The year 1998 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.
For the American TV schedule, see: 1998-99 United States network television schedule.
Events
- March 29 - BBC America launches in the United States.
- April 9 - The Price is Right airs its 5,000th episode on CBS.
- April 16- CITV was supposed to air the tenth episode of ReBoot's third season. The episode was not aired. Timmy Mallet aired instead. ReBoot hasn't aired since.
- April 18 - Toon Disney, a United States cable network devoted to playing Disney cartoons 24 hours a day, launches.
- 24 April Follwing brillant ratings from the first reunion. Cbs order a second reunion movie for dallas. And all the cast members return from the first movie and steve kanaly reprise his role as ray krebbs. The movie is entitled war of the ewings and this movie will invole the fight for ewing oil will JR get it ?
- May 11 - ZDTV, a technology based cable channel (later TechTV, then G4techTV, now G4), is launched in the US.
- May 18 - The British Academy Television Awards are awarded in the separate ceremony to the British Academy Film Awards for the first time.
- July 15 - Zee TV, a Hindi television channel is launched in the USA.
- July 31 - Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver in a California shopping mall.
- August 31 - PAX TV launches, with very little or no sex, gay or other adult things.
- September 23 - BBC Choice, the UK's first digital-only TV station, launches. BBC Parliament also launches on the same day.
- September 26 - Cupid premieres on US television.
- October 1 - Digital satellite television launches in the UK, operated by Sky Digital. This sees the start of UK channels transmitting in 16:9 widescreen.
- October 2 - Kimberlin Brown makes her final contractual appearance as the villainess Sheila Carter on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Brown will return for non-contractual encores to reprise the character in 2002 and 2003.
- November 1 - FilmFour launches in the UK. The opening night is simulcast on Channel 4.
- November 15 - Digital terrestrial television launches in the UK, operated by ONdigital.
- December 7 - ITV2 launches in the UK.
- December 14 - After a world-record-breaking 75 consecutive victories, Ian Lygo makes his final appearance on the UK game show 100%, after being forced to retire by the show's producers.
Debuts
Television shows
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Ending this year
Changes of network affiliation
Deaths
- January 21 - Jack Lord, 77, star of Hawaii Five-O.
- February 19 - Grandpa Jones, 84, star of Hee Haw, comedian and musician.
- February 28 - Dermot Morgan, 45, star of Father Ted.
- May 28 - Phil Hartman, 49, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Newsradio), shot by his wife in a murder/suicide.
- September 23 - Mary Frann, 55, actress (Joanna on Newhart).
- September 28 - Eric Malling, 52, Canadian television journalist.
- October 17 - Joan Hickson, 92, actress, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.
- November 17 - Esther Rolle, 78, actress (Florida on Maude and Good Times).
- Dick O'Neill, 70, recurring actor (Family Matters, Home Improvement)
- December 6 - Michael Zaslow, 56, actor (Roger Thorpe, Guiding Light)
- December 22 - Michelle Thomas, 29, actress (Myra on Family Matters, Justine on The Cosby Show).
- December 28 - Richard Paul, 58, American actor (Carter Country, Match Game)
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