NBC

===Specials===

NBC holds the broadcast rights to several annual specials and award show telecasts, including the [[Golden Globe Award]]s and the [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s (which are rotated across all four major networks each year). Since 1953, NBC has served as the official U.S. broadcaster of the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]]. CBS also carries unauthorized coverage of the Macy's parade as part of ''The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS''; however, as NBC holds rights to the parade, it has exclusivity over the broadcast of Broadway and music performances appearing in the parade (CBS airs live performances separate from those seen in the parade as a result), and Macy's chose to reroute the parade in 2012 out of the view of CBS' cameras, although it continues to cover the parade. NBC began airing a same-day rebroadcast of the parade telecast in 2009 (replacing its annual Thanksgiving afternoon airing of ''[[Miracle on 34th Street]]''). In 2007, NBC acquired the rights to the [[National Dog Show]], which airs following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade each year.

The network also broadcasts several live-action and animated specials during the [[Christmas holiday season]], including the 2014 debuts ''[[How Murray Saved Christmas]]'' (an animated musical adaptation of the children's book of the same name) and ''[[Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas]]'' (a stop-motion animated special based on the 2003 live-action film ''[[Elf (film)|Elf]]'').

Since 2013, the network has aired live musical adaptations with major stars in lead roles. Originally dismissed as a gimmick, they have proven to be rating successes, as well as a nostalgic tribute to the early days of television. Past adaptations include:

* ''[[The Sound of Music Live!|The Sound of Music]]'' in 2013 (starring [[Carrie Underwood]] as Maria Von Trapp)
* ''[[Peter Pan Live!|Peter Pan]]'' in 2014 (starring [[Allison Williams (actress)|Allison Williams]] in the titular role and [[Christopher Walken]] as Captain Hook)
* ''[[The Wiz Live!|The Wiz]]'' in 2015 (starring [[Queen Latifah]] as the Wiz, [[Mary J. Blige]] as the Wicked Witch and [[Uzo Aduba]] as the Good Witch)
* ''[[Hairspray Live!|Hairspray]]'' in 2016 (starring [[Ariana Grande]] as Penny Pingleton, [[Jennifer Hudson]] as Motormouth Maybelle, [[Kristin Chenoweth]] as Velma von Tussle and [[Harvey Fierstein]] as Edna Turnblad, reprising his role in [[Hairspray (musical)|the original Broadway production]])
* ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert|Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' in 2018 (starring [[John Legend]] as Jesus Christ, [[Sara Bareilles]] as Mary Magdalene and [[Alice Cooper]] as King Herod)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paulson|first1=Michael|title=John Legend and the 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Cast on Faith and Musicals|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/arts/john-legend-and-the-jesus-christ-superstar-cast-on-faith-and-musicals.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 29, 2018|access-date=30 March 2018|archive-date=March 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330053845/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/arts/john-legend-and-the-jesus-christ-superstar-cast-on-faith-and-musicals.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Annie Live!]]'' in 2021 (starring [[Taraji P. Henson]] as Miss Hannigan, [[Harry Connick Jr.]] as Daddy Warbucks, [[Nicole Scherzinger]] as Grace Farrell and [[Tituss Burgess]] as Rooster Hannigan)

From 2003 to 2014, NBC also held rights to two of the three pageants organized by the [[Miss Universe Organization]]: the [[Miss Universe]] and [[Miss USA]] pageants (NBC also held rights to the [[Miss Teen USA]] pageant from 2003, when NBC also assumed rights to the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants as part of a deal brokered by Miss Universe Organization owner [[Donald Trump]] that gave the network half-ownership of the pageants,<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump moves pageants from CBS to NBC|newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]|page=2B|date=June 22, 2002}}</ref> until 2007, when NBC declined to renew its contract to carry Miss Teen USA, effectively discontinuing televised broadcasts of that event). NBCUniversal relinquished the rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA on June 29, 2015, as part of its decision to cut business ties with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization (which was half-owned by corporate parent NBCUniversal) in response to controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants made by Trump during the launch of his [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|2016 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination]].<ref name=deadline-nbcdone>{{cite web|title=NBC: Done With Donald Trump, Miss USA, Miss Universe – Update|url=https://deadline.com/2015/06/nbc-donald-trump-cancels-miss-usa-miss-universe-1201461913/|website=Deadline|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=June 29, 2015|access-date=July 1, 2015|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108125954/https://deadline.com/2015/06/nbc-donald-trump-cancels-miss-usa-miss-universe-1201461913/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Miss USA headed to Reelz after being dumped by NBC|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/02/miss-usa-reelz-donald-trump|first=Christopher|last=Rosen|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=July 2, 2015}}</ref>