Sony Pictures Television, Inc. (SPT) is an American television production/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, Barris Industries, Barry & Enright Productions, Stewart Tele Enterprises, and 2waytraffic.
From 2005 until present, SPT also distributed MGM's TV shows and movie library (due in part to the Sony-led consortium's purchase of MGM). 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.
SPT owns one-half of cable channel GSN (with Liberty Entertainment), owner of Crackle, a partner in FEARnet, the horror/thriller website and VOD service, and jointly owns the rights to most of the post-1947 Bob Hope film library such as My Favorite Brunette, The Lemon Drop Kid, The Seven Little Foys, The Great Lover, and Son of Paleface with FremantleMedia.
On June 4, 2008, SPT bought Hilversum, Netherlands-based production company 2waytraffic, international holders of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise.[1]
On January 14, 2009, SPT acquired Embassy Row, a television and digital production company by British television producer Michael Davies.
Shows produced and/or distributed by SPT
In addition to the Columbia TriStar Pictures theatrical library, SPT handles the following:
Current programming
- The Three Stooges (1958-present) (1958-1974 by Screen Gems, 1974-1995 by Columbia Pictures Television, 1995-2002 by Columbia TriStar Television Distribution/Columbia TriStar International Television, 2002-Present by Sony Pictures Television)
- Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1978-1979, 1983, 1984-present) (produced by MGP 1964-1975, 1978-1979, 1983 and 1984 pilots, MGE 1984-1994, CTT 1994-2002, and SPT 2002-present; distributed by King World (1983-2007), CBS Television Distribution (2007-Present))
- Days of our Lives (1965-present) (in conjunction with Corday Productions, continued on by CPT 1974-2001, CTT 2001-2002, and SPT 2002-Present)
- The Young and the Restless (1973-present) (in conjunction with Bell Dramatic Serial Company and Corday Productions, continued on by CPT 1974-2001, CTT 2001-2002, and SPT 2002-Present)
- Wheel of Fortune (1975-present) (produced by Merv Griffin Productions 1975-1984, MGE 1984-1994, CTT 1994-2002, and SPT 2002-present; syndicated nighttime version distributed by King World (1983-2007), CBS Television Distribution (2007-present))
- Carson's Comedy Classics (1983-present) (Produced by Carson Productions)
- Rescue Me (2004-present) (co-produced with DreamWorks Television, Apostle and the Cloudland Company)
- The Boondocks (2005-present)
- 'Til Death (2006-Present)
- My Boys (2006-Present)
- 10 Items or Less (2006-present)
- Damages (2007-Present)
- Rules of Engagement (2007-present)
- Breaking Bad (2008-present)
- The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-present)
- The Beast (2009-present)
- The Newlywed Game (1966-1974, 1977-1980, 1984-1989, 1996-1999, 2009-present) (1966-1986 by Chuck Barris Productions, 1986-1989 by Barris Industries, Inc., 1996-1999 by Columbia TriStar Television Distribution, 2009-Present by Embassy Row, GSN and Sony Pictures Television)
- The Unusuals (2009-present)
- Hawthorne (2009-present)
- The Dr. Oz Show (2009-present; co-produced with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions)
- Drop Dead Diva (2009-present; co-produced with Storyline Pictures and Lifetime Television)
- Brothers (2009-present in association with Impact Zone Productions)
Off-net Syndication
Library Programming
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)
Screen Gems
Columbia Pictures Television
TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television
- Note: Adelaide serves as copyright holder and producer of the following shows, but bears the logo of the respective SPE branch.
Sony Pictures Television
- My Big Fat Greek Life (2003) (in association with HBO Television and Playtone Productions)
- Joan of Arcadia (2003-2005) (Co-Produced with CBS Productions, distributed by CBS Television Distribution in North America, and SPT overseas)
- Huff (2004-2006)
- Life & Style (2004-2005)
- Kingdom Hospital (2004) (co-produced with Touchstone Television, now ABC Studios, co-distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television)
- Pat Croce: Moving In (2004-2005)
- Vaughn (2004-Present, co-produced with Bad Robot Productions and ABC Studios)
- The Residents (2004) (with TLC)
- Beautiful People (2005)
- Emily's Reasons Why Not (2006)
- The Book of Daniel (2006) (with NBC Universal Television; NBC Universal Television Distribution distributes in North America, while SPT has international rights)
- Judge Maria Lopez (2006-2008)
- Greg Behrendt (2006-2007)
- Big Day (2006-2007)
- Kidnapped (2006)
- Runaway (2006)
- Viva Laughlin (2007, co-production with CBS Paramount Network Television and BBC Worldwide)
- Cashmere Mafia (2007-2008)
- Power of 10 (2007-2008)
- The Runners (2007-2008, co-produced with Bad Robot Productions and ABC Studios)
- Canterbury's Law (Midseason 2007-2008, co-produced with Apostle and Fox Television Studios)
- Judge David Young (2007-2009)
- Absolutely Fabulous (TBD; co-produced in association with Jennifer Saunders {creator of the original version}, BBC Worldwide and Tantamount)
- The Gong Show with Dave Attell (2008)
- Elliot The Superhero (2010), co-produced with Sony Pictures Animation) (Based upon the original motion pictures: Open Season & Open Season 2)
Program Partners
3
Barris Industries
- (Note: Formerly known as Chuck Barris Productions).
Guber-Peters Entertainment Company
New World Television
- includes Tandem Productions and ELP Communications
Tandem
TOY Productions
Formerly T.A.T. Communications (1975-1982) and Embassy Communications (1982-1988).
(bold text indicates a Spelling-Goldberg/CPT co-production)
Stewart Tele Enterprises
(Note: Formerly Bob Stewart Productions)
2waytraffic
Others
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. Television Distribution.
2. Punky Brewster was produced by NBC Productions from 1984 to 1986. When NBC canceled 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 release rights to Shout! Factory. See also: fin-syn.
3. SPT joined forces with Program Partners by handling ad-sales and distribution rights of programs in the US. The company is not owned by Sony.
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 handle 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.
8. SPT owns all existing episodes of incarnations of Pyramid hosted by Dick Clark with the following exceptions:
9. In 2007, 2waytraffic acquired Celador's television properties, including the Who Wants To Be a Millionaire franchise. The closing logo of 2waytraffic was added in 2007, and SPT acquired 2waytraffic in 2008. It has been used only on the syndicated version.
See also
References
External links
