Founded in 1926 by theRadio Corporation of America, NBC is the oldest of the traditional "Big Three" American television networks (with the other two going by the abbreviations ofABC andCBS) and is sometimes referred to as thePeacock Network in reference to itsstylized peacock logo, which was introduced in 1956 to promote the company's innovations in earlycolor broadcasting.[1]
PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (laterUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment) is established
1983
PolyGram Pictures closes
1984
Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded
1986
General Electric re-purchases its former subsidiaryRCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake inA&E
Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television
The first and oldest major broadcast network in the United States, NBC was formed in 1926 by theRadio Corporation of America (RCA), then owned byGeneral Electric (GE),Westinghouse,AT&T Corporation andUnited Fruit Company. In 1932, the US Government forced GE to sell RCA and NBC due toantitrust 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 companyVivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, formingNBCUniversal.Comcastpurchased a controlling interest in NBCUniversal in 2011 and acquired GE's remaining stake in 2013.[3]
As of 2022[update], 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 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (7:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. in all other U.S. time zones) and Sundays from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. in all other time zones).
DaytimeNBC News programming includes the morning news/interview programToday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. weekdays, 7:00 a.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 airsNBC News Daily at 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. on weekdays, it includes nightly editions ofNBC Nightly News, theSunday political talk showMeet the Press, weekday early-morning news programEarly Today and primetime newsmagazineDateline NBC on Friday nights. Late nights feature the weeknight talk showsThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,Late Night with Seth Meyers, and anovernight replay ofToday with Hoda & Jenna. NBC affiliates carrying it in syndication also have the option to substitute a same-day encore ofThe Kelly Clarkson Show on weekdays. On Saturdays, theLXTV-produced1st Look andOpen House NYC air afterSaturday Night Live (replays of the previous week's1st Look also air on Friday late nights on most stations), with aMeet the Press encore a part of its Sunday overnight schedule.
The network's weekend morning children's programming time slot is programmed byLitton Entertainment under a time-lease agreement. The three-hour block of programming designed mainly for 14-16-year-old teenage viewers is under the umbrella branding ofThe More You Know, based on the network's long-time strand of internally-producedpublic service announcements ofthe same name. It premiered on October 8, 2016, giving Litton control of all but Fox's Weekend morningE/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 the unpredictable length of sporting events, NBC will occasionally pre-empt scheduled programs (more common with the weekend editions ofNBC 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 theSummer Olympic Games since the 1988 games and the rights to theWinter Olympic Games since the 2002 games. Coverage of theOlympics 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.[4]
News coverage has long been an important part of NBC's operations and public image, dating to the network's radio days. Notable NBC News productions past and present includeToday,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 andRock Center with Brian Williams.
In 1989, the news division began its expansion to cable with the launch of the business news channelCNBC. The company eventually formed othercable news services includingMSNBC (created in 1996 originally as a joint venture withMicrosoft, which now features a mix of general news and political discussion programs with a liberal stance),[5][6] and the 2008 acquisition ofThe Weather Channel in conjunction withBlackstone Group andBain Capital. In addition,NBCSN (operated as part of the NBC Sports Group, which became an NBC property through Comcast's acquisition ofNBCUniversal) carries sports news content alongside sports event telecasts. Key anchors from NBC News are also used during NBC Sports coverage of theOlympic 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 the network when it was taken off the air in 2022 (and moved to thePeacock streaming service). Currently the network only offersNBC 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 includeThe Doctors (1963–1982),Another World (1964–1999),Santa Barbara (1984–1993), andPassions (1999–2007). NBC also aired the final 41⁄2 years ofSearch 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, includingGenerations (1989–1991),Sunset Beach (1997–1999), and the twoAnother World spin-offs,Somerset (1970–1976) andTexas (1980–1982).
In 1989, NBC premieredSaved by the Bell, a live-actionteen sitcom which originated onThe Disney Channel the previous year asGood Morning, Miss Bliss (which served as a starring vehicle forHayley Mills;fourcast membersfromthat show were cast in the NBC series as the characters they originally played onMiss Bliss).Saved by the Bell, despite being given bad reviews from television critics, would become one of the most popular teen series in television history as well as the top-rated series on Saturday mornings, dethroning ABC'sThe Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show in its first season.
The success ofSaved 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 calledTNBC, along with the debut of a Saturday edition ofToday. Most of the series featured on the TNBC lineup were executive produced byPeter Engel (such asCity Guys,Hang Time,California Dreams,One World and theSaved 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'seducational programming guidelines under theChildren's Television Act.[8]NBA Inside Stuff, an analysis and interview program aimed at teens that was hosted for most of its run byAhmad 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).
On March 28, 2012, it was announced that NBC would launch a new Saturday morning preschool block programmed by Sprout (originally jointly owned by NBCUniversal,PBS,Sesame Workshop andApax 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.[10][11][12][13]
NBC holds the broadcast rights to several annual specials and award show telecasts, including theGolden Globe Awards and thePrimetime Emmy Awards (which are rotated across all four major networks each year). Since 1953, NBC has served as the official American broadcaster of theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. CBS also carries unauthorized coverage of the Macy's parade as part ofThe Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS; however, as NBC holds rights to 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 ofMiracle on 34th Street). In 2007, NBC acquired the rights to theNational Dog Show, which airs following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade each year.
The network also broadcasts several live-action and animated specials during theChristmas holiday season, including the 2014 debutsHow Murray Saved Christmas (an animated musical adaptation of the children's book of the same name) andElf: Buddy's Musical Christmas (a stop-motion animated special based on the 2003 live-action filmElf).
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 theMiss Universe Organization: theMiss Universe andMiss USA pageants (NBC also held rights to theMiss 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 ownerDonald Trump that gave the network half-ownership of the pageants,[17] 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 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 his2016 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.[18][19]
NBC has twelve owned-and-operated stations and current and pending affiliation agreements with 222 additional television stations encompassing 50 states, the District of Columbia, six U.S. possessions and two non-U.S. territories (Aruba andBermuda).[20][21] The network has a national reach of 88.91% of all households in the United States (or 277,821,345 Americans with at least one television set). From January 24, 2022, whenCBS affiliateWBKB-TV inAlpena, Michigan affiliated its DT2 subchannel with NBC, to December 31, 2024, whenKXGN-TV inGlendive, Montana dropped NBC from its DT2 subchannel, NBC was the only major network with an in-market affiliate in everydesignated market area in the United States.[22][23]
Currently,New Jersey andDelaware are 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 inAtlantic City-basedWMGM-TV, which was affiliated with the network from 1966 to 2014. Delaware is served by Salisbury affiliateWRDE-LD and Philadelphia-basedWCAU. NBC maintains affiliations with low-power stations in a few smaller markets, such asBinghamton, New York (WBGH-CD),Jackson, Tennessee (WNBJ-LD) andJuneau, 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.
SouthernNew Hampshire receives NBC programming via network-ownedWBTS-CD, licensed to serveNashua; while nominally licensed as a low-powerclass A station, it transmits a full-power signal under a channel share with theWGBH Educational Foundation and its secondary Boston stationWGBX-TV fromNeedham, Massachusetts, and serves as the NBC station for the entire Boston market. Until 2019, NBC operated a low-powered station in Boston, WBTS-LD (nowWYCN-LD), which aimed to serve as its station in that market while using a network of additional full-power stations to cover the market in full (includingMerrimack, New Hampshire-licensedTelemundo stationWNEU, which transmitted WBTS on a second subchannel); NBC purchased the Nashua station (formerly WYCN-CD) in early 2018 after the FCCspectrum auction, and in 2019 relocated WYCN-LD to Providence, Rhode Island to serve as a Telemundo station for that market.
Tegna Media 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 asAtlanta,Denver,St. Louis,Seattle andCleveland);Gray Television is the largest operator of NBC stations by numerical total, owning 28 NBC-affiliated stations.
NBC providesvideo on demand access for delayed viewing of 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,[24] and through content deals withHulu andNetflix (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 is a part-owner of Hulu (along with majority ownerThe Walt Disney Company, owner of ABC), and has offered full-length episodes of most of NBC's programming through thestreaming service (which are available for viewing on Hulu's website andmobile app) since Hulu launched inprivate beta testing on October 29, 2007.[25][26][27][28]
The most recent episodes of the network's shows are usually made available on NBC.com and Hulu 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 like30 Rock,The A-Team,Charles in Charge,Emergency!,Knight Rider (both the original series and theshort-lived 2008 reboot),Kojak,Miami Vice,The Office,Quantum Leap andSimon & Simon).[29][30][31]
On February 18, 2015, NBC began providing live programming streams of local NBC stations in select markets, which are only available toauthenticated subscribers of participating pay television providers. All eleven NBC-owned-and-operated stations owned by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations' were 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 werenot permitted to be streamed on the service for several years until a change to the league's mobile rights agreement in the 2018 season allowed games to be streamed through network websites and apps.[32][33][34][35]
NBC's master feed is transmitted in1080ihigh definition, the native resolution format for NBCUniversal's television properties. However, 19 of its affiliates transmit the network's programming in720p HD, while four others carry the network feed in480istandard definition[20] either due to technical considerations for affiliates of other major networks that carry NBC programming on 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 to1080p or2160pultra-high-definition television (UHD). However, some NBC stations have already begun broadcasting at 1080p viaATSC 3.0 multiplex stations. One notable example isWRAL-TV inRaleigh, North Carolina (a station that re-joined NBC in February 2016), which is currently also broadcasting at 1080p viaWNGT-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 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 overWHD-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 in480istandard definition over the NBC network until May 2, 2010, when it became the last NBC News program to convert to HD).[36][37] NBC officially began its conversion tohigh definition with the launch of its simulcast feed, NBC HD, on April 26, 1999, whenThe 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. NBC gradually converted much of its existing programming fromstandard-definition to high definition beginning with the2002–03 season, with select shows among that season's slate of freshmen scripted series being broadcast in HD from their debuts.[38]
NBC 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 networkPBS Kids Sprout, which also became the second Saturday morning children's block with an entirely HD schedule (after the ABC-syndicatedLitton's Weekend Adventure). All the network's programming has been presented in full HD since then (except for certainholiday specials produced prior to 2005 – such as its annual broadcast ofIt'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 in5.1 surround sound.
In 1999, NBC launched NBCi (briefly changing its web address to "www.nbci.com"), a heavily advertised online venture serving as an attempt to launch aweb portal. This move saw NBC partner withXoom.com (not to be confused with the currentmoney transfer service), e-mail.com,AllBusiness.com,[39] and Snap.com (eventually acquiring all four companies outright; not to be confused with thecurrent-day parent ofSnapchat) 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, a company specializing insearch 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.[40] 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 a co-branded version ofInfoSpace to deliver minimal portal content. In mid-2007, NBCi.com began to mirror the main NBC.com website;[41] 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&OWCMH-TV inColumbus, Ohio (now owned byNexstar), which continues to use the URL "nbc4i.com".
NBC has used a number of logos throughout its history; early logos used by the television and radio networks were similar to the logo of its then-parent company, RCA. Logos used later in NBC's existence incorporated stylizedpeacock 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 andIPTV providers through certain U.S.-based affiliates of the network (such asWBTS-CD in Boston,KING-TV in Seattle,KBJR-TV inDuluth, Minnesota,WGRZ inBuffalo, New York andWHEC-TV inRochester, New York). Some programs carried on these stations are subject tosimultaneous substitutions, a practice imposed by theCanadian 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 theCanada–United States border (signal coverage was somewhat reduced after thedigital 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 asOrbit News in Africa and the Middle East. Sister networkCNBC Europe also broadcasts occasional breaking news coverage from MSNBC as well asThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.CNBC Europe also broadcast daily airings ofNBC Nightly News at 00:30 CET Monday to Fridays.[42][43]
In 1993, then-NBC parent General Electric acquired Super Channel, relaunching the Pan-European cable network as NBC Super Channel.[44] In 1996, the channel was renamedNBC 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 inEurope 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, featuredThe Tonight Show,Late Night with Conan O'Brien andLater, which the channel's slogan "Where the Stars Come Out at Night" was based around. Many NBC News programs were broadcast on NBC Europe, includingDateline NBC,Meet the Press andNBC 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; the network was concurrently relaunched as a German-language technology channel aimed at a younger demographic, with the new seriesNBC GIGA as its flagship program. In 2005, the channel was relaunched again as thefree-to-air movie channelDas 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 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.
In Colombia, many subscription providers carry either select U.S.-based NBC andTelemundo affiliated stations or the main network feed fromNBCUniversal orTelemundo. Some stations distributing NBC and Telemundo network programming in Colombia includeWTVJ andWSCV inMiami, andWNBC andWNJU inNew York City.
In early 2017, NBC affiliates stopped being distributed in Colombia. This decision coincided with other U.S. affiliated stations fromABC andCBS also being pulled off from the air in the country. This was due to concerns expressed by the broadcasters on broadcasting rights outside their original local coverage area.
In Venezuela, many subscription providers carry either select U.S.-based NBC andTelemundo affiliated stations or the main network feed fromNBCUniversal andTelemundo. Some stations distributing NBC and Telemundo network programming in Venezuela includeWTVJ andWSCV inMiami, andWNBC andWNJU inNew York City.
In late 2017, NBC affiliates stopped being distributed in Nicaragua and the rest of Central America. This decision coincided with other U.S. affiliated stations fromABC andCBS also being pulled off from the air in the region. This was due to concerns expressed by the broadcasters on broadcasting rights outside their original local coverage area.
In Ecuador, many subscription providers carry either select U.S.-based NBC andTelemundo affiliated stations or the main network feed fromNBCUniversal orTelemundo. Some stations distributing NBC and Telemundo network programming in Ecuador includeWTVJ andWSCV inMiami, andWNBC andWNJU inNew York City.
In Peru, many subscription providers carry either select U.S.-based NBC andTelemundo affiliated stations or the main network feed fromNBCUniversal orTelemundo. Some stations distributing NBC and Telemundo network programming in Peru includeWTVJ andWSCV inMiami, andWNBC andWNJU inNew York City.
In 1993, NBC launched a 24-hour Spanish-language news channel serving Latin America (the second news channel serving that region overall, afterNoticias ECO, and the first to broadcast 24 hours a day), Canal de Noticias NBC, which based its news schedule around the "wheel" format conceived at CNN.[45] The channel, which was headquartered in the offices of the NBC News Channel affiliate news service inCharlotte, North Carolina, employed over 50 journalists to produce, write, anchor and provide technical services. Canal de Noticias NBC shut down in 1999 due to the channel's inability to generate sustainable advertising revenue.
In the Caribbean, many subscription providers carry either select U.S.-based NBC-affiliated stations or the main network feed from NBC andTelemundo O&OsWNBC andWNJU inNew York City orWTVJ andWSCV inMiami. In addition, the network's programming has been available in theU.S. Virgin Islands since 2004 onWVGN-LD inCharlotte Amalie (owned by LKK Group), while Telemundo owned-and-operated stationWKAQ-TV inSan Juan, Puerto Rico carries theWNBC feed on a digital subchannel.
InPuerto Rico, Telemundo O&OWKAQ-TV carries "NBC Puerto Rico" over their third subchannel, which is effectively a simulcast of WNBC with some local advertising and station identification.
Until it ended operations in 2014, NBC's entire program lineup was carried byVSB-TV, using theEastern Time Zone feed, though an hour ahead due to its location in theAtlantic Time Zone. Bermuda currently receives NBC service fromWTVJMiami via cable.
InGuam, the entire NBC programming lineup is carried byHagåtña affiliateKUAM-TV (which has been an NBC affiliate since 1956) via the network's East Coast satellite feed. Entertainment and news programming is broadcast day and date on a one-day tape delay as Guam is on the west side of theInternational Date Line (for example, the network's Thursday prime time lineup airs Friday evenings on KUAM, and is advertised by the station as airing on the latter night in on-air promotions). Live programming, including breaking news and sporting events, airs as scheduled; because of the time difference with the six U.S. time zones, live sports coverage often airs on the station early in the morning. KUAM's programming is relayed to theNorthern Mariana Islands viasatellite stationWSZE inSaipan.
InAmerican Samoa, NBC was affiliated withKKHJ-LP inPago Pago[46] from 2005 to 2012. Cable television providers on the islands carry the network's programming via Seattle affiliate KING-TV.
NBC Asia launched in 1994, distributed toIndia,Japan,Malaysia,South Korea,Taiwan,Thailand,Pakistan and thePhilippines. Like NBC Europe, NBC Asia featured most of NBC's news programs as well asThe Tonight Show,Late Night andSaturday Night Live. Like its European counterpart, it was not allowed to broadcast American-produced prime time shows due to existing broadcast agreements with other domestic broadcasters. NBC Asia produced a regional evening news program that aired each weeknight, and occasionally simulcast some programs fromCNBC Asia and MSNBC. NBC also operated NBC Super Sports, a 24-hour channel devoted to televising sporting events.
Through regional partners, NBC-produced programs are seen in some countries on the continent. In thePhilippines,Jack TV (owned by Solar Entertainment) airsWill & Grace andSaturday Night Live, whileTalkTV airsThe Tonight Show and NBC News programs including the weekday andweekend editions ofToday,Early Today,Dateline NBC andNBC Nightly News.Solar TV formerly broadcastThe Jay Leno Show from 2009 to 2010. In Hong Kong, the English language free-to-air channel TVB Pearl (operated byTVB) airs live broadcasts ofNBC Nightly News, as well as other select NBC programs.
Seven also rebroadcasts some of NBC's news and current affairs programming during the early morning hours (usually from 3:00 to 5:00 a.m. local time), including the weekday and weekend editions ofToday (which it brands asNBC Today to differentiate it from the unrelatedmorning program of the same title on theNine Network),Dateline NBC andMeet the Press.
The NBC television network has been accused[50] of tolerating a culture ofsexism andsexual harassment among its employees (especially within upper management and among senior anchors such asMatt Lauer) and also of covering up indiscretions committed by prominent figures in the company through intimidation campaigns against victims that include widespread use ofnon-disclosure agreements. This may have exposed the company to pressure fromHarvey Weinstein to delay or terminate reporting onWeinstein's criminal abuse of many women.[51][52]
Weaver was hired by NBC in 1949, to help challenge CBS's rating lead. While at NBC, Weaver established many operating practices that became standard for network television; he introduced the practice of networks producing their own television programs and selling advertising time during the broadcasts. Prior to this, advertising agencies usually developed each show for a particular client. Because commercial slots could now more easily be sold to more than one corporate sponsor for each program, a single advertiser pulling out of a program would not necessarily threaten it.
Weaver also created several series for the network,Today (in 1952),Tonight Starring Steve Allen (in 1954, the first program in theTonight Show franchise),Home (1954) andWide Wide World (1955). Weaver strongly believed that broadcasting should educate as well as entertain, and required NBC shows to typically include at least one sophisticated cultural reference or performance per installment – including a segment of a Giuseppe Verdi opera adapted in the comedic style ofSid Caesar andImogene Coca's groundbreakingYour Show of Shows. Weaver did not ignore NBC Radio and gave it a shot in the arm in 1955, at a time when network radio was dying and giving way to television, when he developedNBC 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 (20 years after Weaver's departure). Weaver departed shortly afterward, following disputes with NBC chairman David Sarnoff, who believed that his ideas were either too expensive or toohighbrow for company tastes. His respective successors, Robert Sarnoff and Robert Kintner standardized the network's programming practices with far less of the ambitiousness that characterized the Weaver years.
Kintner was appointed president in 1958; his tenure at NBC was marked by his aggressive effort to push the network's news division past CBS News in ratings and prestige. The news division was given more money, leading it to gain additional resources to provide coverage, notably of the1960 Presidential election campaign, and led theHuntley-Brinkley Report to prominence among the network news programs.
Goodman, who joined NBC in 1966, helped establishChet Huntley andDavid Brinkley as a well-known anchor team. While working at NBC, he negotiated a $1 million deal to retain Johnny Carson as host ofThe Tonight Show.
AfterJohnny Carson announced he wanted to cancel the weekend editions ofThe Tonight Show in order to instead have repeats of it aired on weeknights,[53] Schlosser approached his vice president of late-night programming,Dick Ebersol, and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday nighttime slot. At the suggestion ofParamount Pictures executiveBarry Diller, Schlosser and Ebersol then approachedLorne Michaels. Over the next three weeks, Ebersol and Michaels developed the latter's idea for a variety show featuring high-concept comedy sketches, political satire, and music performances.
Although Silverman developed many successful shows during his tenure at ABC, he left that network to become president and CEO of NBC in 1978. His three-year tenure at the network proved to be a difficult period for the network, marked by several high-profile failures such asHello, Larry,Pink Lady and Jeff,Supertrain and theJean Doumanian era ofSaturday Night Live (Silverman hired Doumanian after Al Franken, the planned successor for outgoing creator/executive producer Lorne Michaels, castigated Silverman's failures in a sketch on the program[54]). Despite these failures, high points during Silverman's tenure included the launch ofHill Street Blues and the miniseriesShōgun. He also brought David Letterman to the network to host daytime talkerThe David Letterman Show, two years before the debut of Letterman's successfullate night program in 1982, after Silverman negotiated a holding deal after the former's cancellation to keep Letterman from going to another network. However, Silverman nearly lost late-night leader Johnny Carson, who filed a lawsuit against NBC during a contract dispute with the network; the case was settled out of court and Carson remained with NBC in exchange for acquiring the rights to his show and permission to reduce his time on-air (leading to the use of guest hosts onThe Tonight Show such asJoan Rivers and his immediate successor, Jay Leno).[55]
Silverman also developed successful sitcoms such asDiff'rent Strokes,The Facts of Life andGimme a Break!, and made the series commitments that led toCheers andSt. Elsewhere. Silverman also pioneered the reality television genre with the 1979 debut ofReal People. His contributions to the network's game show output included theGoodson-Todman-producedCard Sharks and a revival ofPassword, both of which enjoyed great success as part of the morning schedule, although he also canceled several other relatively popular series, includingThe Hollywood Squares andHigh Rollers, to make way forThe David Letterman Show (those cancellations also threatenedWheel of Fortune, whose host,Chuck Woolery, left in a payment dispute during Silverman's tenure, although the show survived). Silverman also oversaw, while simultaneously objecting to, the hiring ofPat Sajak as the new host ofWheel (Sajak remains as the host to this day in its syndicated incarnation).[56]
On Saturday mornings, at a time when there was much similarity in animated content on the major networks, Silverman oversaw the development of ananimated series based onThe Smurfs (which ran from 1981 to 1989, well after Silverman's departure, making it one of his longest-lasting contributions to the network) as well asa revival ofThe Flintstones. In addition, Silverman revitalized the NBC News division, helpingToday andNBC Nightly News achieve parity with their competition for the first time in years; and created a new FM radio division with competitive stations in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. During his NBC tenure, Silverman also brought in an entirely new divisional and corporate management team, which remained in place long after Silverman's departure (among this group was Brandon Tartikoff, who as President of Entertainment, would help get NBC back on top by 1985). Silverman also reintroduced the peacock as NBC's corporate logo in 1979.
Tartikoff was hired as a program executive at ABC in 1976. He joined NBC the following year, after being hired by Dick Ebersol to direct comedy programs for the network. Tartikoff took over as president of NBC's entertainment division in 1981,[57] becoming the youngest person ever to hold the position, at age 32. At the time Tartikoff took over, NBC was mired in last place behind ABC and CBS, and faced a looming writers' strike and affiliates defecting to other networks (mostly to ABC);Little House on the Prairie,Diff'rent Strokes andReal People were the only prime time shows the network had in the Nielsen Top 20. Also of issue, Johnny Carson was reportedly in talks to move his landmark late-night talk show to ABC; while the original cast and writing staff ofSaturday Night Live had left the show, and their replacements had earnedSNL some of its worst reviews.
By 1982, Tartikoff and network president Grant Tinker gradually turned the network's fortunes around.[58] Tartikoff's successes as President of Entertainment includedThe Cosby Show (Tartikoff had pursued actor-comedianBill Cosby to create a comedypilot after having been impressed by the comedian's stories when Cosby was a guest host onThe Tonight Show), the iconic 1980s dramaMiami Vice (Tartikoff wrote abrainstormingmemo that simply read "MTVcops", and later presented it to formerHill Street Blues writer/producerAnthony Yerkovich, who turned into the concept behindMiami Vice).[59][60][61][62] andKnight Rider (which was inspired by a perceived lack of leading men who could act, with Tartikoff suggesting that a talking car could fill in the gaps in any leading man's acting abilities).[58]
WhileFamily Ties was undergoing its casting process, Tartikoff was unexcited aboutMichael J. Fox being considered for the role of Alex P. Keaton;[58] however, creator/executive producerGary David Goldberg insisted on having Fox in the role until Tartikoff relented, saying, "Go ahead if you insist. But I'm telling you, this is not the kind of face you'll ever see on alunch box". After Fox's stardom was cemented byBack to the Future, he good-naturedly sent Tartikoff a lunch box with Fox's picture that contained a note reading: "To Brandon: This is for you to put yourcrow in. Love and Kisses, Michael J. Fox", which Tartikoff kept in his office for the rest of his career.
Johnny Carson broke the news of his retirement in February 1991 to Tartikoff during a lunch meeting at the Grille in Beverly Hills. Tartikoff and chairman Bob Wright were the only ones who knew of the planned retirement before it was made public days later.[58] Tartikoff wrote in his memoirs that his biggest professional regret was cancelling the seriesBuffalo Bill, which he later went on to include in a fantasy "dream schedule" created for aTV Guide article that detailed his idea of "The Greatest Network Ever".
Littlefield helped developCheers,The Cosby Show andThe Golden Girls as senior, and later, executive vice president of NBC Entertainment under Brandon Tartikoff, of whom Littlefield was his protégé. During his tenure as president of NBC, Littlefield oversaw the creation of many hit shows during the 1990s such asSeinfeld,The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,Wings,Blossom,Law & Order,Mad About You,Sisters,Frasier,Friends,ER,Homicide: Life on the Street,Caroline in the City,NewsRadio,3rd Rock from the Sun,Suddenly Susan,Just Shoot Me!,Will & Grace andThe West Wing.
Sassa joined NBC in September 1997 as president of the NBC Television Stations division, where he was responsible for overseeing the operation of NBC's then 13 owned-and-operated stations.[63] In October 1998, Sassa became president of NBC Entertainment, lasting in that position for eight months until he was reassigned to NBC's West Coast division in May 1999, where, as its president, he oversaw NBC's entertainment-related businesses.[64] Sassa made the transition to that position after working alongside his predecessor, Don Ohlmeyer. During this time, he oversaw the development and production of NBC's new prime time series, including such shows asThe West Wing,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit andFear Factor. Under Sassa, NBC rated as the No. 1 network for three out of four seasons.
Ancier, who also worked as a television producer (most notably, serving as executive producer of tabloid talk showRicki Lake) prior to joining the network, was named President of NBC Entertainment in 1999.
Zucker was named President of NBC Entertainment in 2000, succeeding Garth Ancier.[65] In a 2004 profile on Zucker,Businessweek stated that in his four years as entertainment president, he was responsible for having "kept the network ahead of the pack by airing thegross out showFear Factor, negotiating for the cast of the hit seriesFriends to take the series up to a tenth season, and signing Donald Trump for the reality showThe Apprentice" and having helped increase NBC's operating revenue from $532 million in 1999 to $870 million by 2003. Other critical or commercial successes green lit under Zucker includedLas Vegas,Law & Order: Criminal Intent andScrubs. He originated the concept of airing "Supersized" episodes (running longer than the standard 30-minute slot) of NBC sitcoms during sweeps and making aggressive programming efforts during the summer to compete with cable networks that began to draw viewers to their original programming content while the networks ran mostly reruns. Zucker also oversaw the successful transition ofBravo (which NBC acquired fromRainbow Media in 2002) from a film and arts-focused network to a network primarily reliant on reality series, and the repositioning of Telemundo to become more competitive with leading Spanish-language network Univision. In May 2004, following NBC's merger withVivendi Universal, Zucker was promoted to president of theNBC Universal Television Group. Zucker's responsibilities, which already included NBC's cable channels, were expanded to include oversight of television production as well asUSA Network,Sci-Fi Channel andTrio. Following his promotion, NBC slid from first place to fourth in the ratings. Shows that Zucker championed such as animated seriesFather of the Pride and theFriends spinoffJoey floundered.[66]
Reilly was appointed President of Entertainment in May 2004. Having begun his career at NBC Entertainment almost two decades earlier, he returned to the network in the fall of 2003 as President of Primetime Development. Early in his NBC career, Reilly supervisedLaw & Order in its first season and helped developER. After his first stint at NBC, Reilly became President of Brad Grey Television, the television production arm ofBrillstein-Grey Entertainment, in 1994. He was responsible for the development of the pilot forThe Sopranos, and NBC sitcomsJust Shoot Me! andNewsRadio. Reilly's vocal support ofThe Office helped it survive its first season, despite it suffering from low ratings.[67]
Shows developed under Reilly includedMy Name Is Earl,Heroes,30 Rock andFriday Night Lights.[68] Although he signed a new three-year contract with NBC in February 2007, Reilly was terminated as president in late May 2007.[69] Approximately one month later, he joined Fox as its President of Entertainment.
Silverman and Marc Graboff were appointed co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment in 2007, succeeding Kevin Reilly. That year, Silverman became the first producer sinceNorman Lear (in 1973) to have two Emmy-nominated shows in the "Outstanding Comedy/Variety Series" category (The Office and ABC'sUgly Betty).[70] He is credited for his role in saving the critically acclaimed but low-rated NBC dramaFriday Night Lights by striking an innovative deal,[71] in whichDirecTV agreed to take on a substantial amount of the show's production budget in exchange for exclusivefirst window rights to broadcast the program onThe 101 while NBC would re-air the episodes later in the season.[72]
Gaspin first joined NBC in the early 1980s, as part of its associates program, after failing to find any jobs in finance onWall Street. After spending five years in the finance department, he was promoted to a programming position at NBC News at the urging of the news division's then-president Michael Gartner, before being moved to the entertainment division. During his first tenure, Gaspin helped to develop and launchDateline NBC and oversaw the expansion ofToday to weekends. In 1996, Gaspin left NBC to become program development chief atVH1. Gaspin returned to NBC in 2001 as Executive Vice President of Program Strategy at NBC Entertainment, where he helped to develop new programs such asThe Apprentice andThe Biggest Loser. In 2002, Gaspin was appointed as President of Bravo, following NBC's purchase of the cable channel, where his most notable accomplishments were the massive hitsQueer Eye for the Straight Guy andProject Runway. He was reassigned to President of NBC Universal Cable and Digital Content in 2007.[73] In July 2009, Gaspin was promoted to Chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, becoming responsible for NBC Entertainment, USA Network, Bravo andNBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.
Greenblatt succeeded Jeff Gaspin in January 2011 after Comcast took control ofNBCUniversal. Under Greenblatt's direction, NBC saw major successes with theChicago series franchise,This Is Us, the revival ofWill & Grace, and several live musical productions. The success of many of his programs led NBC to take over CBS as the No. 1 network during the2017–18 television season for the first time in sixteen years. Greenblatt departed NBC in September 2018.[74][75]
George Cheeks & Paul Telegdy
2018–2020
Cheeks and Telegdy succeeded Robert Greenblatt in September 2018, following Greenblatt's departure.[76] Cheeks moved to CBS in January 2020.[77] Telegdy left in August 2020 after accusations of racism.[78]
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