To be announced (TBA) is aplaceholder term used very broadly inevent planning to indicate that although something is scheduled or expected to happen, a particular aspect of it remains to be fixed or set. Other versions of the term includeto be confirmed (TBC) andto be determined,discussed,defined,decided,declared, ordone (TBD).
These phrases are similar, but may be used for different degrees of indeterminacy:
Other similar phrases sometimes used to convey the same meaning, and using the sameabbreviations, include "to be ascertained", "to be arranged", "to be adjudicated", and "to be done".
Use of the abbreviation "TBA" is formally reported in a reference work at least as early as 1955,[4] and "TBD" is similarly reported as early as 1967.[5]
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These various placeholder terms are often used to indicate to the public that a vacant position in a lineup ofspeakers,musicians, or otherperformers remains to be filled. The terms also frequently indicate that a creative work, such as an album or film, is forthcoming but that the date of release is not yet known. If the forthcoming project is not yet named, these placeholders may be used to indicate that the name has not yet been selected, although the project may also be designated as "untitled" pending that determination.
The terms are also used in sports schedules, particularly where one team has locked in a position in aplayoff schedule, but its opponent cannot yet be determined because several teams may qualify for the spot depending on their remaining wins or losses for the season, or because other teams have not yet competed in playoff games that will determine who will face the locked-in team.[a] In government and business, the terms may be used to indicate that a vacant organizational position is expected to be filled, or conversely that a particular individual will be employed in an as-yet-uncreated position.[citation needed]
Inprogram guide listings, both paper and electronic, the term indicates that the program to be aired by a television station or channel will be announced in the near future, a last-second decision to remove a program or film where the content to be aired in its place cannot be updated on short notice by the listings provider, or that a program's airing (or delay to another time) depends on the continuation of a sports playoff series, which usually applies between the fifth and seventh matches or games of a best-of-seven series.[citation needed]
The age rating system of theBritish Board of Film Classification (BBFC) requires the use of "tbc" (meaning "to be classified") for products that have been submitted to the BBFC and are awaiting final rating.[6][7]
"TBA" (meaning "to be announced") is also used to describe a specific type of simple mortgage investment, the forwardmortgage-backed security. This is used to indicate that the investor is acquiring some portion of a pending pool of as-yet unspecified mortgages, which will be specified at a given delivery date.[8] This usage has existed at least since the 1980s.[b]
