<P> Although all - electronic color was introduced in the U.S. in 1953 , high prices and the scarcity of color programming greatly slowed its acceptance in the marketplace . The first national color broadcast ( the 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade ) occurred on January 1 , 1954 , but over the next dozen years most network broadcasts , and nearly all local programming , continued to be in black - and - white . In 1956 NBC 's The Perry Como Show became the first live network television series to present a majority of episodes in color . CBS 's The Big Record , starring pop vocalist Patti Page , was the first television show broadcast in color for the entire 1957 - 1958 season ; its production costs were greater than most movies were at the time not only because of all the stars featured on the hour - long extravaganza but the extremely high - intensity lighting and electronics required for the new RCA TK - 41 cameras . It was not until the mid-1960s that color sets started selling in large numbers , due in part to the color transition of 1965 in which it was announced that over half of all network prime - time programming would be broadcast in color that autumn . The first all - color prime - time season came just one year later . </P>
<P> Although all - electronic color was introduced in the U.S. in 1953 , high prices and the scarcity of color programming greatly slowed its acceptance in the marketplace . The first national color broadcast ( the 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade ) occurred on January 1 , 1954 , but over the next dozen years most network broadcasts , and nearly all local programming , continued to be in black - and - white . In 1956 NBC 's The Perry Como Show became the first live network television series to present a majority of episodes in color . CBS 's The Big Record , starring pop vocalist Patti Page , was the first television show broadcast in color for the entire 1957 - 1958 season ; its production costs were greater than most movies were at the time not only because of all the stars featured on the hour - long extravaganza but the extremely high - intensity lighting and electronics required for the new RCA TK - 41 cameras . It was not until the mid-1960s that color sets started selling in large numbers , due in part to the color transition of 1965 in which it was announced that over half of all network prime - time programming would be broadcast in color that autumn . The first all - color prime - time season came just one year later . </P>
when did color tv come out in us
when did color tv come out in us
in 1953
in 1953