Sony Pictures Television

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Sony Pictures Television, Inc. (SPT) is an American television production and distribution company. It is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.

SPT was previously known as Screen Gems, Columbia Pictures Television, TriStar Television and Columbia TriStar Television. The name was changed to reflect the Sony brand in 2002.

The company also owns and distributes the shows from Tandem Productions, ELP Communications (from TAT to ELP Communications), TeleVentures, Merv Griffin Enterprises, Chuck Barris Productions, Barry & Enright Productions and Bob Stewart Productions.

From 2005 until May 31, 2006, SPT also distributed MGM's TV shows (including The Pink Panther and All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series) and movie library. In 2006, SPT joined forces with Program Partners to handle ad-sales and distribution rights to foreign television series in the U.S., mostly shows produced in Canada.

In Summer 2007, the company introduced The Minisode Network; a digital channel for MySpace airing shows from the 1960s to early 2000s from four to five minutes. In Winter 2007, The Minisode Network was also added to a few more sites like AOL TV and their Crackle site.

Contents

[edit] Shows produced and/or distributed by SPT

In addition to the Columbia TriStar Pictures theatrical library, SPT handles the following:

[edit] Screen Gems to Sony Pictures Television

(All series by Screen Gems, CPT, TriStar TV, Columbia TriStar TV, Adelaide Productions, and SPT; some having gone through distribution from Colex Enterprises)

[edit] Screen Gems

[edit] Columbia Pictures Television

[edit] TriStar Television

[edit] Columbia TriStar Television

[edit] Adelaide Productions

[edit] Sony Pictures Television

[edit] Program Partners

3

[edit] Chuck Barris Productions

[edit] Barry & Enright Productions

[edit] Stephen J. Cannell Productions

[edit] Castle Rock Entertainment

[edit] Merv Griffin Entertainment

  • The Merv Griffin Show (1962-1986) (Distribution only, Griffin's second company Merv Griffin Entertainment owns series rights)
  • Wheel of Fortune (1975-present) (produced by Merv Griffin Productions 1975-1983, MGE 1983-1994, CTT 1994-2001, CTDT 2001-2002, and SPT 2002-present; syndicated nighttime version distributed since 1983 by King World, now CBS Television Distribution)
  • Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1978-1979, 1984-present) (produced by MGP 1964-1975 and 1978-1979, MGE 1984-1994, CTT 1994-2001, CTDT 2001-2002, and SPT 2002-present; distributed in syndication since 1984 by King World, now CBS Television Distribution)
  • Dance Fever (1979-1986) (produced by MGP 1979-1984, MGE 1984-1986 and 20th Century Fox Television) (Distribution only, Griffin's second company Merv Griffin Entertainment owns series rights)
  • Monopoly (1990)
  • Ruckus (1991-1992)
  • Merv Griffin's Crosswords (2007-) (co-handles ad sales with NBC Universal Television Distribution) 6

[edit] New World Television

[edit] Norman Lear

includes Tandem Productions and ELP Communications

[edit] Tandem

[edit] ELP Communications

(Formerly T.A.T. Communications and Embassy Communications)

[edit] Spelling-Goldberg Productions

(bold text indicates a Spelling-Goldberg/CPT co-production)

[edit] Bob Stewart Productions

[edit] Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions

[edit] Bud Yorkin Productions/TOY Productions

[edit] Others

[edit] Notes

1. Jeannie and The Partridge Family 2200 A.D. were co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions with Screen Gems and Columbia Pictures Television. However, SPT owns the series due to the incarnations of I Dream of Jeannie and The Partridge Family. While Hanna-Barbera shows were distributed by Screen Gems from 1957 to 1967, they are now owned and distributed by Warner Bros.

2. Punky Brewster was produced by NBC Productions from 1984 to 1986. When NBC cancelled it, Columbia Pictures Television bought the syndication rights and the rights to produce another two seasons of episodes, as it was against FCC regulations for networks to be involved in syndicated programming at the time. SPT holds US television distribution rights, while NBC Universal International Television Distribution holds non-US television distribution rights and licenses DVD releases to Shout! Factory.

3. Program Partners is part owned by SPT; handles ad-sales and distribution rights in the US.

4. Hunter was co-produced by Lorimar Productions throughout its whole run. The series was distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures until TeleVentures later picked up the distribution rights around the early 1990s. SPT currently owns US television distribution rights by owning TeleVentures, MGM International Television Distribution to handle international rights through NBC Universal International Television Distribution, while Warner Bros. Entertainment owns ancillary rights, and Starz Home Entertainment handling DVD releases.

5. Warner Bros. Entertainment, who owns Castle Rock Entertainment, holds ownership rights of Thea and Seinfeld. SPT currently owns distribution rights to certain Castle Rock properties.

6. Merv Griffin's Crosswords is distributed by Program Partners. NBC Universal Television Distribution and Sony Pictures Television handles ad-sales for the series.

7. The final season of Diff'rent Strokes featured a Tandem Productions copyright but a closing logo for Embassy Television on its original ABC broadcasts since Tandem was bought by Embassy Television in 1985.

8. SPT distributes all existing episodes of all incarnations of Pyramid with the following exceptions:


[edit] See also

[edit] External links