June 25, 1951: The first-ever commercial network television broadcast in color took place in the United States through the CBS field-sequential color television system. This historic event featured a musical variety special called “Premiere” and was aired on a network of five CBS affiliates on the East Coast.

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CBS Produces the First Commercial Color Television Broadcast in the United States

The first commercial network television broadcast in color in the United States occurred over the CBS field-sequential color television system on June 25, 1951, when a musical variety special titled Premiere was shown over a network of five East Coast CBS affiliates. Viewing was highly restricted as the program could not be seen on black-and-white sets, and Variety estimated that only thirty prototype color receivers were available in the New York area. Regular CBS color broadcasts began the next day with the daytime series The World Is Yours and Modern Homemakers  starting on June 27.