When did the 1977 film “Star Wars” first air on American TV (broadcast or cable)?
Beginning in September of 1982, Star Wars was shown on pay-per-view “subscription services” scattered throughout the country, despite the fact that only half a million households were wired for pay-per-view . HBO showed the film during the winter of 1983 and was disappointed at the lack of interest, due to the earlier pay-per-view showings and the film’s release on video cassette. Star Wars failed to rank amongst HBO’s top ten most popular films . By the time CBS got around to airing Star Wars for the first time on network television, the film had not only been shown on pay-per-view and cable and issued on video, it had also been re-released in theaters several times. CBS scheduled Star Wars on Sunday, February 26th, from 8:00PM to 11:00PM, with a 22-minute “making of” feature to help fill the three hours.
