the.com/rerun

means A previously broadcast episode or program shown again, rather than new material.

from A straightforward compound of 're-' (again) plus 'run,' which in broadcasting and racing already meant a single showing or heat. The word was literal before it got clever: a race could have a 'rerun' if the first one didn't count, and TV borrowed the exact same logic — if it's airing again, run it again. The sense narrowed to television reruns as the medium matured and began recycling its own back catalog, likely mid-20th century as broadcast schedules filled with syndicated repeats.