MGM Television
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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television (commonly known as MGM Television and later MGM/UA Television among other names) is an American television production/distribution company launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc..
From 2005 - 2006, MGM Television programs were distributed by Sony Pictures Television (as a result from a Sony-led consortium buying MGM). Since May 31, 2006, MGM Television has resumed sole production and distribution of its programs on television.
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[edit] History
- 1955: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. launched Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television as television company.
- 1982: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television became MGM/UA Television after the merger with United Artists in 1981.
- 1986: Ted Turner bought MGM/UA from Kirk Kerkorian, including all of the movies and television shows by MGM/UA.
- 1986: Turner gave Kerkorian all of United Artists and the MGM trademark 74 days later, on October 17. Ted Turner kept the pre-1986 MGM television shows.
- 1986: After the Turner sale, the television banner was renamed to MGM/UA Television Productions
- 1987: The TV distribution arm MGM/UA Telecommunications was launched. All were under the new company MGM/UA Communications Co. MGM/UA Television still kept producing the series Fame until 1987, the 1980s version of The Twilight Zone until 1989, and Kids Incorporated until 1993.
- 1992: The television company was reformed as MGM Worldwide Television Group and its distributor MGM/UA Telecommunications Group when the company reverted from MGM/UA Television back to MGM Television (Note: The logos did not appear on TV until 1993).
- 1996: The company was reformed for different television brand labels known as MGM Television Entertainment, MGM Domestic Television Distribution, and MGM Worldwide Television when Kerkorian returned to MGM. However, MGM uses other names in the credits of their television shows such as MGM Global Television, Inc., MGM Global Holdings, Inc., and MGM Television Entertainment, Inc.
- 1997: MGM bought Orion Pictures Corporation, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and Motion Picture Corporation of America from Metromedia (who are best known as the former owners of several TV stations that are now FOX O&O's and for the taping of television programs at Metromedia Square, now Fox Television Center) (Note: Now, MGM Television owns the movies/shows originally handled by Filmways, Inc., Orion Television, American International Television, Heatter-Quigley Productions and Samuel Goldwyn Television.
- 1997:: MGM Television Entertainment was formed by MGM as its network television arm.
- 2005: MGM was purchased by a consortium which includes the Sony Corporation and Providence Equity Partners. As a result, Sony Pictures Television assumed worldwide distribution and certain domestic distribution of the television library from MGM Television. After Sony bought MGM, the company was referred to as MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.
- 2006: On May 31, MGM announced that it would drop Sony as its TV and home entertainment distributor by shifting its home video output to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, and relaunching its TV production/distribution arm.
- 2006: In October, MGM announced that they will distribute the film and television library from New Line Cinema.
[edit] The pre-1986 MGM library
When Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting System in October 1996, the pre-1986 MGM/UA TV shows became part of Warner Bros. (via its Turner Entertainment unit).
