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 similar to, but distinct from, what is called a marathon in other countries. In an omnibus, individual episodes are edited together into a single programme, whereas in a marathon the episodes are aired separately but in sequence.

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	1991–2003	Channel 4
Coronation Street	2006–present	ITV2
Doctor Who	2015	BBC One
EastEnders	1994–2015	BBC One
Emmerdale	2000-present 2004–present	ITV2, ITV3
Hollyoaks	1996–present, 2001–present	Channel 4 (part of T4), E4
Home and Away	1999–2000, 1999-2002, 2001–2005, 2006–present 2015	ITV2, UK Living, Channel 5, 5* Viva (UK and Ireland)
Neighbours	1993–2001, 2008–present, 2015	UK Gold, 5*, Viva (UK and Ireland)

Radio:

• The Archers

Internet:

• EastEnders: E20 (January 2010 on BBC Red Button and BBC iPlayer, April 2010–present on BBC Three)

Other countries

• The Bill (from 1987-1999 on ABC Television (Australia)
• Coronation Street on CBC Television (Canada)
• Shortland Street on TV2 (New Zealand)
• Isidingo on SABC3 (South Africa)
• Generations on SABC1 (South Africa)

United States

SoapNet in the United States also utilized the omnibus format for weekend re-airings of their major soap operas until its December 2013 demise; however the term used in that case is as a marathon (the more common term for omnibus used by North American broadcasters) as all of the five programmes aired by a soap per week were aired consecutively without editing them together. As all four current American soaps also carry their episodes either via Hulu or through network websites, omnibuses and marathons are no longer maintained.

See also

• Rerun