Color television made its debut in the early 1950s, with U.S. manufacturers beginning mass production of color sets around 1953. However, high prices and a lack of color programming meant adoption was slow at first.The transition to color broadcasting unfolded gradually across the globe. The United States and Japan led the way during the 1960s and ’70s, while much of Europe followed at a slower pace. In parts of the Soviet Bloc, black-and-white broadcasts remained the norm well into the late 198

While the first-ever color TV broadcast aired in 1951, color television didn’t truly take off until the early 1970s. For years, high costs and limited programming kept most households watching in black and white. But as prices dropped and networks embraced color, the transition became inevitable. By 1972, color TVs were outselling black-and-white models, marking a turning point in television history. Stations across the world adopted clever ways to switch from black and white to color, making th