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The year 1949 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1949.

Events

• January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC.
• January 11 – A two-hour special on all American networks celebrates the linking of the eastern and midwestern networks via coaxial cable.
• January 31 – The first Emmy Awards are presented and broadcast on television from Los Angeles.
• May – The first telethon, benefitting the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, is hosted by Milton Berle and lasts for 24 hours.
• August 25 – RCA announces the development of a compatible color TV system.
• December 17 – The Sutton Coldfield television transmitter is opened in the English Midlands, making it the first part of the UK outside London to receive BBC Television.
• December 29 – KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut becomes the first Ultra high frequency (UHF) television station to operate a daily schedule.
• First television broadcasts begin in Cuba.
• For the first time, the Sears & Roebuck catalog includes televisions.

Debuts

• January 17 – The Goldbergs, a sitcom, debuts on CBS (1949–1955).
• June 27 – Captain Video and His Video Rangers, apparently the first science fiction series on television, debuts.
• September 29 – Come Dancing, a ballroom dancing competition, is first broadcast by the BBC (1949–1995).
• Martin Kane, Private Eye premieres on NBC, becoming the first detective series on television (1949–1954).
• The Voice of Firestone premieres (1949–1963).
• Bozo the Clown premieres (1949–present).
• The Lone Ranger premieres (1949–1957).

Television shows

Ending this year

• Missus Goes A-Shopping (1944–1949).
• Starlight (UK) (1936–1939; 1946–1949).
• Television Screen Magazine (1946–1949).
• Musical Merry-Go-Round (1947–1949).
• Americana (1947–1949).
• Birthday Party (1947–1949).
• Charade Quiz (1947–1949).
• Doorway to Fame (1947–1949).
• The Adventures of Oky Doky (1948–1949).
• Amanda (1948–1949).
• The Bigelow Show (1948–1949).
• Champagne and Orchids (1948–1949).
• Child's World (1948–1949).

Changes of Network Affiliation

Births

• January 10 – Teresa Graves, actress, comedian (d. 2002)
• January 13 – Brandon Tartikoff, television executive (d. 1997)
• January 17 – Andy Kaufman, actor and performance artist (d. 1984)
• January 24 – John Belushi, actor, Saturday Night Live (d. 1982)
• February 2 – Brent Spiner, actor
• February 9 – Judith Light, actress
• March 16 – Erik Estrada, actor, CHiPs
• March 17 – Patrick Duffy, actor, Dallas
• March 26 – Vicki Lawrence, actress, comedian The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, etc.
• June 22 – Meryl Streep, actress
• July 3 – Jan Smithers, actress, WKRP in Cincinnati
• August 23 – Shelley Long, actress
• August 31 – Richard Gere, actor
• September 3 – James Marcus, UK actor
• September 10 – Bill O'Reilly, political commentator
• September 16 – Ed Begley, Jr., actor
• September 23 – Bruce Springsteen, singer
• October 6 – Les Moonves, head of CBS
• November 6 – Arturo Sandoval, songwriter
  • Nigel Havers, UK actor
• November 28 – Paul Shaffer, bandleader, The Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers, etc.
• December 15 – Don Johnson, US actor Miami Vice