1968 in television

See also:

Events

• April 4 - James Brown appears on national television, in an attempt to calm feelings of anger in the United States following the assassination of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.
• April 8 - British singer Petula Clark appears on a US television special on NBC with Harry Belafonte as a guest. An innocent, affectionate gesture between the two during a song (Clark touched Belafonte on the arm) prompts concern from the show's sponsor (Plymouth Motors) due to the difference in their races, but the scene is aired intact at Clark's insistence. The special airs to high ratings and marks the first time two different races share friendly bodily contact on American television.
• May 4 - Mary Hopkin performs on the British TV show Opportunity Knocks. Hopkins catches the attention of model Twiggy, who recommends her to Beatle Paul McCartney. McCartney would soon sign Hopkin to Apple Records.
• October 14 - First live network transmission of video from inside a manned US space capsule in orbit ("Apollo 7") There were six such broadcasts during their eleven-day mission.
• October 21-25 - Joan Crawford makes a guest appearance for five episodes on the soap opera The Secret Storm, filling in for her ailing daughter, Christina. However, Joan slurs her lines and is obviously intoxicated during the live broadcast.
• December 3 - Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special airs on NBC.
• Rosemary Prinz, one of the first big soap opera stars, leaves As the World Turns in a less-than-amicable departure.
• CBS uses a portable minicam for political convention coverage.
• Nearly 200 million households now own television sets, (78 million of which are in the US).