Editing Metropolitan Opera (section)

==Multimedia==
===Broadcast radio===

{{main|Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts}}

Outside of New York the Met has been known to audiences in large measure through its many years of [[Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts|live radio broadcasts]]. The Met's broadcast history goes back to January 1910 when radio pioneer [[Lee de Forest]] broadcast experimentally, with erratic signal, two live performances from the stage of the Met that were reportedly heard as far away as Newark, New Jersey. Today the annual Met broadcast season typically begins the first week of December and offers twenty live Saturday matinée performances through May.

The first network broadcast was heard on December 25, 1931, a performance of [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]]'s
''[[Hänsel und Gretel (opera)|Hänsel und Gretel]]''. The series came about as the Met, financially endangered in the early years of the Great Depression, sought to enlarge its audience and support through national exposure on network radio. Initially, those broadcasts featured only parts of operas, being limited to selected acts. Regular broadcasts of complete operas began March 11, 1933, with the transmission of ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'' with Frida Leider and [[Lauritz Melchior]].

The live broadcasts were originally heard on [[NBC]] Radio's [[Blue Network]] and continued on the Blue Network's successor, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], into the 1960s. As network radio waned, the Met founded its own Metropolitan Opera Radio Network which is now heard on radio stations around the world. In Canada the live broadcasts have been heard since December 1933 first on the [[Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission]]<ref>[http://www.phonotheque.org/radio/reperes-eng.html Phonothèque québécoise] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513142522/http://www.phonotheque.org/radio/reperes-eng.html |date=May 13, 2008 }}, accessed January 21, 2008.</ref> and, since 1934, on its successor, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] where they are currently heard on [[CBC Music]].

Technical quality of the broadcasts steadily improved over the years. FM broadcasts were added in the 1950s, transmitted to stations via telephone lines. Starting with the 1973–74 season, all broadcasts were offered in [[FM broadcasting|FM]] stereo. Satellite technology later allowed uniformly excellent broadcast sound to be sent live worldwide.

Sponsorship of the Met broadcasts during the Depression years of the 1930s was sporadic. Early sponsors included the [[American Tobacco Company]], and the Lambert Pharmaceutical Company, but frequently the broadcasts were presented by NBC itself with no commercial sponsor.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.operainfo.org/about/ab_broadcast.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030301171151/http://www.operainfo.org/about/ab_broadcast.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 1, 2003 |title=Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network Broadcast History |publisher=The Metropolitan Opera Guild}}</ref> Sponsorship of the Saturday afternoon broadcasts by The Texas Company ([[Texaco]]) began on December 7, 1940, with [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Figaro|Le nozze di Figaro]]''. Texaco's support continued for 63 years, the longest continuous sponsorship in broadcast history and included the first PBS television broadcasts. After its merger with [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]], however, the combined company ChevronTexaco ended its sponsorship of the Met's radio network in April 2004. Emergency grants allowed the broadcasts to continue through 2005 when the home building company [[Toll Brothers]] became primary sponsor.

In the seven decades of its Saturday broadcasts, the Met has been introduced by the voices of only four permanent announcers. [[Milton Cross]] served from the inaugural 1931 broadcast until his death in 1975. He was succeeded by [[Peter Allen (US broadcaster)|Peter Allen]], who served for 29 years, through the 2003–04 season. [[Margaret Juntwait]] began her tenure as host the following season. From September 2006 through December 2014, Juntwait also served as host for all of the live and recorded broadcasts on the Met's [[Sirius XM]] satellite radio channel, [[Metropolitan Opera Radio (Sirius XM)|Metropolitan Opera Radio]].<ref name=obit>{{cite web |url=http://metopera.org/metopera/news/features/news-flash/remembering-margaret-juntwait |title=Remembering Margaret Juntwait |access-date=January 17, 2018 |url-status=dead |date=June 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150604183936/http://metopera.org/metopera/news/features/news-flash/remembering-margaret-juntwait |archive-date=June 4, 2015 }}</ref> Beginning in January 2015, producer [[Mary Jo Heath]] filled in for Juntwait, who was being treated for cancer and died in June 2015.<ref name=obit /> In September 2015, Heath took over as the new permanent host. Opera singer and director Ira Siff has for several years been the commentator, along with Juntwait or Heath. In September 2021, Debra Lew Harder took over as the Met's broadcast host, the fifth in company history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Debra Lew Harder Named Metropolitan Opera Radio Host, Only the Fifth in the Company's History |url=https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/debra-lew-harder-named-metropolitan-opera-radio-host-only-the-fifth-in-the-companys-history/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=www.metopera.org |language=en}}</ref>

===Satellite radio===
{{main|Metropolitan Opera Radio (Sirius XM)}}

[[Metropolitan Opera Radio (Sirius XM)|Metropolitan Opera Radio]] is a 24-hour opera channel on [[Sirius XM Radio]], which presents multiple live opera broadcasts each week during the Met's performing season. During other hours it also offers past broadcasts from the [[Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts|Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast]] archives. The channel was created in September 2006, when the Met initiated a multi-year relationship with Sirius.<ref>[http://www.newstatesman.com/200701220032 Peter Conrad, "Lessons from America"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211112339/http://www.newstatesman.com/200701220032/ |date=February 11, 2007 }}, ''New Statesman'', January 22, 2007.</ref> [[Margaret Juntwait]] is the main host and announcer, with [[William Berger (author)|William Berger]] as writer and co-host.<ref>[http://investor.sirius.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=211679&cat=&newsroom= Sirius Radio's announcement of new relationship with the MET.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027003006/http://investor.sirius.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=211679&cat=&newsroom= |date=October 27, 2014 }}</ref>

===Television===
{{main|Live from the Metropolitan Opera}}

The Met's experiments with television go back to 1948 when a complete performance of [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]]'s ''[[Otello]]'' was broadcast live on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]-TV with [[Ramón Vinay]], [[Licia Albanese]], and [[Leonard Warren]]. The 1949 season opening night ''Der Rosenkavalier'' was also telecast. In the early 1950s the Met tried a short-lived experiment with live [[closed-circuit television]] transmissions to movie theaters. The first of these was a performance of ''[[Carmen]]'' with [[Risë Stevens]] which was sent to 31 theaters in 27 US cities on December 11, 1952. Beyond these experiments, however, and an occasional gala or special, the Met did not become a regular presence on television until 1977.

In that year the company began a series of live television broadcasts on public television with a wildly successful live telecast of ''[[La bohème]]'' with [[Renata Scotto]] and [[Luciano Pavarotti]]. The new series of opera on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] was called ''[[Live from the Metropolitan Opera]]''. This series remained on the air until the early 2000s, although the live broadcasts gave way to taped performances and in 1988 the title was changed to ''The Metropolitan Opera Presents''. Dozens of televised performances were broadcast during the life of the series including an historic complete telecast of Wagner's ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen|Ring Cycle]]'' in 1989. In 2007 another Met television series debuted on PBS, ''[[Great Performances at the Met]]''. This series airs repeat showings of the [[high-definition video]] performances produced for the ''[[Metropolitan Opera Live in HD]]'' cinema series.

In addition to complete operas and gala concerts, television programs produced at the Met have included: an episode of ''[[Omnibus (American TV program)|Omnibus]]'' with Leonard Bernstein ([[NBC]], 1958); ''[[Danny Kaye]]'s Look-In at the Metropolitan Opera'' ([[CBS]], 1975); ''[[Beverly Sills|Sills]] and [[Carol Burnett|Burnett]] at the Met'' (CBS, 1976); and the [[MTV Video Music Awards]] (1999 and 2001).

===High-definition video===
{{main|Metropolitan Opera Live in HD}}

Beginning on December 30, 2006, as part of the company's effort to build revenues and attract new audiences, the Met (along with [[National CineMedia|NCM Fathom]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncm.com/DigitalProgramming/About.aspx |title=About NCM digital programming. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509034550/http://www.ncm.com/DigitalProgramming/About.aspx |archive-date=May 9, 2007 }}</ref> broadcast a series of six performances live via satellite into movie theaters called "Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huliq.com/2580/metropolitan-opera-live-in-hd-now-playing-at-a-theater|title="Metropolitan Opera: Live In HD" Now Playing At A Theater|first=Ruzan|last=Haruriunyan|date=December 20, 2006|access-date=April 9, 2008|archive-date=June 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627151316/http://www.huliq.com/2580/metropolitan-opera-live-in-hd-now-playing-at-a-theater|url-status=live}}</ref> The first broadcast was the Saturday matinee live performance of the 110-minute version of [[Julie Taymor]]'s production of ''[[The Magic Flute]]''.<ref>[http://www.fathomevents.com/subpage/index.asp?EventID=610&code=METpage List of Met productions presented on HD in 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929232427/http://www.fathomevents.com/subpage/index.asp?EventID=610&code=METpage |date=September 29, 2010 }}</ref> The series was carried in over 100 movie theaters across North America, Japan, Britain and several other European countries.<ref>Robertson, Campbell. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/arts/music/01scre.html?_r=1&oref=slogin "Mozart, Now Singing at a Theatre Near You"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220163954/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/arts/music/01scre.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |date=December 20, 2016 }}, ''The New York Times'', January 1, 2007.</ref> During the 2006–07 season, the series included live HD transmissions of ''[[I puritani]]'', ''[[The First Emperor]]'', ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'', ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'', and ''[[Il trittico]]''. In addition, limited repeat showings of the operas were offered in most of the presenting cities. Digital sound for the performances was provided by [[Sirius Satellite Radio]].

These movie transmissions have received wide and generally favorable press coverage.<ref>Fitzsimmons, Elizabeth. [http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061231/news_1m31opera.html "Movie theaters offer opera live from the Met"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920072423/http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061231/news_1m31opera.html |date=September 20, 2007 }}, ''San Diego Union-Tribune'', December 31, 2006.</ref> The Met reports that 91% of available seats were sold for the HD performances.<ref>{{cite news| first=Richard| last=Ouzounian| title=Opera Screen Dream: Met simulcasts heat up plexes in cities, stix| url=https://variety.com/2007/legit/markets-festivals/met-simulcasts-heat-up-movie-venues-1117960463/| newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]| date=March 3, 2007| pages=41–42| access-date=January 17, 2018| archive-date=January 18, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118182422/http://variety.com/2007/legit/markets-festivals/met-simulcasts-heat-up-movie-venues-1117960463/| url-status=live}}</ref> According to General Manager Peter Gelb, there were 60,000 people in cinemas around the world watching the March 24 transmission of ''The Barber of Seville''.{{efn|1=Gelb, speaking during the intermission on March 24, 2007, noted that over 250 movie theatres were presenting the performance that day.}} ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that 324,000 tickets were sold worldwide for the 2006/07 season, while each simulcast cost $850,000 to $1&nbsp;million to produce.<ref name="Daniel Watkin">Daniel Watkin, [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/arts/music/17broa.html?mtrref=undefined&gwh=A19F59458C9A7DD88164C57597694FC6&gwt=pay Met Opera To Expand Simulcasts In Theaters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118181808/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/arts/music/17broa.html?mtrref=undefined&gwh=A19F59458C9A7DD88164C57597694FC6&gwt=pay |date=January 18, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times'', May 17, 2007.</ref>

The 2007/08 season began on December 15, 2007, and featured eight of the Met's productions starting with ''[[Roméo et Juliette]]'' and ending with ''[[La fille du régiment]]'' on April 26, 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=300 |title=The Met Opera's 2007/08 Season to Feature Seven New Productions – the Most in More than 40 Years. |access-date=May 13, 2007 |archive-date=February 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214200959/http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=300 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Met planned to broadcast to double the number of theaters in the US as the previous season, as well as to additional countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The number of participating venues in the US, which includes movie theatre chains as well as independent theatres and some college campus venues, is 343.<ref name="Daniel Watkin"/><ref>[http://www.fathomevents.com/files/PRPDF/MET_07-08_Participating_LIVE_Theatre_List.htm "Participating Theatres – Met Opera Live in HD Series – Live Performances"]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, announced October 2, 2007,</ref> while "the scope of the series expands to include more than 700 locations across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia".<ref>Adam Wasserman, "Changing Definitions", ''Opera News'', December 2007, p. 60.</ref><ref>[http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=3810 "The Metropolitan Opera Announces Expansion of Live, High-Definition Transmissions to Eleven in 2008–09"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501020812/http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=3810 |date=May 1, 2008 }}, Met press release, April 22, 2008.</ref>

By the end of the season 920,000 people—exceeding the total number of people who attended live performances at the Met over the entire season—attended the eight screenings bringing in a gross of $13.3&nbsp;million from North America and $5&nbsp;million from overseas.<ref>Pamela McClintock, "Live perfs have Met beaming", ''Variety'', June 11, 2008, reporting on a survey conducted by [[Opera America]]</ref>

===Internet===
Video and audio recordings of hundreds of complete operas and excerpts are available via Met Opera on Demand, the Met's own online archive of recorded performances.<ref>[http://www.metoperafamily.org/met_player/ Met Player] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726221437/http://www.metoperafamily.org/met%5Fplayer/ |date=July 26, 2009 }} On-demand video and audio.</ref> The Met Opera on Demand catalog currently holds more than 850 complete performances from the last 90 years, ranging from telecasts to radio broadcasts to recent ''Live in HD'' presentations. Complete operas and selections are also available on the online music service [[Rhapsody (online music service)|Rhapsody]], and for purchase on [[iTunes]].<ref>[http://www.rhapsody.com/metropolitan-opera The Met] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718225351/http://www.rhapsody.com/metropolitan-opera |date=July 18, 2009 }} on [[Rhapsody (online music service)|Rhapsody]].</ref>

The [[Metropolitan Opera Radio (Sirius XM)|Metropolitan Opera Radio]] channel on [[Sirius XM Radio]] (see above) is available to listeners via the internet in addition to satellite broadcast.

The Met's official site also provides complete composer and background information, detailed plot summaries, and cast and characters for all current and upcoming opera broadcasts, as well as for every opera broadcast since 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.operainfo.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030210100849/http://archive.operainfo.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 10, 2003 |title=Metropolitan Opera International Broadcast Information Center Archive: All Operas. }}</ref> The Met's online archive database provides links to all Rhapsody, Sirius XM, and Met Player operas, with complete program and cast information. The online archive also provides an exhaustive searchable list of every performance and performer in the Metropolitan Opera's history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm|title=Metropolitan Opera Association|access-date=September 11, 2008|archive-date=December 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231114417/http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

====COVID-19 pandemic====
When people's movements were heavily restricted in March 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the Met cancelled the season's remaining performances but [[Live streaming|live streamed]] free of charge an opera every day, normally available on paid subscription.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/|title=Nightly Met Opera Streams|publisher=Metropolitan Opera|date=March 2020|access-date=March 22, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027134749/https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 23, 2020, the Met announced the cancellation of its entire 2020–2021 season.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Metropolitan Opera Cancels Its 2020–21 Season Due to the Ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, while also Announcing Its Lineup for 2021–22|url=https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/the-metropolitan-opera-cancels-its-202021-season/|date=September 23, 2020|website=metopera.org|publisher=Metropolitan Opera|access-date=March 14, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302171619/https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/the-metropolitan-opera-cancels-its-202021-season/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Met reopened in time for the 2021–2022 season, beginning with a concert of [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]]'s [[Requiem (Verdi)|Requiem]] to mark the 20th anniversary of [[September 11 attacks|9/11]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Julia |date=September 10, 2021 |title=The Met Opera Races to Reopen After Months of Pandemic Silence|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/arts/music/met-opera-reopening-pandemic.html |access-date=December 10, 2022}}</ref> On October 24, 2022, the Met, in conjunction with the [[New York Philharmonic|NY Philharmonic]] and [[Carnegie Hall]] dropped their masking requirements,<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 17, 2022 |title=Met Opera, NY Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall drop mask mandate |url=https://pix11.com/news/coronavirus/met-opera-ny-philharmonic-carnegie-hall-drop-mask-mandate%ef%bf%bc/ |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=PIX11 |language=en-US}}</ref> the last COVID-related restriction that was still in place.