Battle of the Network Stars

Battle of the Network Stars was a television special featuring competitions among teams of popular television performers representing the three major broadcast networks at that time: ABC, CBS, and NBC. The first Battle was broadcast on ABC starting in November 1976, with subsequent episodes airing approximately every six months until May 1985. It returned to the air for a final show in December 1988. It consisted of a two-hour sequence of physical challenges, which were real and sometimes even aggressively competitive. Sports broadcasting legend Howard Cosell hosted or co-hosted almost all of the specials, and commented on the action with a semi-serious version of the style for which he was famous.