If I recall correctly ABC has always aired aired the Christmas Special. I could be wrong though, it’s been ages since I watched it
Actually, CBS were the ones who originally aired it in 1965. The network execs at CBS thought it’d be a flop, and even the producers of the show (Lee Mendelson & Bill Melendez) thought it was going to destroy the character’s image.
We all know what happened next.
Oh...ABC scored the rights to the show in 2001.