NBC will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026, and it’s planning an on-air party to mark the occasion.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler — both of whom have new projects at NBCUniversal — announced the special Monday at NBCU’s upfront presentation to advertisers. Details are scant at the moment, but the pair said it will feature past and current stars from the network and musical performances.
“And because NBC is twice as old as SNL, [the special] will be twice as long — six hours,” Fey joked on stage, referring to the three-hour Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special in February.
NBC was formed in 1926 as a radio network, making it the oldest commercial broadcasting network in the United States (CBS followed a year later). Its first TV broadcasts came in the early 1940s, and Meet the Press — the longest-running show in American TV history — premiered in 1947. Morning show Today and late-night staple The Tonight Show have been on the air since the 1950s.
Late Night host Seth Meyers also mentioned the 100th anniversary during his joke-filled appearance on the upfront stage Monday. “NBC is 100 years old — that’s something you can really sell the 18- to 49-year-old demo, right?”
NBC also announced its schedule for the 2025-26 season ahead of Monday’s upfront presentation and touted the return of the NBA to the network — including adding Michael Jordan as a contributor to NBC’s coverage.
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