Why use Roman numerals in Film & TV credits?

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Can anyone explain why films & TV programs use Roman numerals at the end of the credits, alongside the copyright info?

Cheers!

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Perhaps one of the most notable areas where people are likely to come across Roman numerals is in TV and film credits, where the convention is not to spell out what year something was made.

It is a convention which has extended even to BBC News Online - witness the MMII at the bottom of this page.

The practice is believed to have started in an attempt to disguise the age of films or television programmes. In other words, the opposite of claiming an undeserved antiquity.

(source)

recently the film & TV industries have abandoned the Romans...

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Good question. I always used to get pissed when I attempted to figure out the year of a film, and couldn't!

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I kind of miss it, if they've stopped. I would try to race through my feeble mind to remember what some of them meant, but of course the screen would change before I could do it.

One place where we can expect the Roman numeral to continue to be used: for numbering the Super Bowl.

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I ofent go to drink. On hearing of drinking party,
I burst into laughing.Because I thought of our needs. The party is about pet's sudden death.
However, I always drink too much. Yesterday I got
drunk again. But I will say :Never mind.

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Thanks to RP for his speedy answer, spoilt only by my tardy reply!

Phoenix/D'art - I play the same game as well. It's not so much of a challenge for stuff made in MM or afterwards, but the 90's could get tricky. MCMXCI gave me trouble last night...