This is all conjecture on my part but I'm assuming this special episode with the Jackson 5 was probably initiated by Joe Jackson, who I believe was managing his sons at the time. It looks like this show aired in January of 1976. So this appearance [[amongst others, including their own CBS series) would keep the group in the spotlight until their first CBS release later that year. I remember many tv shows during this period where they sang FOREVER CAME TODAY. RIGHT ON! magazine even said something like "even though the group's music is at a standstill, their popularity is not."
And even though the group's rankings on the pop chart weren't what they were at the beginning of the decade, they were still charting well on the r&b chart, with FOREVER CAME TODAY and JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOU becoming top 10 hits.
As for the showing of the Ed Sullivan clip, I don't think there's anything deep behind it besides showing how the guys were now young adults.
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