NBC facts for kids
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Current logo, which is a revision of the 1986 logo, used since 2022
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| Type | Radio and television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Affiliates |
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| Headquarters | 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Rockefeller Center, New York City |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | NBCUniversal |
| Parent | NBC Entertainment |
| Sister channels |
List
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| History | |
| Founded | May 19, 1926 |
| Launched |
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| Founder | David Sarnoff |
| Replaced | NBC Radio Network |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Affiliated Streaming Service(s) | Peacock |
| DirecTV Stream | Channel 392 (NBC HD East) Channel 393 (NBC HD West) |
| Service(s) | FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Peacock, Sling TV, YouTube TV |
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is a big American TV and radio network. It's a main part of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast. NBC is the first and oldest major TV network in the United States.
NBC's main office is in New York City at Rockefeller Center's Comcast Building. This building has been the network's home for a long time. NBC also has offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.
NBC was started in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America. It is the oldest of the "Big Three" American TV networks. The other two are ABC and CBS. NBC is sometimes called the Peacock Network. This name comes from its peacock logo, which was first used in 1956. The logo was created to show off the company's new color TV broadcasts.
NBC has twelve TV stations that it owns and runs. It also has many partner stations in almost every TV area in the United States. Some NBC stations can also be seen in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Canada.
Contents
NBC's History
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| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded |
|---|---|
| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (later Universal Television) |
| 1953 | NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years |
| 1956 | NBC's first peacock logo debuts |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1967 | NBC broadcasts the first Super Bowl |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands to Comcast |
| 1972 | Comcast began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) |
| 1975 | Universal releases Jaws |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (Later Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is established |
| 1982 | Universal releases E.T. The Extra Terrestrial |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1985 | Universal releases Back to the Future |
| 1986 | General Electric buys RCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake in A&E |
| 1989 | NBC relaunches Tempo Television as CNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens Law & Order premieres on NBC Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (later Universal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1993 | Universal releases Jurassic Park |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Animation is founded |
| 1996 | NBC and Microsoft replace America's Talking with MSNBC |
| 1997 | Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures Universal Studios Florida expands to become Universal Orlando Resort Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres on NBC |
| 2001 | Grand opening of Universal Studios Japan Universal releases The Fast and the Furious Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquires Telemundo and Bravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquires AT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2003 | Universal becomes the first studio with five summer releases breaking the $100 million mark |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal |
| 2005 | The Office premieres on NBC Comcast sets up a joint-venture with PBS, Sesame Workshop & HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast & Time Warner Cable jointly acquire Adelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2006 | USA Network begins 13-year streak as #1 cable network in total viewers |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2010 | Universal releases Illumination's first film Despicable Me |
| 2011 | Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | Universal celebrates its 100th anniversary NBCUniversal divests its A&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2014 | Comcast attempts to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal with WWE |
| 2016 | NBCU acquires DreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | Sprout relaunches as Universal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky after a heated bidding war with 21st Century Fox |
| 2019 | NBCU acquires Cineo Lighting |
| 2020 | NBCU launches Peacock |
| 2021 | Grand opening of Universal Beijing Resort |
| 2023 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie becomes Illumination's highest-grossing film |
NBC was created in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). RCA was owned by several companies like General Electric (GE) and AT&T Corporation. In 1932, the U.S. Government made GE sell RCA and NBC. This was because of rules against companies becoming too powerful.
In 1986, GE bought RCA back for $6.4 billion. GE kept NBC but sold off most of RCA's other businesses. In 2003, a French company called Vivendi joined its entertainment businesses with GE. This created NBCUniversal. Comcast bought most of NBCUniversal in 2011 and then bought GE's remaining share in 2013.
NBC is known for some of the longest-running TV shows in America. These include the news show Meet the Press (started 1947) and Today (started 1952). Other long-running shows are The Tonight Show (started 1954) and Saturday Night Live (started 1975). The drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit began in 1999. It is currently the longest-running live-action series in American prime-time TV history.
What NBC Shows
NBC offers many hours of TV shows each week. It provides 22 hours of prime-time shows from Monday to Saturday evenings. On Sundays, prime-time shows air for four hours.
News and Talk Shows
NBC News has many popular programs. Today is a morning news and interview show. It airs on weekdays and weekends. NBC News Daily airs midday on weekdays. NBC Nightly News is the main evening news program. Meet the Press is a political talk show on Sunday mornings. Other news shows include Early Today and Dateline NBC.
Late-night shows include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Children's Shows
Children's programming has always been a part of NBC. Howdy Doody was one of NBC's first big kids' shows in 1947. For many years, NBC showed cartoons like Looney Tunes and Woody Woodpecker. They also aired shows like The Flintstones and The Jetsons. Other popular kids' shows included The Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks.
In 1989, NBC started Saved by the Bell. This live-action show about teens became very popular. Because of its success, NBC changed its Saturday morning lineup in 1992. They created a new block called TNBC with more live-action shows. These shows were designed to be educational.
Later, NBC partnered with Discovery Communications in 2002. They aired educational shows from the Discovery Kids channel. This block was called Discovery Kids on NBC. It included shows like Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls and Endurance.
In 2006, NBC launched a new block called Qubo. This was a joint effort with other companies to provide educational kids' shows. Qubo also had its own TV channel. In 2012, NBC replaced Qubo with NBC Kids. This block featured preschool shows from Sprout.
Since October 2016, NBC's Saturday morning block is called The More You Know. It is programmed by Litton Entertainment. This block focuses on educational shows for teens.
Sports Programs
NBC also shows live sports on weekends. These can air at various times. NBC has broadcast the Summer Olympic Games since 1988. It has also shown the Winter Olympic Games since 2002. Olympic coverage often takes over regular shows. In July 2022, NBC announced that the Olympic Channel would close. They planned to share new ways to watch Olympic content.
Special Events
NBC broadcasts several yearly specials and award shows. These include the Golden Globe Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards. Since 1953, NBC has been the official broadcaster of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They also air the National Dog Show after the parade.
NBC also shows live musical adaptations with famous stars. These have been very popular. Past shows include:
- The Sound of Music (2013)
- Peter Pan (2014)
- The Wiz (2015)
- Hairspray (2016)
- Jesus Christ Superstar (2018)
- Annie Live! (2021)
NBC Stations
NBC has twelve stations that it owns and operates. It also partners with 222 other TV stations across the United States. This means NBC can reach almost 89% of all homes in the U.S.
As of late 2024, NBC was the only major network with a station in every TV market in the United States. New Jersey and Delaware are the only U.S. states without a local NBC station. These states are served by stations from nearby big cities like New York City and Philadelphia.
Online and HD Services
Watching NBC Online
NBC offers its shows online through its website, NBC.com. You can also watch shows through services like Hulu and Peacock. Most new episodes are available the day after they air on TV. NBC.com also has older episodes of many current and classic shows.
Since 2015, NBC has offered live streams of local NBC stations in some areas. You need to be a subscriber to a TV provider to watch these.
High-Definition TV
NBC broadcasts its main signal in 1080i HD. This is a very clear picture quality. Some NBC stations broadcast in 720p HD, and a few still use standard definition.
Meet the Press was the first regular show on a major network to broadcast in HD in 1997. NBC officially started its move to HD in 1999. The Tonight Show was the first regular show to air in HD on the NBC network. NBC slowly changed most of its shows to HD starting in 2002. By September 2012, all of NBC's regular programming was in full HD.
NBC Logo History
NBC has used many different logos over the years. Early logos were similar to its parent company, RCA. Later, NBC started using stylized peacock designs. The current peacock logo has been used since 1986.
International Broadcasts
Canada
NBC shows can be watched in most of Canada through cable and satellite TV. This is done through certain U.S. NBC stations near the border. Sometimes, Canadian channels will replace the U.S. signal with their own broadcast of the same show. This is to protect Canadian advertising.
Europe and the Middle East
NBC no longer has its own channel in Europe. However, NBC News and MSNBC shows are broadcast for a few hours a day on OSN News in Africa and the Middle East. CNBC Europe also shows some NBC News programs.
NBC used to have a channel called NBC Europe. It showed NBC News programs and late-night talk shows like The Tonight Show. But it was not allowed to show U.S. prime-time shows. In 1999, NBC Europe stopped broadcasting in most of Europe. It became a German technology channel.
Latin America
NBC shows are available in Mexico through stations near the U.S. border. Some U.S. stations are also available on paid TV in Mexico. In some other Latin American countries like Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, many TV providers used to carry U.S. NBC stations. However, in 2017, many U.S. channels stopped being available in these regions. This was due to concerns about broadcasting rights.
NBC also launched a 24-hour Spanish-language news channel for Latin America in 1993. It was called Canal de Noticias NBC. This channel closed in 1999 because it could not make enough money from advertising.
Caribbean
In the Caribbean, many TV providers carry U.S. NBC stations. NBC programming has been available in the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2004. In Aruba, NBC has a partner station called PJA-TV.
Pacific
In Guam, the NBC programming is carried by KUAM-TV. Because of the time difference, shows air a day later. Live events like sports air early in the morning. In American Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia, NBC shows are available through U.S. stations on cable TV.
Asia
NBC Asia launched in 1994. It was available in countries like India, Japan, and South Korea. Like NBC Europe, it showed NBC's news programs and late-night shows. It was not allowed to broadcast American prime-time shows. NBC Asia was replaced by a regional version of the National Geographic Channel in 1998.
Through local partners, NBC shows are still seen in some Asian countries. For example, in the Philippines, some channels air Will & Grace and Saturday Night Live. In Hong Kong, TVB Pearl airs live broadcasts of NBC Nightly News.
Australia
The Seven Network in Australia has strong ties with NBC. They have used many of NBC's image campaigns and slogans. Seven News uses the same theme music as NBC News. NBC News and Seven News often share news reports. Seven also rebroadcasts some of NBC's news programs in the early morning.
Leaders of NBC Entertainment
This section lists some of the important people who led NBC Entertainment. They helped shape the network and its shows.
| Executive | Term | What They Did |
|---|---|---|
| Sylvester Weaver | 1953–1955 | Weaver helped NBC compete with CBS. He started the idea of TV networks making their own shows and selling ad time. This made it easier for shows to stay on air. He also created famous shows like Today and Tonight Starring Steve Allen. Weaver believed TV should teach as well as entertain. |
| Robert E. Kintner | 1958–1966 | Kintner focused on making NBC's news division stronger. He gave them more money, which helped their news programs become very popular. |
| Julian Goodman | 1966–1974 | Goodman helped make Chet Huntley and David Brinkley a famous news team. He also made a big deal to keep Johnny Carson as the host of The Tonight Show. |
| Herbert Schlosser | 1974–1978 | Schlosser asked for a new show to fill the Saturday night slot. This led to the creation of Saturday Night Live. He worked with Lorne Michaels to develop the show. Saturday Night Live is still on TV today. |
| Fred Silverman | 1978–1981 | Silverman had some tough years at NBC. But he did launch important shows like Hill Street Blues and the miniseries Shōgun. He also brought David Letterman to the network. Silverman helped create successful sitcoms like Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. He also brought back the peacock as NBC's logo in 1979. |
| Brandon Tartikoff | 1981–1991 | Tartikoff became the youngest president of NBC's entertainment division at age 32. He helped turn NBC around when it was struggling. He brought hit shows like The Cosby Show, Miami Vice, and Knight Rider to the network. He also kept a funny lunch box from Michael J. Fox in his office. |
| Warren Littlefield | 1991–1998 | Littlefield helped create many hit shows in the 1990s. These include Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, and ER. He oversaw a very successful time for NBC. |
| Scott Sassa | 1998–1999 | Sassa was president of NBC Entertainment for eight months. During his time, he helped develop shows like The West Wing and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. NBC was the number one network for three out of four seasons under his leadership. |
| Garth Ancier | 1999–2000 | Ancier was named President of NBC Entertainment in 1999. He also worked as a TV producer before joining NBC. |
| Jeff Zucker | 2000–2004 | Zucker helped keep NBC as a top network. He was involved in shows like Fear Factor and The Apprentice. He also helped convince the cast of Friends to continue for a tenth season. After a merger, he was promoted to lead the whole NBC Universal Television Group. |
| Kevin Reilly | 2004–2007 | Reilly helped develop ER early in his career. He was a strong supporter of The Office, helping it survive despite low ratings at first. He also helped develop shows like My Name Is Earl and Heroes. |
| Ben Silverman | 2007–2009 | Silverman was co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. He is known for helping save the show Friday Night Lights. He made a special deal so the show could continue. |
| Jeff Gaspin | 2009–2010 | Gaspin worked at NBC in different roles for many years. He helped launch Dateline NBC and expand Today to weekends. He also helped develop shows like The Apprentice and The Biggest Loser. |
| Robert Greenblatt | 2011–2018 | Greenblatt led NBC to major successes. He brought shows like the Chicago series and This Is Us. He also oversaw popular live musical productions. Under his leadership, NBC became the number one network in the 2017–18 TV season. |
| George Cheeks & Paul Telegdy | 2018–2020 | Cheeks and Telegdy took over after Robert Greenblatt. Cheeks later moved to CBS. Telegdy left in August 2020. |
| Jeff Shell | 2020–2023 | Shell was also the CEO of NBCUniversal. He left the company in April 2023. |
| Michael Cavanagh | 2023– |
More About NBC
- Lists of NBC television affiliates
- List of NBC personalities
- NBC page
- Olympics on NBC
See also
In Spanish: NBC para niños
