Television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone
Examples
The types of shows described as television specials include:[2]
- One-time comedy shows
- Extended episodes of TV shows.
- Adaptations of operas, Broadway plays, and other musicals
- Celebrity profiles, interviews, or tribute specials
- Seasonal programs or parades: Christmas television specials, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Year's Eve
- Theatrical films and "made-for-TV" movies
- Animated cartoons(shorts, more than two-part episodes)
- Irregular sports events: Olympic Games, Super Bowl
- Beauty pageants: Miss America, Miss Universe
- Award shows: Academy Awards
- Religious specials: and Other's, etc.
- Fundraising campaigns (telethons, pledge drives)
- On-going breaking news or event coverage such as the funeral of a major public figure or the wedding of a member of a royal family
- Promotional previews of regularly scheduled programming (such as Saturday morning preview specials)
History
The production of early television shows was very expensive, with few guarantees of public success, and ongoing (weekly) shows typically required a single, major sponsor to operate. As such, a good deal of programming was one-off shows, accommodating smaller sponsors and not requiring a loyal audience following. As the industry matured, this trend reversed; by the 1950s, most networks aimed to provide stable, routine, and proven content to their audiences. Television executives, such as CBS president James Aubrey, sought to avoid any disruption in viewing habits which might cause viewers to move to another network. These weekly series, though, typically became too expensive for any single sponsor, so stand-alone shows offered a way to continue accommodating the single-sponsor practice, leading to shows like Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951, sponsored by Hallmark Cards as part of the Hallmark Television Playhouse) and the Ford 50th Anniversary Show (1953, a two-hour variety show simulcast on both CBS and NBC).[1][3][4]
In 1954,
To address this, Weaver used his "magazine" style which involved selling segments of each show to a different sponsor, a practice which would evolve into the modern "
In the 1960s, multi-part specials, which aired over several days in a week or on the same day for several weeks, evolved from this format, though these were more commonly called
In the era before cable and home video, television audiences often had to wait an entire year or more to see a special program or film that had a great impact on first viewing. Today, online streaming often makes it possible for viewers to watch a television show again almost immediately after it is aired, and home video—which has largely given way to digital downloads—makes it possible for the general public to own copies of television shows and films.
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8103-8871-0.
- ^ .
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8103-8871-0.
- ^ a b O'Dell, Cary. "Encyclopedia of Television - "Special/Spectacular"". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ JSTOR 23703062.