What does colourcast mean?
A colourcast is a television or radio programme that is transmitted in colour. The term emerged in the mid-twentieth century, when broadcasters were transitioning from black-and-white to colour transmission and the novelty of colour warranted its own label. In British usage it is spelled colourcast, while American publications generally use colorcast. Because colour broadcasting quickly became universal, the word now carries a distinctly historical flavour: it turns up most often in accounts of broadcasting milestones, such as the first colourcast of a royal wedding, a sporting final, or a major news event. Writers use it both literally, for early colour transmissions, and occasionally figuratively, evoking the vividness associated with colour television. For readers interested in media history, it captures a specific technological moment when seeing a familiar programme burst into colour was itself remarkable.
nounA television or radio programme transmitted in colour, especially one broadcast in colour rather than black-and-white.
- A television or radio programme transmitted in colour.
"The network's first live colourcast of the ceremony drew millions of viewers."
"The BBC's Wimbledon coverage became a landmark colourcast in 1967."
"Historians studied early colourcasts to trace how advertisers adapted to the new medium."
Standard plural; takes regular -s.
"The archive preserves hundreds of colourcasts from the network's early colour era."
Before the 1960s, most viewers had never seen a live event in colour — the first colourcasts were cultural events as momentous as the broadcasts themselves.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of colourcast
Colourcast combines 'colour', from Latin 'color' via Old French 'colour', with 'cast', in the broadcasting sense of transmitting a signal, which derives from Old Norse 'kasta' meaning to throw. The compound was formed during the twentieth century alongside similar coinages such as 'broadcast' and 'newscast'. Its British spelling with '-our' reflects standard UK orthography; American usage prefers 'colorcast'.
How colourcast is actually used
The spelling 'colourcast' follows British conventions; American sources typically write 'colorcast'. The word is somewhat dated, tied to the era when colour transmission was novel and noteworthy; today it appears mostly in media history contexts.
Easily confused with colourcast
A colour cast is an unwanted tint over a photograph or image caused by lighting or film imbalance, whereas a colourcast is a television programme transmitted in colour.