History of NBC in Timeline
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is a major American commercial broadcast television and radio network. Founded as the first major broadcast network in the U.S., it is the flagship property of NBC Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal itself is a subsidiary of Comcast, positioning NBC as a key part of a large media conglomerate. NBC operates alongside Universal Studios as one of NBCUniversal's two flagship subsidiaries, demonstrating its significance within the media landscape.
1952: Today Show Created
In 1952, Weaver created Today for the NBC network.
1953: Official American Broadcaster of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Since 1953, NBC has served as the official American broadcaster of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, securing exclusive rights over Broadway and music performances featured in the parade.
1954: Tonight Starring Steve Allen Created
In 1954, Weaver created Tonight Starring Steve Allen for the NBC network, which was the first program in the Tonight Show franchise, also Weaver created Home.
1955: Weaver creates Wide Wide World
In 1955, Weaver created Wide Wide World for the NBC network, also Weaver gave NBC Radio a shot in the arm in 1955, at a time when network radio was dying and giving way to television, when he developed NBC Monitor, a weekend-long magazine-style block featuring an array of news, music, comedy, drama and sports, with rotating advertisers and some of the most memorable names in broadcast journalism, entertainment and sports
1956: KUAM-TV becomes NBC affiliate
Since 1956, KUAM-TV in Guam has been an NBC affiliate, carrying the entire NBC programming lineup.
1966: WMGM-TV Affiliation
From 1966, New Jersey had an in-state affiliate in Atlantic City-based WMGM-TV, which affiliated with the network.
1973: International Distribution Rights
From 1973, MGM Television, later acquired by Amazon, held the international distribution rights of NBC's in-house programming library.
1975: Michaels assembles the original cast of NBC's Saturday Night
In 1975, Michaels had assembled a talented cast, including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, and George Coe.
1975: NBC Monitor ends its run
NBC Monitor, a weekend-long magazine-style block featuring an array of news, music, comedy, drama and sports, with rotating advertisers and some of the most memorable names in broadcast journalism, entertainment and sports that ran until 1975.
1976: NBC purchases the rights to the name Saturday Night Live
In 1976, NBC purchased the rights to the name Saturday Night Live.
March 26, 1977: NBC officially adopts the title Saturday Night Live
On March 26, 1977, NBC officially adopted the title Saturday Night Live.
1979: Real People debuts
In 1979, Silverman pioneered the reality television genre with the debut of Real People.
1979: NBC reintroduces the peacock as its corporate logo
In 1979, Silverman reintroduced the peacock as NBC's corporate logo.
1981: Animated series The Smurfs begins its run
In 1981, Silverman oversaw the development of an animated series based on The Smurfs.
1982: Tartikoff and Tinker turn the network's fortunes around
By 1982, Tartikoff and network president Grant Tinker gradually turned the network's fortunes around. Tartikoff's successes as President of Entertainment included The Cosby Show, the iconic 1980s drama Miami Vice and Knight Rider.
1985: Brandon Tartikoff helps NBC get back on top
By 1985, Brandon Tartikoff, as President of Entertainment, would help get NBC back on top.
1986: Current Peacock Logo
Since 1986, NBC has been using its current logo, incorporating stylized peacock designs.
1989: Animated series The Smurfs ends its run
In 1989, The Smurfs ended its run, well after Silverman's departure, making it one of his longest-lasting contributions to the network.
February 1991: Johnny Carson announces retirement
In February 1991, Johnny Carson informed Brandon Tartikoff of his retirement plans during a lunch meeting. Only Tartikoff and Bob Wright were aware of this before the public announcement.
1993: General Electric acquires Super Channel
In 1993, General Electric, then the parent company of NBC, acquired Super Channel, a Pan-European cable network, with plans to relaunch it.
1993: NBC Launches Canal de Noticias NBC
In 1993, NBC launched Canal de Noticias NBC, a 24-hour Spanish-language news channel serving Latin America.
1996: Super Channel renamed NBC Europe
In 1996, Super Channel was renamed NBC Europe, though it was often referred to on-air simply as "NBC".
February 2, 1997: First HD Broadcast
On February 2, 1997, Meet the Press was the first regular series on a major television network to produce a high-definition broadcast, airing in the format over WHD-TV in Washington, D.C.
July 1998: NBC Asia Replaced by National Geographic Channel
In July 1998, NBC Asia was replaced by a regional version of the National Geographic Channel.
April 26, 1999: Launch of NBC HD
On April 26, 1999, NBC officially began its conversion to high definition with the launch of its simulcast feed, NBC HD. The Tonight Show became the first HD program to air on the NBC network.
1999: Canal de Noticias NBC Shuts Down
In 1999, Canal de Noticias NBC shut down due to the channel's inability to generate sustainable advertising revenue.
1999: NBC Europe ceases broadcasting in most of Europe, relaunched as NBC GIGA
In 1999, NBC Europe ceased broadcasting in most of Europe outside of Germany and was relaunched as a German-language technology channel aimed at a younger demographic, with the new series NBC GIGA as its flagship program.
1999: Launch of NBCi
In 1999, NBC launched NBCi, an online venture, partnering with Xoom.com, e-mail.com, AllBusiness.com, and Snap.com to create a web portal.
April 2000: Purchase of GlobalBrain
In April 2000, NBC purchased GlobalBrain, a search engine company, for $32 million.
2002: Conversion to HD Programming
Beginning with the 2002-03 season, NBC gradually converted much of its existing programming from standard-definition to high definition, broadcasting select freshman scripted series in HD from their debuts.
2003: Rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageants
In 2003, NBC assumed the rights to the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants as part of a deal with Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe Organization. NBC also gained rights to Miss Teen USA.
2004: NBC Programming Available in U.S. Virgin Islands
Since 2004, NBC's programming has been available in the U.S. Virgin Islands on WVGN-LD in Charlotte Amalie.
2004: End of International Distribution Rights
Until 2004, MGM Television, later acquired by Amazon, held the international distribution rights of NBC's in-house programming library.
2005: SD Broadcasts of Holiday Specials
As of 2005, certain holiday specials produced prior continued to be presented in 4:3 SD, although some have been remastered for HD broadcast.
2005: KKHJ-LP becomes NBC affiliate
From 2005, NBC was affiliated with KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
2005: NBC GIGA relaunched as Das Vierte
In 2005, NBC GIGA was relaunched again as the free-to-air movie channel Das Vierte.
February 2007: Reilly signed a new three-year contract with NBC
In February 2007, Reilly signed a new three-year contract with NBC.
May 2007: Reilly was terminated as president
In late May 2007, Reilly was terminated as president of NBC.
October 29, 2007: Hulu Launch
Since Hulu launched in private beta testing on October 29, 2007, NBCUniversal has offered full-length episodes of most of NBC's programming through the streaming service.
2007: Acquisition of National Dog Show Rights
In 2007, NBC acquired the broadcasting rights to the National Dog Show, which airs each year following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
2007: End of Miss Teen USA Broadcasts
In 2007, NBC declined to renew its contract to carry Miss Teen USA, effectively discontinuing televised broadcasts of the event until 2023.
2007: NBCi Mirrors NBC.com
In mid-2007, NBCi.com began to mirror the main NBC.com website.
2008: Episode Catalogs
In 2008, NBC.com and other partner websites, including Hulu, provided complete back catalogs of current series and a limited selection of classic series from the NBCUniversal Television Distribution program library.
2009: GIGA Television shuts down as a TV station
At the end of 2009, GIGA Television, which had been spun off as a separate digital channel, shut down as a TV station.
2009: NBC and Seven Network use the song "Like it Like That" in promos
In 2009, NBC and the Seven Network in Australia both used the Guy Sebastian single "Like it Like That" in image promos for their respective summer schedules.
2009: Same-Day Rebroadcast of Macy's Parade
In 2009, NBC began airing a same-day rebroadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, replacing its annual Thanksgiving afternoon airing of "Miracle on 34th Street".
2009: Solar TV broadcasts The Jay Leno Show
In 2009, Solar TV in the Philippines began broadcasting "The Jay Leno Show".
2009: Digital television transition reduces signal coverage
In 2009, signal coverage of NBC affiliates was somewhat reduced after the digital television transition due to the lower radiated power required to transmit digital signals.
May 2, 2010: NBC News Converts to HD
On May 2, 2010, "Meet the Press" became the last NBC News program to convert to HD, completing the conversion that began on February 2, 1997.
2010: NBCi Redirects to NBC.com
In 2010, NBCi.com was eventually redirected to the NBC.com domain.
2010: Solar TV ceases broadcasting The Jay Leno Show
In 2010, Solar TV in the Philippines stopped broadcasting "The Jay Leno Show".
July 2011: Netflix Loses Rights to Newer Episodes
In July 2011, Netflix lost the right to carry newer episodes of NBC programs during their current seasons, carrying only cataloged episodes.
September 2012: Completion of HD Conversion
In September 2012, NBC completed its conversion to high definition with the launch of NBC Kids, programmed by PBS Kids Sprout. All the network's programming has been presented in full HD since then.
2012: KKHJ-LP ceases to be NBC affiliate
In 2012, KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago, American Samoa, ceased to be an NBC affiliate.
2012: Macy's Parade Rerouted
In 2012, Macy's rerouted its Thanksgiving Day Parade to avoid CBS' cameras, as NBC holds exclusive broadcasting rights for the parade and its performances.
2013: Das Vierte shuts down
Das Vierte shut down at the end of 2013 and was acquired by Disney, which replaced it with a German version of Disney Channel.
2013: Live Musical Adaptations
Since 2013, NBC has been airing live musical adaptations with major stars in lead roles, which have become rating successes and a nostalgic tribute to early television.
2014: Rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageants
In 2014, NBC continued to hold the rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants.
2014: Christmas Specials Debut
In 2014, NBC debuted two live-action and animated specials during the Christmas holiday season: "How Murray Saved Christmas," an animated musical adaptation of the children's book, and "Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas," a stop-motion animated special based on the 2003 live-action film "Elf".
2014: VSB-TV ends operations
In 2014, VSB-TV ended operations, it previously carried NBC's entire program lineup. Bermuda currently receives NBC service from WTVJ Miami via cable.
2014: End of WMGM-TV Affiliation
Until 2014, New Jersey had an in-state affiliate in Atlantic City-based WMGM-TV, which affiliated with the network.
February 18, 2015: Live Programming Streams of Local NBC Stations
On February 18, 2015, NBC began providing live programming streams of local NBC stations in select markets to authenticated subscribers of participating pay television providers.
June 29, 2015: NBCUniversal Relinquishes Rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA
On June 29, 2015, NBCUniversal relinquished the rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA as part of its decision to cut business ties with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization due to controversial remarks made by Trump.
February 2016: WRAL-TV Re-joins NBC
In February 2016, WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, re-joined NBC and began broadcasting at 1080p via WNGT-CD, serving as an ATSC 3.0 multiplex for the Raleigh area.
2016: Trump's Presidential Campaign
In 2016, Donald Trump launched his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, which led to NBCUniversal cutting ties with him and relinquishing the rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants due to controversial remarks he made about Mexican immigrants.
2016: PJA-TV ceases operations
In 2016, NBC's affiliation in Aruba with Oranjestad station PJA-TV ended due to the station's bankruptcy and cessation of operations. Aruba currently receives NBC service from network flagship WNBC via cable.
2017: NBC Affiliates stop being distributed in a specific region
In late 2017, NBC affiliates stopped being distributed in an unspecified region. This coincided with other U.S. affiliated stations from ABC and CBS also being pulled off from the air in the region, due to concerns expressed by the broadcasters on broadcasting rights outside their original local coverage area.
2018: Experimental Station Goes Off-Air
In 2018, WRAL-EX, an experimental station that transmitted limited NBC programming in UHD, went off-air as part of the FCC's repacking process.
2018: Purchase of Nashua Station
In early 2018, NBC purchased the Nashua station (formerly WYCN-CD) after the FCC spectrum auction.
2018: NFL Game Telecasts Streamed
In the 2018 season, a change to the NFL's mobile rights agreement allowed NBC's NFL game telecasts to be streamed through network websites and apps.
April 2019: NBC pays firm to improve reputation
In April 2019, it was reported that NBC had paid a firm to improve its reputation by lobbying for changes to Wikipedia articles on NBC, Nextdoor, and several others.
2019: Relocation of WYCN-LD
In 2019, NBC relocated WYCN-LD to Providence, Rhode Island, to serve as a Telemundo station for that market.
2023: Return of Miss Teen USA Broadcasts
In 2023, televised broadcasts of Miss Teen USA were resumed, after NBC discontinued broadcasting the event in 2007.
2024: Pat Sajak retired from hosting Wheel of Fortune
Pat Sajak retired from hosting Wheel of Fortune, he had been hosting the show, mostly as host of its syndicated incarnation, through to his 2024 retirement.
December 31, 2024: KXGN-TV Drops NBC Affiliation
On December 31, 2024, KXGN-TV in Glendive, Montana, dropped NBC from its DT2 subchannel, ending NBC's status as the only major network with an in-market affiliate in every designated market area in the United States.
2025: End of NBCUniversal's Part-Ownership of Hulu
From 2007 to 2025, NBCUniversal was a part-owner of Hulu, along with majority owner The Walt Disney Company.
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