"The Ten Commandments" was first broadcast on the ABC network on February 18, 1973, and has aired annually on the network since then, with the exception of 1999, traditionally during the Passover and Easter holidays. Since 2006 the network has typically aired "The Ten Commandments" on the Saturday night prior to Easter, with the broadcast starting at 7 p.m. in the Eastern and Pacific Time Zones and 6 p.m. Central/Mountain/Alaska/Hawaii. (the exception was in 2020 when the film aired prior to Palm Sunday, which the year was April 4, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) The film is one of only two pre-scheduled "ABC Saturday Movies of the Week" every year, the other being "The Sound of Music".