The year
1998 in television involved some
significant events.Below is a list of
television-related events in
1998.
For the American TV schedule, see: 1998-99 United
States network television schedule.
Events
- March 29 - BBC America launches in the United States
.
- March 31 Sky
Scottish ceases broadcasting.
- March 31 CMT Europe
ceases broadcasting.
- April 3 The Children's Channel ceases
broadcasting in the UK after fourteen years.
- April 6 Cable and Wireless viewers see the Nordic
version of The Children's
Channel. It ceased broadcasting 6 months later.
- April 7 - ntv7 starts broadcasting in Malaysia
.
- April 9 - The Price is Right airs its 5,000th
episode on CBS.
- April 16- CITV was
supposed to air the tenth episode of ReBoot's third season. The episode was not
aired. Timmy Mallett aired
instead. ReBoot hasn't aired since.
- April 18 - Toon
Disney, a United States cable network devoted to playing Disney
cartoons 24 hours a day, launches.
- April 24 - A second special episode of
Dallas airs on CBS seven years
after the original series finished, titled Dallas: War of the
Ewings.
- May 11 - ZDTV, a technology based
cable channel (later TechTV, then G4techTV, now G4),
is launched in the US
.
- May 18 - The British Academy Television
Awards are awarded in the separate ceremony to the British Academy Film Awards for
the first time.
- May 31 - Sky
Scottish, Part of The Sky network was closed. the channel was
now Sky Sports News.
- July 15 - Zee TV, a Hindi television
channel is launched in the USA
.
- July 31 - Former child
star Gary Coleman is charged with
assaulting a young female bus driver in a California
shopping mall.
- August 31 - PAX
TV launches.
- September 23 -
BBC Choice, the UK
's first
digital-only TV station, launches. BBC Parliament also launches on the same
day.
- September 26 -
Cupid premieres on
US
television.
- October 1 - Digital satellite television launches in the
UK, operated by Sky
Digital. This sees the start of UK channels transmitting in
16:9 widescreen.
- October 2 - Kimberlin Brown makes her final contractual
appearance as the villainess Sheila
Carter on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
Brown will return for non-contractual encores to reprise the
character in 2002 and 2003.
- November 1 -
FilmFour launches in the UK
. The
opening night is simulcast on Channel 4.
- November 15 -
Digital terrestrial
television launches in the UK
, operated by
ONdigital.
- December 7 -
ITV2 launches in the UK
.
- December 14 - After a
world-record-breaking 75 consecutive victories, Ian Lygo makes his final appearance on the UK
game show 100%, after being forced to retire by
the show's producers.
Debuts
Television shows
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
- Moneyline
(1980–present)
- Entertainment
Tonight (1981-present).
- What Now (1982-present)
- Brookside, UK
(1982-2003)
- Timewatch, UK
(1982-present)
- Taggart, UK (1983-present)
- The Bill, UK
(1984–present)
- Jeopardy! (1964–1975,
1984–present)
- SportsDesk, Canada
(1984–present)
- EastEnders, UK (1985-present).
- Neighbours, Australia
(1985-present).
- The Oprah Winfrey
Show (1986-present).
- Sally
(1985-2002).
- Comic Relief
(UK) (1986-present).
- Casualty (UK)
(1986-present).
- The Bold and the
Beautiful (1987-present).
- ChuckleVision (UK)
(1987-present).
- Inspector Morse (UK)
(1987-2000).
- The American
Experience (1988-present).
- America's Most
Wanted (1988-present).
- The Ward (UK)
(1988-2000).
- Electric Circus
(Canada) (1988-2003).
- Fair City, Ireland
(1988–present)
- Les Guignols de
l'info, France (1988–present)
- Home and Away, Australia
(1988–present)
- Inside Edition
(1988–present)
- Mystery Science
Theater 3000 (1988–1999)
- Red Dwarf (UK)
(1988-1999).
- This Morning
(UK) (1988-present).
- Baywatch (1989-2001).
- COPS
(1989-present).
- The Simpsons
(1989-present).
- Hollywood Squares
(1986-2004).
1990s
- America's
Funniest Home Videos (1990–present)
- Doug (1991-1999)
- Law & Order
(1990–present)
- One Foot in the
Grave (UK) (1990–2000)
- Home Improvement
(1991–1999)
- The Jerry Springer
Show (1991–present)
- The Red Green Show
(1991–2006)
- Rugrats (1991–2004)
- Barney &
Friends (1992-present).
- Dateline NBC
(1992-present).
- Mad About You
(1992-1999).
- The Real World
(1992-present).
- Frasier (1993-2004).
- Iron Chef, Japan
(1993–1999)
- NYPD Blue (1993–2005)
- Homicide: Life on
the Street (1993–1999)
- Late Night with
Conan O'Brien (1993–2009)
- The Late Show
with David Letterman (1993–present)
- The Nanny
(1993–1999)
- Ricki Lake
(1993–2004)
- Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine (1993–1999)
- Walker, Texas
Ranger (1993–2001)
- WWF RAW Is War/WWF War Zone
(1993-present).
- The X-Files
(1993-2002).
- All That (1994-2005)
- ER (1994–2009)
- Friends (1994–2004)
- Inside the Actors
Studio (1994–present)
- Time Team, UK
(1994–present)
- Touched by an Angel
(1994-2003).
- The Drew Carey Show
(1995-2004).
- JAG (1995–2005)
- Modern Marvels
(1995–present)
- Pamela Wallin Live,
Canada (1995-1999).
- Pokémon, Japan/US
(1997,1998-present).
- Sesame Park (Canada)
(1995-2002).
- Sliders (1995-2000).
- Star Trek: Voyager
(1995-2001).
- WCW Monday Nitro
(1995-2001)
- 7th Heaven (1996–2007)
- Access Hollywood
(1996-present)
- Après Match, Ireland
(1996–present)
- Arthur
(1996-present)
- Dexter's Laboratory
(1996-2003).
- Everybody Loves
Raymond (1996-2005)
- Hannity &
Colmes (1996–2009)
- Angry Beavers
(1997-2001).
- KaBlam! (1995-2000)
- Hey Arnold!
(1996-2004).
- Judge Judy
(1996-present).
- Nash Bridges
(1996-2001).
- Spin City (1996-2002).
- The Daily Show
(1996-present).
- 100% (UK) (1997-2001).
- Buffy the
Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
- Y Clwb Rygbi, Wales
(1997–present)
- Cow and Chicken
(1997–1999)
- The Crocodile
Hunter (1997–2004)
- Daria (1997-2001).
- Dharma & Greg
(1997-2002).
- Disney's One
Saturday Morning (1997-2001).
- Dream Team, UK
(1997–2007)
- Family Affairs, UK
(1997-2005).
- I Am Weasel
(1997-1999).
- Johnny Bravo
(1997-2003).
- Just Shoot Me!
(1997-2003).
- King of the Hill
(1997-2006).
- La Femme
Nikita (1997-2001).
- Port Charles
(1997-2003).
- South Park
(1997-present).
- Stargate SG-1
(1997-present).
- Sunset Beach
(1997-1999).
- The Practice
(1997-2004)
- Teletubbies (UK)
(1997-2001).
- Match Game (1962-1969,
1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999).
- 3rd Rock from the
Sun (1996-2001).
Ending this year
Returning this year
Changes of network affiliation
Deaths
- January 21 - Jack Lord, 77, star of Hawaii Five-O.
- February 19 - Grandpa Jones, 84, star of Hee Haw, comedian and
musician.
- February 28 - Dermot Morgan, 45, star of Father Ted.
- May 28 - Phil
Hartman, 49, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live,
The Simpsons, Newsradio), shot by his wife in a
murder/suicide.
- September 23 - Mary Frann, 55,
actress (Joanna on Newhart).
- September 28 - Eric Malling, 52, Canadian television
journalist.
- October 17 - Joan Hickson, 92, actress, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.
- November 17 - Esther Rolle, 78, actress (Florida on
Maude and Good Times).
- Dick O'Neill, 70, recurring actor
(Family Matters, Home Improvement)
- December 6 - Michael Zaslow, 56, actor (Roger Thorpe, Guiding
Light)
- December 22 - Michelle Thomas, 30, actress (Myra on
Family Matters,
Justine on The Cosby
Show).
- December 28 - Richard Paul, 58, American actor (Carter Country, Match Game)