When Is ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ on TV This Year?
What To Know
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will air on NBC on December 5, 2025, at 8:00pm ET, with an encore on December 11, and multiple additional showings on Freeform throughout December.
- The classic special, which originally premiered in 1964, moved from CBS to NBC in 2024 after CBS lost the broadcast rights, reuniting it with its original network home.
- CBS has replaced Rudolph in its holiday lineup with other festive programming, including special episodes of popular shows and a Seinfeld anniversary special.
If you’re like me, there is something so special about rewatching the nostalgic Rankin/Bass specials during the holidays — especially the stop-motion classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which first premiered on December 6, 1964, as part of the General Electric Fantasy Hour on NBC. This year, the beloved special will air on Thursday, December 5, 2025, from 8:00 to 9:15pm ET on NBC, with an encore presentation on Wednesday, December 11, at 8:00pm.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will also air on Freeform on December 6 at 9:10pm, December 7 at 3:30pm, December 18 at 8:15pm, December 19 at 4:10pm, December 21 at 5:45pm, December 22 at 1:35pm, December 24 at 8:15pm and December 25 at 5pm.
Rick Goldschmidt Archives/Miser Bros. Press
The film told the story of a misfit reindeer whose shiny nose helped save Christmas and taught generations about the beauty of being different.
For over half a century, Rudolph called CBS home. It aired there annually from 1972 through 2023, becoming a holiday mainstay for millions of viewers. But after CBS lost the broadcast rights in 2023, NBC stepped back in as the new home of both Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. The move reunited the two Rankin/Bass favorites with the network that originally introduced them to the world. If you’re ready to watch one of them now, Frosty the Snowman is already available on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.
CBS, meanwhile, has filled its holiday schedule with other festive programming this year. Fans will see special episodes of Ghosts, The Neighborhood and Matlock, along with a Seinfeld 30th-anniversary special, a PAW Patrol Christmas special and a re-broadcast of Reindeer in Here.
Which holiday special are you most looking forward to watching this year with your family?
Remind 
PUZZLER: Holiday Movies
December 2022
Enjoy hours of fun as you puzzle along to all these holiday classics. The issue is packed with trivia, crosswords, word finds, Sudoku, scrambles, criss crosses and more!
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