‘From Maspero’ Opens in Black and White to Mark 50 Years of Colour TV in Egypt

The Egyptian television programme “From Maspero” surprised viewers by opening its episode in black and white to mark 50 years since the country’s first colour television broadcast.

The anniversary recalls the introduction of colour broadcasting on Egyptian television in 1976, following 16 years of black-and-white transmissions.

The monochrome opening offered a visual link to that earlier era, using the screen itself to introduce the milestone rather than beginning with a conventional anniversary presentation.

The shift to colour marked a new chapter for Egyptian television. Half a century later, “From Maspero” revisited that change by briefly returning audiences to the look of the broadcasts that preceded it.