Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Changing Networks After More Than 50 Years

After more than half a century, a holiday classic is headed home. The beloved Rankin/Bass Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is leaving CBS and going back to NBC. The telecast is scheduled to air Friday, December 6th at 8 p.m. ET — a date that just so happens to be the exact same date it first aired on NBC as part of the network’s “General Electric Fantasy Hour” in 1964. According to Vulture, the move is the result of a new, multiyear licensing deal with NBC acquiring the rights to the Rankin/Bass specials.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ran each holiday from 1964 to 1971 on NBC before making the move to CBS where it has been since 1972 as part of the network’s annual holiday programming. In the move back to NBC, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is getting an airing of the extended, 75-minute telecast. It will also get an encore airing on December 11th. Interestingly, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer isn’t the only beloved holiday special to be moving to NBC. Rankin/Bass’s Frosty the Snowman is also leaving CBS and heading to NBC, debuting Thursday, December 5th at 8:30 p.m. with an encore on December 12th at 8 p.m. Unlike Rudolph, Frosty debuted on CBS in 1969 so the move to NBC will mark the first time the iconic special has aired on any other network. These moves leave just one classic Rankin/Bass holiday special, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, with that special airing on ABC on Tuesday, December 3rd at 9 p.m. ET.

The loss of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman are the latest losses for CBS when it comes to Christmas programming. Back in 2001, CBS lost A Charlie Brown Christmas as well as other Peanuts specials, which moved to ABC at that time. ABC then lost the programs in 2020 when they moved to Apple TV+. CBS does still have at least one vintage holiday program, however: 1966’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer follows the story, as narrated by the Burl Ives-voiced Sam the Snowman, of Rudolph, one of Santa’s reindeer who is mercilessly teased and mocked by the rest of the reindeer community for his unique red and glowing nose. Rudolph isn’t the only misfit in the special as he befriends the elf Hermey who doesn’t want to be an elf at all but has dreams of being a dentist as well as prospector Yukon Cornelius. The beloved Rankin/Bass adaptation is the best-known version of the iconic reindeer’s story who first appeared in 1939 in a booklet written by Robert L. May and published by department store Montgomery Ward.

Can You Stream Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

While Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman both are moving networks, you still won’t be able to catch the classics on streaming. NBC reportedly does not have streaming rights for the specials, though viewers with cable log-ins will be able to catch both Rudolph and Frosty as part of Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas. Both programs are scheduled for that event on December 7th with multiple re-broadcasts.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer returns to NBC on Friday, December 6^th.