Question about the '68 NBC TV SPECIAL outside the USA

[Raised on Rock]

Hello everybody, as we know, tomorrow is the day an NBC TV Special called simply ELVIS originally aired in the United States, getting the highest ratings. We know what that meant to Elvis carreer, and its significance in rock and popular music history.

We know from other threads the fascinating stories of fans been there watching Elvis that night, and the peoples reactions next day after some 3 or 4 years of Elvis slowingly loosing his credibility.

But, I've always wonder, how and when that TV special got to be aired or exposed in other countries appart from the US? As we know, back in '68 there was no cable tv in the way we do today, when a TV show can have a worldwide premier. Some 5 years latter Aloha From Hawaii pionered on that area but not the '68 TV special.

So fans from Canada, Latinamerica, Europe, Asia, Australia, how and when did the '68 comback special got to be seen in your countries for the very first time?

[cibetty]

I don't know if it was shown earlier here, in my country, but I saw it first on TV in 1992.

[rogerM]

In Sweden the program was showned sunday 22 march 1970 (8.40 pm).
In Norway it aired friday 22 may 1970.

[Joe Car]

Hello everybody, as we know, tomorrow is the day an NBC TV Special called simply ELVIS originally aired in the United States, getting the highest ratings. We know what that meant to Elvis carreer, and its significance in rock and popular music history.

We know from other threads the fascinating stories of fans been there watching Elvis that night, and the peoples reactions next day after some 3 or 4 years of Elvis slowingly loosing his credibility.

But, I've always wonder, how and when that TV special got to be aired or exposed in other countries appart from the US? As we know, back in '68 there was no cable tv in the way we do today, when a TV show can have a worldwide airing, or do air in other countries only with a weeks or so of delay. Some 5 years latter Aloha From Hawaii pionered on that area but not the '68 TV special.

So fans from Canada, Latinamerica, Europe, Asia, Australia, how and when did the '68 comback special got to be known in your countries back then?

Not sure of the answer to your question, but love the iconic clip you posted!

[Raised on Rock]

Not sure of the answer to your question, but love the iconic clip you posted!

Me neither, guess the BBC aired the special weeks or months later in the UK didn't they? Anyone from Britain knows that?

Yes Joe, that's THE clip.

But still wondering, how many people outside the States did watched it back then?

[Raised on Rock]

In Sweden the program was showned sunday 22 march 1970 (8.40 pm).
In Norway it aired friday 22 may 1970.

Thanks for sharing RogerM! This is exactly the kind of info Im looking for.

[T_J]

In Britain, the special was aired for the first time on 31 December 1969. I believe a copy had been secured by the fan club prior to that though for a convention, so some of the diehard fans had seen it earlier.

[rogerM]

Denmark 27 december 1969
Belgium 10 january 1970

[monk37]

Canada, in 1968, had only one national broadcaster - the rest of the channels were American content

so, it would have played here the same as in the US.

We have more broadcasters now, but most of the content is American programming - with some channels also having British programming.

[Raised on Rock]

Denmark 27 december 1969
Belgium 10 january 1970

Thanks again. This is interesting.

[Raised on Rock]

Well here in Mexico the program aired until summer '69, and it was the edit with Blue Christmas, it seemed weird for mid summer, but most people knew it was a delayed airing. It was not the edit with Tiger Man instead, the same that re-aired in the US a bit earlier that same summer. (We didn't got to see the Tiger Man segment until Mid '77, a reairing of the show for, well you know what sad reason. Oddly, the '77 CBS special never aired in Mexico. The Aloha as we know was another exiting story).

Yet, same as T_J said about Britain, some fans got a copy of the '68 TV Special, an it was shown two times in underground fashion via an Elvis fan club early '69. It happened that a guy with big influence in Mexican TV and Radio networks was part of the club, and leaked a copy twice before the national mexican airing that summer.

On the other hand, the If I Can Dream segment did was shown inmediately after the U.S. airing, that in a Mexican tv show called: Variedades Musicales (Musical Variety) which was a show about current musical TV moments from diffirent popular shows in the U.S.

If I Can Dream was believe it or not, Elvis first appearence on Mexican TV. Back in the 50's deals between Mexican TV broadcasting and US TV broadcasting where limited, so we never got to see Elvis 50's TV appearences over here on TV, we first saw Elvis back in the 50's via cinemas, on the newsreels before the movie showing clips of the new singer, probably segments of the Stage SHows or Ed Sullivan, but not the whole thing, and then finally Love Me Tender was premiered here in late '56.

Wonder if in other countries, the '68 comback was also Elvis first TV appearence.