American television in 2010 was a year marked by the usual debuts, cancellations, and continuations of shows; the launches, closures, or rebrandings of channels; but also significant cable/satellite carriage disputes.
Events
January Date Event1WPGA-TV/Macon, Georgia, drops its ABC affiliation to become independent. WGXA, the Fox affiliate in Macon, adds ABC to its digital subchannel, reuniting the station with the network it was previously affiliated with.Unable to reach a deal with Scripps Networks Interactive concerning retransmission fees, Cablevision temporarily drops Scripps-owned HGTV and the Food Network from its lineup. The dispute is resolved on January 21.2Time Warner Cable and News Corporation sign a new retransmission deal, thus averting what would have been a blackout of the Fox broadcast network and several cable networks on Time Warner Cable systems.4Bret Hart makes an appearance on WWE Raw, marking the first time that Hart appeared live on WWE television programming since the Survivor Series and the controversial "Montreal Screwjob" on November 9, 1997.6David Hasselhoff announces that he will not return as a judge for America's Got Talent due to pursuing other projects.7Sinclair Broadcast Group reaches a one-year retransmission agreement with Mediacom.Reports surface that NBC may move Jay Leno back into the 11:35 p.m. ET/PT slot and move Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show back to 12:05 am (ET/PT); an NBC representative later confirms that Leno's primetime show will end in February. NBC's plan displeases O'Brien, who in a January 12 "People of Earth" statement states his refusal to do The Tonight Show at any other time slot other than its traditional 11:35PM time. Thus begins a bitter divorce between O'Brien and NBC that would result in a $45 million exit deal from NBC for O'Brien—but not before the controversy becomes a media cause célèbre, with O'Brien gaining sympathy from fellow talk hosts and the general public and NBC receiving a public relations black eye.Top-ranked Alabama defeats second-ranked Texas, 37–21, in college football's 2010 BCS National Championship Game. It is the last BCS game to air on broadcast television (on ABC), with cable network ESPN taking over coverage of the entire BCS the following season. (Fox's relationship with the BCS ended on January 5 with its broadcast of the Orange Bowl.)10Fox's animated sitcom The Simpsons celebrates 20 years on the air as a weekly television series with the episode "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" (Anne Hathaway, Jackie Mason and Eartha Kitt are guest voices). A one-hour 20th anniversary special, hosted by Morgan Spurlock, follows the episode.Howie Mandel is announced as the new judge for America's Got Talent.11Fox announces that Simon Cowell will depart from American Idol in May in order to launch an American version of The X Factor in Fall 2011."Fox and Simon Cowell confirm 'American Idol' exit, 'X Factor' launch" from Reality TV World (January 11, 2010)18The iCarly special, "iSaved Your Life", premieres on Nickelodeon. This special broke the record as the highest-rated premiere in Nickelodeon history, surpassing the series premiere of All Grown Up! from 2003.20The FCC votes to close the terrestrial loophole that keeps fiber delivered regional sports networks such as Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 4SD, Cox Sports Television, Time Warner Cable SportsNet, and Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast off of satellite systems. Comcast files an appeal the next day.21Steve Harvey is announced as the sixth host of Family Feud, replacing John O'Hurley, a role that he holds to this day, and would result in a significant ratings boost.Steve Harvey is new 'Family Feud' host Entertainment Weekly, January 21, 201022Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief, an international telethon to provide relief for survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, airs live on all major United States broadcast networks, many cable channels, and many other television channels across the world.Conan O'Brien's 7-month, 146-episode run as host of The Tonight Show comes to an end (and with it his 20+ year relationship with NBC). Tom Hanks and Neil Young are his final guests; Steve Carell makes a surprise appearance, conducting an "exit interview" with O'Brien; and Beck, Ben Harper, Billy Gibbons, and Will Ferrell perform "Free Bird" with O'Brien and The Tonight Show Band in the closing segment.26Competitors DirecTV and Dish Network team up to file a lawsuit in Massachusetts alleging discrimination in reaction to the state's new 5% satellite TV tax.28Samantha Harris announces that she will not return as the co-host of Dancing with the Stars in order to focus on other projects like her correspondent duties at The Insider and Entertainment Tonight.Dancing with the Stars EXCLUSIVE: Samantha Harris Leaving Dancing with the Stars 31In what can be described as rarity for having a person who works for one network appearing on a competitor, Fox News Channel president Roger Ailes is among the guest panelists on ABC's This Week; in a roundtable discussion, Ailes defends his network's reputation from the other panelists.
February Date Event3LeSEA announces the sale of KWHD/Denver to Liberman Broadcasting; the station will switch to Liberman's Estrella TV network after the sale is completed.The ABC soap All My Children begins airing in high definition as its moves production from New York to Los Angeles.4Comcast rebrands their large-market triple play offerings under the Xfinity name.7106.5 million people watch the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts, 31–17, to win Super Bowl XLIV. Nielsen Media Research calls CBS's broadcast of the game the most watched telecast in history, beating 1983's M*A*S*H series finale (which also aired on CBS).8After 28 years and a shift from music to reality programming, MTV drops the "Music Television" moniker from its logo.9DirecTV drops the Sirius XM Radio music channels and replaces them with DMX's Sonic Tap channels.After 5 months in primetime, The Jay Leno Show has its finale on NBC, with guests Ashton Kutcher, Gabourey Sidibe and Bob Costas, plus appearances by Kurt Warner and Donald Trump.12–28The 2010 Winter Olympics air from Vancouver, British Columbia on NBC and its family of networks. The remake of the 1985 song "We Are the World" for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake debuts as part of NBC's ceremonies broadcast the games are marred by tragedy when Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili is killed in a training run on the night of the opening ceremonies. On its final day, Canada's 3–2 overtime win against the United States for the gold medal in men's hockey is seen by over 27 million viewers stateside, the best ratings for a hockey game since the 1980 Winter Olympics. Sidney Crosby who won the Stanley Cup in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins scores the medal winning goal.12DirecTV sues competitor Dish Network for false advertising over TV ads which claim Dish Network has the same channels but for a much lower price. Dish Network denies all claims and counter-sues on February 16. DirecTV drops its lawsuit on April 14. 23WWE replaces its show ECW with NXT on Syfy.
March Date Event1After securing rights formerly held by Setanta Sports USA, Fox Soccer Channel launches premium companion channel Fox Soccer Plus. As a result, Setanta Sports USA is shuttered.Nine months after ceding his host chair to Conan O'Brien and heading to prime-time, Jay Leno returns as host of The Tonight Show. Leno's first guests back are Jamie Foxx, Lindsey Vonn, and musical guest Brad Paisley. Betty White also makes a cameo appearance.2Roger Ebert is interviewed on The Oprah Winfrey Show, his first televised appearance since losing his ability to speak due to complications from a 2006 surgery for thyroid cancer.8ABC announces that Brooke Burke will be the new co-host of Dancing with the Stars beginning in the Spring 2010 season.15 After 6 months of negotiations and attacks, Versus and DirecTV resolve their carriage dispute and the channel is returned to the satellite provider's service—on the same package it was before the dispute began.DIRECTV and VERSUS Reach Carriage Agreement; Sports Net Returns to DIRECTV Lineup Today Market Watch March 15, 201022Monty Hall, the original and most well-known host of Let's Make a Deal, returns to the CBS game show for a full week.Monty Hall Returns to Lets Make a Deal March 22 Buzzer Blog March 9, 2010Dish Network sues DirecTV for false advertising for a series of ads themed around the classic game show To Tell the Truth comparing Dish Network and the cable television industry as 'impostors'.Dish Network sues DirecTV for false advertising Yahoo! News March 22, 201024 Cablevision partners with former sister network MSG Network to create "MSG 3D," the first dedicated 3D television network, airing a hockey game between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders.Live in 3D exclusively on MSG 3D . Official Web site. Retrieved 2010-07-05. Cablevision continues to operate the channel as a special event channel, airing portions of the 2010 Masters Tournament under the name "iO TV 1300"iO TV official Web site. Retrieved 2010-07-05. and a New York Yankees game in conjunction with rival YES Network.Watch history in the making: YES to air Yankees-Mariners LIVE in 3D July 10 and 11. YES Network press release. Retrieved 2010-07-09.29Fox Reality Channel ceases to exist and is converted into Nat Geo Wild.National Geographic Wild Official Site Some providers such as DirecTV and Mediacom, who failed to reach a carriage deal for Nat Geo Wild, continue to broadcast Fox Reality until Fox shutters the channel completely on June 30.
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