See also: 1962 in television, other events of 1963, 1964 in television and the list of years in television.

For the American network television schedule, please see 1963-64 American network television schedule.

Events

• January 13 - BBC Television broadcasts the play The Madhouse on Castle Street in the Sunday-Night Theatre strand. The play co-stars a young American folk music singer named Bob Dylan.
• April 1 - German terrestrial channel ZDF (pronounced tseh-deh-ehf) began broadcasting.
• May 15 - First television pictures transmitted from a US manned space capsule ("Faith 7"). Due to the poor picture quality, only NBC carries the transmission, and on tape-delay, not live.
• September 2 - CBS Evening News becomes network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
• September 9 - NBC also expands its evening network news program to 30 minutes.
• September 30 - BBC Television begins using a globe as their symbol. They would continue to use it in varying forms until 2002.
• November 22 - All three major U.S. networks start pre-emptions for a week following the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination. The pre-emptions unofficially begin a few minutes after Kennedy was shot; on the top-rated American soap opera As the World Turns, Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner) was in the middle of a discussion with Grandpa (Santos Ortega) about Bob's (Don Hastings) decision to invite Lisa (Eileen Fulton) to Thanksgiving dinner. Walter Cronkite interrupted Wagner mid-speech to deliver the bulletin. As the World Turns continued for one more scene (at that time, the show was transmitted live) before Cronkite cut in permanently.
• November 23 - That Was The Week That Was broadcasts its famous, non-satirical Kennedy tribute episode on the BBC.
• November 24 - Jack Ruby murders John F. Kennedy's suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald live on television.
• For the first time, most Americans say that they get more of their news from television than newspapers.
• The television remote control is authorized by the FCC.

Debuts

• January 1 - Astro Boy (known as Mighty Atom in Japanese), Japan's first anime, was launched.
• April 1 - General Hospital (created by Frank and Doris Hursley) and The Doctors premiere on the same day, the former on ABC (1963-present) and later on NBC (1963-1982).
• September 16 - The Outer Limits premieres on ABC (1963-1965).
• September 24 - Petticoat Junction premieres on CBS (1963-1970).
• September 29 - The Judy Garland Show premieres on CBS (1963-1964).
• August 9 - Ready Steady Go! premieres on ITV (1963-1966).
• November 23 - Doctor Who premieres on BBC Television (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
• The Littlest Hobo premieres in Canada (1963-1965; 1979-1985).

Television shows

1940s

• Meet the Press (1947-present).
• Candid Camera (1948-present).
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971).
• Bozo the Clown (1949-present).
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949-1995).

1950s

• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
• What's My Line (1950-1967).
• Love of Life (1951-1980).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
• American Bandstand (1952-1989).
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).
• The Guiding Light (1952-present).
• The Honeymooners (1952-1970).
• The Today Show (1952-present).
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
• Face the Nation (1954-present).
• The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967).
• The Secret Storm (1954-1974).
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962-1992).
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964).
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982).
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
• Armchair Theatre (1956-1968).
• As the World Turns (1956-present).
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
• The Edge of Night (1956-1984).
• The Price Is Right (1956-1965).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-present).
• The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966).
• Bonanza (1959-1973).
• Juke Box Jury (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990).
• The Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1968).
• The Twilight Zone (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002).

1960s

• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
• My Three Sons (1960-1972).
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
• The Flintstones (1960-1966).
• Ben Casey (1961-1966).
• Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
• It's Academic (1961-present).
• Mister Ed (1961-1966).
• The Avengers (UK) (1961-1969).
• The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966).
• The Fulton Sheen Program (1961-1968).
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1981).
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969).
• Match Game (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999).
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971).
• The Jetsons (1962-1963, 1984-1985, 1987).
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
• The Lucy Show (1962-1968).
• The Saint (UK) (1962-1969).
• Z-Cars (UK) (1962-1978).

Ending this year

• May - Empire (1962-1963).
• May - The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963).
• June 20 - Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963).
• September 10 - Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963).

Births

• May 8 - Stella Gonet, actress.
• May 28 - Michelle Collins, actress.
• May 29 - Lisa Whelchel, actress.
• June 15 - Helen Hunt, actress.
• July 30 - Lisa Kudrow, actress, Friends.
• November 21 - Nicollette Sheridan, actress.
• November 24 - Lisa Maxwell, actress.

1963 | Years in television

1963 à la télévision | TV-året 1963