In 1950, it seemed like color television was finally becoming a viable option for households in the US. But the eager viewers enthused by this news had to wait a few good years, as the 1950-1953 Korean War intertwined with the stern competition between two broadcasting companies, CBS and RCA (via Thought Co.).

According to Thought Co., when CBS and RCA started competing for becoming the color TV pioneers, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) tested both systems and concluded that the picture quality in RCA TVs was inferior, thus giving CBS the green light to start production. But it proved to be a mistake: It was expensive, the picture flickered, and worst of all, it was incompatible with black-and-white TV sets. Few people at the time could afford to throw out their old TVs and purchase a brand new one in the post-war era. Then, while CBS was struggling to convince manufacturers to produce color TVs, all production was halted: The government wanted to preserve resources for the Korean War.

CBS did start broadcasting in color on June 25, 1951. But they only had five east coast stations, and on top of that, RCA sued them. The Korean War ended in July 1953 (via History) and by this time, RCA had improved their system well enough to pass the FCC's test. By 1954, RCA was coordinating a large-scale color TV production and had taken over the U.S. market.

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