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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.
Contents
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:
Radio:
Internet:
Other countries
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American soaps also carry their episodes either via Hulu or through network websites, omnibuses and marathons are no longer maintained.