| Date | Event |
| January 1 |
The Biography Channel, a spinoff of A&E Network, launches. |
| DIY Network, a spinoff of Home and Garden Television, launches. |
| January 6 |
Bob Newhart receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. |
| January 11 |
Jon Stewart debuts as host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, replacing Craig Kilborn who moves to CBS to succeed Tom Snyder as host of The Late Late Show. |
| February 1 |
Prevue Channel re-brands as TV Guide Channel while HBO Family, HBO's third multiplex channel, is launch with the premiere of Anthony Ant and Crashbox. |
| February 2 |
Noggin debuts. |
| March 1 |
Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids debuts. |
| March 26 |
Tom Snyder's last show on CBS' The Late Late Show. The following Monday, Craig Kilborn, late of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, takes his place as the show's host. |
| April 12 |
NBC announces the cancellation of its long-running daytime drama Another World after years of declining ratings (a new serial, Passions, replaces AW on July 5). |
| May 21 |
Susan Lucci receives a Daytime Emmy Award for her role as Erica Kane on the ABC soap opera All My Children, after eighteen failed nominations during previous years. The ceremony is telecast live on CBS. |
| June 11 |
Cartoon Cartoon Fridays premieres on Cartoon Network. |
| June 12 |
Esquire Network debuts as the Style Network. |
| July 18 |
The Simpsons actor Hank Azaria marries actress Helen Hunt. The couple would file for divorce over a year later. |
| August 2 |
Discovery Health Channel, one of the Discovery digital networks, debuts. |
| August 30 |
Countess Vaughn leaves the cast of Moesha to star in her own television spin-off The Parkers with Mo'Nique, making her the first female African-American comedian to receive a spin-off. |
| September 6 |
A big day for children's television: On PBS, PTV is completely re-branded as PBS Kids with new idents, bumpers, and promos, whilst on UPN, a new weekly block called Disney's One Too debuts, a spinoff of ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning. |
| In Schenectady, New York, PBS member station WMHQ is relaunched as WEWB-TV, a commercial broadcast station affiliated with The WB Television Network (the Capital District's first affiliate of that network). |
| September 12 |
The 51st Primetime Emmy Awards presentation aired on Fox. |
| September 13 |
Discovery Military, one of the Discovery digital networks, debuts. |
| September 20 |
After a four-year hiatus, Family Feud resumes with a new host, Louie Anderson, a new set and a new theme. |
| After four years, WGN's superstation feed drops programming from The WB and Kids' WB at the request of the network. The network's programs are replaced by movie, sports from Chicago's sporting teams and other broadcasts. |
| October 1 |
The infamous "YOU FOOL!" episode of Hollywood Squares airs. |
| November 19 |
John Carpenter becomes the first player on ABC's game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to win $1,000,000. |
| December 17 |
10th anniversary of the first half-hour episode of Fox's The Simpsons. |
| December 31 |
ABC participates in the global broadcast 2000 Today with ABC 2000 Today. Peter Jennings anchors ABC's broadcast of the special from New York City, joined later by Dick Clark who hosts the countdown in Times Square. |