Omnibus (broadcast)

Omnibus (broadcast)

An omnibus (or omnibus edition) is a compilation of daily television or radio episodes that is re-broadcast during the following weekend. The term has been most frequently used in the United Kingdom, though it has also been used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. An omnibus is sometimes referred to as a marathon in other countries.

Brookside was the first television soap to have what was called an omnibus edition, in 1991; it continued until the series ended in 2003. EastEnders introduced the equivalent of an omnibus edition starting in the 1980s, but the term "omnibus" was not used until the 1990s.

United Kingdom

Programs that are or have been transmitted in omnibus format in Britain include:

Television:

Programme Years Channel(s)
Brookside 19912003 Channel 4
Coronation Street until 2000
2000present
2006present
ITV (regionally),
ITV2,
ITV Network (ITV1, STV, UTV)
Doctor Who 1970s, 1980s BBC One
EastEnders 19851994,
1994present
BBC One
Emmerdale until 2000
2000present
2004present
ITV (regionally),
ITV2,
ITV3
Family Affairs 19972002 Five
Hollyoaks 1996present,
2001present
Channel 4 (part of T4),
E4
Home and Away 19992000,
1999-2002,
2001present,
2006present
ITV2,
UK Living,
Five,
Fiver
Knots Landing 19921999 UK Gold
Neighbours 19932001,
2008present,
UK Gold,
Five, Fiver
River City 2002present BBC One Scotland

Radio:

Internet:

Other countries

Marathons

SoapNet in the United States also utilizes the omnibus format for weekend re-airings of their major soap operas; however the term used in that case is marathon (the more common term for omnibus used by North American broadcasters), and the network's dependence on weekend full-week replays of their series has waned as the network has begun to air original and other acquired programming