to date, the only major network with an in-market affiliate in every designated market area in the United States. Currently, New Jersey and Delaware are
1666-465: A network of additional full-power stations to cover the market in full (including Merrimack, New Hampshire -licensed Telemundo station WNEU , which transmitted WBTS on a second subchannel); NBC purchased the Nashua station (formerly WYCN-CD) in early 2018 after the FCC spectrum auction , and in 2019 relocated WYCN-LD to Providence, Rhode Island to serve as a Telemundo station for that market. Tegna Media
1764-515: A new Saturday morning block programmed by Litton Entertainment under the Children's Television Act. It's called The More You Know , inspired by the name of brand extension of The More You Know —a series of public service campaigns first launched by NBC in 1989. The block premiered on October 8, 2016, replacing NBC Kids block (originally October 1, 2016, but postponed due to the NBC network coverage of
1862-467: A practice imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in which a pay television provider supplants an American station's signal with a feed from a Canadian station/network airing a particular program in the same time slot to protect domestic advertising revenue. Some of these affiliates are also receivable over the air in southern areas of the country located near
1960-497: A rape victim in the drama A Case of Rape (1974). My Sweet Charlie (1970) with Patty Duke and Al Freeman Jr. dealt with racial prejudice, and That Certain Summer (1972), starring Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen , although controversial, was considered the first television movie to approach the subject of homosexuality in a non-threatening manner. If These Walls Could Talk ,
2058-475: A recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor – and the only (relatively inexpensive) method of recording a television program until the invention of videotape . Many television networks were against film programming, fearing that it would loosen the network's arrangements with sponsors and affiliates by encouraging station managers to make independent deals with advertisers and film producers . Conversely, beginning in
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#17330858024722156-794: A separate digital channel, available on satellite and cable providers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which shut down as a TV station in the end of 2009. NBC programming is available in Mexico through free-to-air affiliates in markets located within proximity to the Mexico–United States border (such as KYMA-DT / Yuma, Arizona ; KGNS-TV / Laredo, Texas ; KTSM / El Paso, Texas ; KVEO / Brownsville, Texas ; and KNSD / San Diego ), whose signals are readily receivable over-the-air in border areas of northern Mexico. Some U.S.-based border affiliates are also available on subscription television providers throughout
2254-496: A similar reputation in the United Kingdom as it followed two families and workers of Sheffield City Council in the run up and aftermath of a nuclear war. The two are often compared on aspects such as realism. Another popular and critically acclaimed television movie was 1971's Duel , written by Richard Matheson , directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Dennis Weaver . Such was the quality and popularity of Duel that it
2352-545: A spin-off from a TV series including The Incredible Hulk Returns , The Trial of the Incredible Hulk and The Death of the Incredible Hulk . Occasionally, television movies are used as sequels to successful theatrical films. For example, only the first film in The Parent Trap series was released theatrically. The Parent Trap II , III and Hawaiian Honeymoon were produced for television, and similarly,
2450-424: A television movie sequel after ending its run. For example, Babylon 5: The Gathering launched the science fiction series Babylon 5 and is considered to be distinct from the show's regular run of one-hour episodes. Babylon 5 also has several made-for-TV movie sequels set within the same fictional continuity. The 2003 remake of Battlestar Galactica began as a two-part miniseries that later continued as
2548-563: A television movie, Don Siegel 's The Hanged Man , was broadcast by NBC on November 18, 1964. These features originally filled a 90-minute programming time slot (including commercials ), later expanded to two hours, and were usually broadcast as a weekly anthology television series (for example, the ABC Movie of the Week ). Many early television movies featured major stars, and some were accorded higher budgets than standard television series of
2646-577: A weekly television program. Another example is the Showtime movie Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , which launched the sitcom of the same name that originally aired on ABC, and used the same actress ( Melissa Joan Hart ) for the lead role in both. The term "TV movie" is also frequently used as vehicles for "reunions" of long-departed series, as in Return to Mayberry and A Very Brady Christmas . They can also be
2744-427: Is a part-owner of Hulu (along with majority owner The Walt Disney Company , owner of ABC), and has offered full-length episodes of most of NBC's programming through the streaming service (which are available for viewing on Hulu's website and mobile app ) since Hulu launched in private beta testing on October 29, 2007. The most recent episodes of the network's shows are usually made available on NBC.com and Hulu
2842-608: Is currently the longest-running live-action series in American prime-time television history. As of 2022 , NBC provides 87 hours of regularly scheduled network programming each week. The network provides 22 hours of prime-time programming to affiliated stations Monday through Saturdays from 8:00p.m. to 11:00p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (7:00p.m.–10:00p.m. in all other U.S. time zones) and Sundays from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (6:00p.m.–10:00p.m. in all other time zones). Daytime NBC News programming includes
2940-506: Is currently also broadcasting at 1080p via WNGT-CD , which is also serving as an ATSC 3.0 multiplex for the Raleigh area. While the equipment would allow the transmission of 2160p UHD, this was previously done through a secondary experimental station (WRAL-EX) where it transmitted limited NBC programming in UHD. The experimental station went off-air in 2018 as part of the FCC's repacking process. Meet
3038-565: Is the High School Musical series , which aired its first two films on the Disney Channel . The first television movie was so successful that a sequel was produced, High School Musical 2 , that debuted in August 2007 to 17.2 million viewers (this made it the highest-rated non-sports program in the history of basic cable and the highest-rated made-for-cable movie premiere on record). Due to
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3136-404: Is the largest operator of NBC stations in terms of overall market reach, owning or providing services to 20 NBC affiliates (including those in larger markets such as Atlanta , Denver , St. Louis , Seattle and Cleveland ); Gray Television is the largest operator of NBC stations by numerical total, owning 28 NBC-affiliated stations. NBC provides video on demand access for delayed viewing of
3234-502: Is under the umbrella branding of The More You Know , based on the network's long-time strand of internally-produced public service announcements of the same name . It premiered on October 8, 2016, giving Litton control of all but Fox's Weekend morning E/I programming among the five major broadcast networks. Live sports programming is also provided on weekends at any time between 7:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, but most commonly between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern. Due to
3332-616: The Midnight Run sequels have all been released as made-for-TV movies despite the first having a strong run in theaters. These types of films may be, and more commonly are, released direct-to-video ; there have been some films, such as The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (a prequel to the film version of The Dukes of Hazzard ) and James A. Michener's Texas , which have been released near simultaneously on DVD and on television, but have never been released in theatres. Made-for-TV movie musicals have also become popular. One prime example
3430-492: The 2002–03 season , with select shows among that season's slate of freshmen scripted series being broadcast in HD from their debuts. The network completed its conversion to high definition in September 2012, with the launch of NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning children's block programmed by new partial sister network PBS Kids Sprout , which also became the second Saturday morning children's block with an entirely HD schedule (after
3528-697: The 2016 Ryder Cup ). NBC holds the broadcast rights to several annual specials and award show telecasts, including the Golden Globe Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards (which are rotated across all four major networks each year). Since 1953, NBC has served as the official U.S. broadcaster of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade . CBS also carries unauthorized coverage of the Macy's parade as part of The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS ; however, as NBC holds rights to
3626-954: The Canada–United States border (signal coverage was somewhat reduced after the digital television transition in 2009 due to the lower radiated power required to transmit digital signals). NBC no longer exists outside the Americas as a channel in its own right. However, NBC News and MSNBC programs are broadcast for a few hours a day on OSN News, formerly known as Orbit News in Africa and the Middle East. Sister network CNBC Europe also broadcasts occasional breaking news coverage from MSNBC as well as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . CNBC Europe also broadcast daily airings of NBC Nightly News at 00:30 CET Monday to Fridays. In 1993, then-NBC parent General Electric acquired Super Channel, relaunching
3724-722: The Comcast Building . NBC also has offices in Chicago at the NBC Tower . Founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America , NBC is the oldest of the traditional "Big Three" American television networks and is sometimes referred to as the " Peacock Network " in reference to its stylized peacock logo , which was introduced in 1956 to promote the company's innovations in early color broadcasting . NBC has twelve owned-and-operated stations and has affiliates in every TV market in
3822-513: The Jesse Stone CBS television movies, "broadcast networks aren't investing in made-for-TV movies anymore". The slack has been taken up by cable networks such as Hallmark Channel , Syfy , Lifetime and HBO, with productions such as Temple Grandin and Recount , often utilizing top creative talent. High-calibre limited programming which would have been formerly scheduled solely as a two-hour film or miniseries also has been re-adapted to
3920-520: The LXTV -produced 1st Look and Open House NYC air after Saturday Night Live (replays of the previous week's 1st Look also air on Friday late nights on most stations), with a Meet the Press encore a part of its Sunday overnight schedule. The network's weekend morning children's programming time slot is programmed by Litton Entertainment under a time-lease agreement. The three-hour block of programming designed mainly for 14-16-year-old teenage viewers
4018-649: The Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants (NBC also held rights to the Miss Teen USA pageant from 2003, when NBC also assumed rights to the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants as part of a deal brokered by Miss Universe Organization owner Donald Trump that gave the network half-ownership of the pageants, until 2007, when NBC declined to renew its contract to carry Miss Teen USA, effectively discontinuing televised broadcasts of that event until 2023). NBCUniversal relinquished
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4116-521: The TLC series Trading Spaces ); the Emmy-nominated reality game show Endurance , hosted and produced by J. D. Roth (whose production company, 3-Ball Productions, would also produce reality series The Biggest Loser for NBC beginning in 2003); and scripted series such as Strange Days at Blake Holsey High and Scout's Safari . The block later expanded to include some animated series such as Kenny
4214-731: The United States . Some of the stations are also available in Canada , the Caribbean, and Mexico via pay-television providers or in border areas over the air. NBC also maintains brand licensing agreements for international channels in South Korea and Germany . The first and oldest major broadcast network in the United States, NBC was formed in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), then owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse , AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Company . In 1932,
4312-499: The 1950s episodes of American television series would be placed together and released as feature films in overseas cinemas. Television networks were in control of the most valuable prime time slots available for programming, so syndicators of independent television films had to settle for fewer television markets and less desirable time periods. This meant much smaller advertising revenues and license fees compared with network-supplied programming. The term "made-for-TV movie"
4410-470: The 1970s and 1980s before realizing that the proceeds from his first theatrical film, A Christmas Story (released in 1983), far exceeded anything he had ever done in television. Nonetheless, notable exceptions exist of high production quality and well-known casts and crews that even earned awards, such as The Diamond Fleece , a 1992 Canadian TV film directed by Al Waxman and starring Ben Cross , Kate Nelligan and Brian Dennehy . It earned Nelligan
4508-405: The 1970s were a source of controversy, such as Linda Blair 's 1974 film Born Innocent and 1975's Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic , as well as 1976's Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway and its 1977 sequel , Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn , which were vehicles for former Brady Bunch actress Eve Plumb . Another significant film was Elizabeth Montgomery 's portrayal of
4606-407: The 1993 Gemini Award for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series". Occasionally, a long-running television series is used as the basis for television movies that air during the show's run (as opposed to the above-mentioned "reunion specials"). Typically, such movies employ a filmed single-camera setup even if the television series is videotaped using
4704-526: The 2002 games. Coverage of the Olympics on NBC has included pre-empting regularly scheduled programs during daytime, prime time, and late night. In July 2022, NBC announced that the Olympic Channel will be shut down on September 30. NBC stated they will be announcing the plans for Olympic content in the fall of 2022. News coverage has long been an important part of NBC's operations and public image, dating to
4802-480: The 2003 live-action film Elf ). Since 2013, the network has aired live musical adaptations with major stars in lead roles. Originally dismissed as a gimmick, they have proven to be rating successes, as well as a nostalgic tribute to the early days of television. Past adaptations include: From 2003 to 2014, NBC also held rights to two of the three pageants organized by the Miss Universe Organization :
4900-480: The 2018 season allowed games to be streamed through network websites and apps. NBC's master feed is transmitted in 1080i high definition , the native resolution format for NBCUniversal's television properties. However, 19 of its affiliates transmit the network's programming in 720p HD, while four others carry the network feed in 480i standard definition either due to technical considerations for affiliates of other major networks that carry NBC programming on
4998-570: The ABC-syndicated Litton's Weekend Adventure ). All the network's programming has been presented in full HD since then (except for certain holiday specials produced prior to 2005 – such as its annual broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life – which continues to be presented in 4:3 SD, although some have been remastered for HD broadcast). The network's high-definition programming is broadcast in 5.1 surround sound . In 1999, NBC launched NBCi (briefly changing its web address to "www.nbci.com"),
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#17330858024725096-412: The Bell , a live-action teen sitcom which originated on The Disney Channel the previous year as Good Morning, Miss Bliss (which served as a starring vehicle for Hayley Mills ; four cast members from that show were cast in the NBC series as the characters they originally played on Miss Bliss ). Saved by the Bell , despite being given bad reviews from television critics, would become one of
5194-552: The Candelabra (which featured established film actors Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in the lead roles) and a limited range of scene settings and camera setups. Even Spielberg's Duel , while having decent production values, features a very small cast (apart from Dennis Weaver, all other actors appearing in the film play smaller roles) and mostly outdoor shooting locations in the desert. The movies typically employ smaller crews, and rarely feature expensive special effects . Although
5292-516: The NBC Sports Group, which became an NBC property through Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal ) carries sports news content alongside sports event telecasts. Key anchors from NBC News are also used during NBC Sports coverage of the Olympic Games . While NBC has aired a variety of soap operas on its daytime schedule over its history, Days of Our Lives (1965–2022) was the last soap opera on
5390-542: The NBC network until May 2, 2010, when it became the last NBC News program to convert to HD). NBC officially began its conversion to high definition with the launch of its simulcast feed, NBC HD, on April 26, 1999, when The Tonight Show became the first HD program to air on the NBC network as well as the first regularly scheduled American network program to be produced and transmitted in high definition. The network gradually converted much of its existing programming from standard-definition to high definition beginning with
5488-595: The Pan-European cable network as NBC Super Channel. In 1996, the channel was renamed NBC Europe , but was, from then on, almost always referred to on-air as simply "NBC". Most of NBC Europe's prime time programming was produced in Europe due to rights restrictions associated with U.S. prime time shows; the channel's weekday late-night schedule after 11:00 p.m. Central European Time , however, featured The Tonight Show , Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Later , which
5586-706: The Prairie , Las Vegas , Crossing Jordan , the Law & Order franchise (begun independently by Universal Television, and became in-house programming after the NBCUniversal deal), The Office and the Chicago franchise . NBC has twelve owned-and-operated stations and current and pending affiliation agreements with 223 additional television stations encompassing 50 states, the District of Columbia, six U.S. possessions and two non-U.S. territories ( Aruba and Bermuda ). The network has
5684-491: The Press was the first regular series on a major television network to produce a high-definition broadcast on February 2, 1997, which aired in the format over WHD-TV in Washington, D.C., an experimental television station owned by a consortium of industry groups and stations which launched to allow testing of HD broadcasts and operated until 2002 (the program itself continued to be transmitted in 480i standard definition over
5782-462: The Press , weekday early-morning news program Early Today and primetime newsmagazine Dateline NBC on Friday nights . Late nights feature the weeknight talk shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , Late Night with Seth Meyers , and an overnight replay of Today with Hoda & Jenna . NBC affiliates carrying it in syndication also have the option to substitute a same-day encore of The Kelly Clarkson Show on weekdays. On Saturdays,
5880-545: The Qubo venture also encompassed weekly blocks on Telemundo and Ion Television , a 24-hour digital multicast network on Ion's owned-and-operated and affiliated stations, as well as video on demand services and a branded website. Qubo launched on NBC on September 9, 2006, with six programs ( VeggieTales , Dragon , VeggieTales Presents: 3-2-1 Penguins! , Babar , Jane and the Dragon and Jacob Two-Two ). On March 28, 2012, it
5978-500: The Shark , Tutenstein and Time Warp Trio . In May 2006, NBC announced plans to launch a new Saturday morning children's block under the Qubo brand in September 2006. An endeavor originally operated as a joint venture between NBCUniversal , Ion Media Networks , Scholastic Press , Classic Media and Corus Entertainment 's Nelvana unit (Ion acquired the other partners' shares in 2013),
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#17330858024726076-457: The U.S. doubled between 1990 and 2000. In several respects, television films resemble B movies , the low-budget films issued by major studios from the 1930s through the 1950s for short-term showings in movie theaters, usually as a double bill alongside a major studio release. Like made-for-TV movies, B movies were designed as a disposable product, had low production costs and featured second-tier actors. ABC 's Battlestar Galactica: Saga of
6174-456: The US Government forced GE to sell RCA and NBC due to antitrust violations. In late 1986, GE regained control of RCA through its $ 6.4 billion purchase of the company. Although it retained NBC, GE immediately closed or sold off most of RCA's other divisions and assets. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, forming NBCUniversal . Comcast purchased
6272-566: The Week] Night at the Movies showcases which led to a shortage of movie studio product. The first of these made-for-TV movies is generally acknowledged to be See How They Run , which debuted on NBC on October 7, 1964. A previous film, The Killers , starring Lee Marvin and Ronald Reagan , was filmed as a TV-movie, although NBC decided it was too violent for television and it was released theatrically instead. The second film to be considered
6370-554: The channel's slogan "Where the Stars Come Out at Night" was based around. Many NBC News programs were broadcast on NBC Europe, including Dateline NBC , Meet the Press and NBC Nightly News , the latter of which was broadcast simultaneously with the initial U.S. telecast. Today was also initially aired live in the afternoons, but was later broadcast instead the following morning on a more than half-day delay. In 1999, NBC Europe ceased broadcasting in most of Europe outside of Germany;
6468-641: The day after their original broadcast. In addition, NBC.com and certain other partner websites (including Hulu) provide complete back catalogs of most of its current series as well as a limited selection of episodes of classic series from the NBCUniversal Television Distribution program library – including shows not broadcast by NBC during their original runs (including the complete or partial episode catalogs of shows like 30 Rock , The A-Team , Charles in Charge , Emergency! , Knight Rider (both
6566-634: The final 4 1 ⁄ 2 years of Search for Tomorrow (1982–1986) after that series was initially cancelled by CBS, although many NBC affiliates did not clear the show during its tenure on the network. NBC has also aired numerous short-lived soap operas, including Generations (1989–1991), Sunset Beach (1997–1999), and the two Another World spin-offs, Somerset (1970–1976) and Texas (1980–1982). Notable daytime game shows that once aired on NBC include The Price Is Right (1956–1963), Concentration (1958–1973; and 1987–1991 as Classic Concentration ), The Match Game (1962–1969), Let's Make
6664-407: The first stations to offer streams of their programming on NBC's website and mobile app, and new affiliation agreements have made a majority of the network's affiliates available through the network's website and app based on a viewer's location. The network's NFL game telecasts were not permitted to be streamed on the service for several years until a change to the league's mobile rights agreement in
6762-450: The less expensive digital 24p video format has made some quality improvements on the television movie market. Part of the reason for the lower budgets comes from the lack of revenue streams from them; whereas a theatrical film can make money from ticket sales, ancillary markets , and syndication, most television films lacked those revenue streams, and the films are seldom rerun . Raconteur Jean Shepherd produced several television films in
6860-562: The made-for-television movie". Network-made television movies in the United States have tended to be inexpensively-produced and perceived to be of low quality. Stylistically, these films often resemble single episodes of dramatic television series. Often, television films are made to "cash in" on the interest centering on stories currently prominent in the news, as the films based on the "Long Island Lolita" scandal involving Joey Buttafuoco and Amy Fisher were in 1993. The stories are written to reach periodic semi- cliffhangers coinciding with
6958-458: The morning news/interview program Today from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00a.m. weekdays, 7:00a.m.–8:30 a.m. / 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 7:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m. / 8:00 a.m. -9:00 a.m. on Sundays, it also airs NBC News Daily at 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. on weekdays, it includes nightly editions of NBC Nightly News , the Sunday political talk show Meet
7056-400: The most popular teen series in television history as well as the top-rated series on Saturday mornings, dethroning ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show in its first season. The success of Saved by the Bell led NBC to remove animated series from its Saturday morning lineup in August 1992 in favor of additional live-action series as part of a new block called TNBC , along with the debut of
7154-424: The network was concurrently relaunched as a German-language technology channel aimed at a younger demographic, with the new series NBC GIGA as its flagship program. In 2005, the channel was relaunched again as the free-to-air movie channel Das Vierte which eventually shut down end of 2013 (acquired by Disney, which replaced it with a German version of Disney Channel). GIGA Television was subsequently spun off as
7252-509: The network when it was taken off the air in 2022 (and moved to the Peacock streaming service). Currently the network only offers NBC News Daily on its afternoon schedule, with affiliates using the rest of the afternoon for syndicated or local programming. Long-running daytime dramas seen on NBC in the past include The Doctors (1963–1982), Another World (1964–1999), Santa Barbara (1984–1993), and Passions (1999–2007). NBC also aired
7350-480: The network's programming through various means, including via its website at NBC.com, a traditional VOD service called NBC on Demand available on most traditional cable and IPTV providers, and through content deals with Hulu and Netflix (the latter of which carries only cataloged episodes of NBC programs, after losing the right to carry newer episodes of its programs during their current seasons in July 2011). NBCUniversal
7448-427: The network's radio days. Notable NBC News productions past and present include Today , NBC Nightly News (and its immediate predecessor, The Huntley–Brinkley Report ), Meet the Press (which has the distinction of the longest continuously running program in the history of American television), Dateline NBC , Early Today , NBC News at Sunrise , NBC Nightside and Rock Center with Brian Williams . In 1989,
7546-569: The network-scheduled times for the insertion of commercials , and are further managed to fill, but not exceed, the fixed running times allotted by the network to each movie "series". In the case of films made for cable channels, they may rely on common, repetitive tropes (Hallmark Channel, for example, is notorious for its formulaic holiday romances, while Lifetime movies are well known for their common use of damsel in distress storylines). The movies tend to rely on smaller casts, one such exception being those produced for premium cable , such as Behind
7644-478: The newer "limited series" format over a period of weeks (rather than the consecutive days usually defined by a miniseries) where a conclusion is assured; an example of such would be The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story , and these are most often seen on cable networks and streaming services such as Netflix . In a 1991 New York Times article, television critic John J. O'Connor wrote that "few artifacts of popular culture invite more condescension than
7742-542: The news division began its expansion to cable with the launch of the business news channel CNBC . The company eventually formed other cable news services including MSNBC (created in 1996 originally as a joint venture with Microsoft , which now features a mix of general news and political discussion programs with a liberal stance), and the 2008 acquisition of The Weather Channel in conjunction with Blackstone Group and Bain Capital . In addition, NBCSN (operated as part of
7840-490: The only U.S. states where NBC does not have a locally licensed affiliate. New Jersey is served by New York City O&O WNBC-TV and Philadelphia O&O WCAU; New Jersey formerly had an in-state affiliate in Atlantic City -based WMGM-TV , which was affiliated with the network from 1966 to 2014. Delaware is served by Salisbury affiliate WRDE-LD and Philadelphia-based WCAU . NBC maintains affiliations with low-power stations in
7938-514: The original broadcasts of Gumby , The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show , Underdog , The Smurfs , Alvin and the Chipmunks and Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears . From 1984 to 1989, the network aired a series of public service announcements called One to Grow On , which aired after the end credits of every program or every other children's program. In 1989, NBC premiered Saved by
8036-450: The original series and the short-lived 2008 reboot ), Kojak , Miami Vice , The Office , Quantum Leap and Simon & Simon ). On February 18, 2015, NBC began providing live programming streams of local NBC stations in select markets, which are only available to authenticated subscribers of participating pay television providers . All eleven NBC-owned-and-operated stations owned by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations' were
8134-489: The parade, it has exclusivity over the broadcast of Broadway and music performances appearing in the parade (CBS airs live performances separate from those seen in the parade as a result), and Macy's chose to reroute the parade in 2012 out of the view of CBS' cameras, although it continues to cover the parade. NBC began airing a same-day rebroadcast of the parade telecast in 2009 (replacing its annual Thanksgiving afternoon airing of Miracle on 34th Street ). In 2007, NBC acquired
8232-430: The popularity of the first two films, the second HSM sequel, High School Musical 3: Senior Year , was released as a theatrical film in 2008 instead of airing on Disney Channel; High School Musical 3 became one of the highest-grossing movie musicals. Television movies traditionally were often broadcast by the major networks during sweeps season. Such offerings now are very rare; as Ken Tucker noted while reviewing
8330-757: The rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA on June 29, 2015, as part of its decision to cut business ties with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization (which was half-owned by corporate parent NBCUniversal) in response to controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants made by Trump during the launch of his 2016 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination . Through the years, NBC has produced many in-house programs, in addition to airing content from other producers such as Revue Studios and its successor Universal Television . Notable in-house productions by NBC have included Bonanza , Little House on
8428-536: The rights to the National Dog Show , which airs following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade each year. The network also broadcasts several live-action and animated specials during the Christmas holiday season , including the 2014 debuts How Murray Saved Christmas (an animated musical adaptation of the children's book of the same name) and Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas (a stop-motion animated special based on
8526-409: The same length, including the major dramatic anthology programs which they came to replace. In 1996, 264 made-for-TV movies were made by five of the six largest American television networks at the time (CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, and UPN ), averaging a 7.5 rating. By 2000, only 146 TV movies were made by those five networks, averaging a 5.4 rating, while the number of made-for-cable movies made annually in
8624-523: The series crossed over to effectively create a multiple-hour plot that plays as a film when watched as a whole. 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 . The headquarters of NBC is in New York City at
8722-540: The signs sooner and what could have precipitated suicide. Both parents grieve very differently in the aftermath, which divides them as they search for a way to bring their family back together. This article related to an American television drama film is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Television film Precursors of "television movies" include Talk Faster, Mister , which aired on WABD (now WNYW ) in New York City on December 18, 1944, and
8820-830: The television and radio networks were similar to the logo of its then-parent company, RCA. Logos used later in NBC's existence incorporated stylized peacock designs, including the current version that has been in use since 1986. NBC network programs can be received throughout most of Canada on cable, satellite and IPTV providers through certain U.S.-based affiliates of the network (such as WBTS-CD in Boston, KING-TV in Seattle, KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota , WGRZ in Buffalo, New York and WHEC-TV in Rochester, New York ). Some programs carried on these stations are subject to simultaneous substitutions ,
8918-527: The unpredictable length of sporting events, NBC will occasionally pre-empt scheduled programs (more common with the weekend editions of NBC Nightly News , and local and syndicated programs carried by its owned-and-operated stations and affiliates). NBC has also held the American broadcasting rights to the Summer Olympic Games since the 1988 games and the rights to the Winter Olympic Games since
9016-402: Was announced that NBC would launch a new Saturday morning preschool block programmed by Sprout (originally jointly owned by NBCUniversal, PBS , Sesame Workshop and Apax Partners , with the former acquiring the other's interests later that year). The block, NBC Kids , premiered on July 7, 2012, replacing the "Qubo on NBC" block. On February 24, 2016, it was announced that NBC would launch
9114-429: Was coined in the United States in the early 1960s as an incentive for movie audiences to stay home and watch what was promoted as the equivalent of a first-run theatrical film. Beginning in 1961 with NBC Saturday Night at the Movies , a prime time network showing of a television premiere of a major theatrical film release, the other networks soon copied the format, with each of the networks having several [Day of
9212-665: Was hosted for most of its run by Ahmad Rashad , was also a part of the TNBC lineup during the NBA season until 2002 (when the program moved to ABC as a result of that network taking the NBA rights from NBC). In 2002, NBC entered into an agreement with Discovery Communications to carry educational children's programs from the Discovery Kids cable channel. Debuting that September, the Discovery Kids on NBC block originally consisted exclusively of live-action series, including reality series Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls (a kid-themed version of
9310-673: Was one of the era's first breakthrough television shows. From the mid-1960s until 1992, the bulk of NBC's children's programming was composed of mainly animated programming including classic Looney Tunes and Woody Woodpecker shorts; reruns of prime time animated sitcoms such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons ; foreign acquisitions like Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion ; animated adaptions of Punky Brewster , ALF and Star Trek as well as animated vehicles for Gary Coleman and Mr. T ; live-action programs like The Banana Splits , The Bugaloos and H.R. Pufnstuf ; and
9408-527: Was produced by RKO Pictures , and the 1957 The Pied Piper of Hamelin , based on the poem by Robert Browning , and starring Van Johnson , one of the first filmed "family musicals" made directly for television . That film was made in Technicolor , a first for television, which ordinarily used color processes originated by specific networks. Most "family musicals" of the time, such as Peter Pan , were not filmed but broadcast live and preserved on kinescope ,
9506-637: Was released to cinemas in Europe and Australia , and had a limited theatrical release to some venues in the United States and Canada. The 1971 made-for-TV movie Brian's Song was also briefly released to theatres after its success on television, and was even remade in 2001. In some instances, television movies of the period had more explicit content included in the versions prepared to be exhibited theatrically in Europe. Examples of this include The Legend of Lizzie Borden , Helter Skelter , Prince of Bel Air and Spectre . Many television movies released in
9604-571: Was the short-lived Caesars Challenge , which ended in January 1994. Notable past daytime talk shows that have aired on NBC have included Home (1954–1957), The Ernie Kovacs Show (1955–1956), The Merv Griffin Show (1962–1963), Leeza (1994–1999) and Later Today (1999–2000). Children's programming has played a part in NBC's programming since its initial roots in television. NBC's first major children's series, Howdy Doody , debuted in 1947 and
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