NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Last updated
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Formerly MCA TV (1948–1996)
Universal Television Enterprises (1996–1997)
Studios USA Television Distribution (1998–2002)
Universal Domestic Television (2002–2004)
NBC Universal Television Distribution (2004–2011)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution (2011–2021)
Company type Division
IndustryTelevision syndication
Predecessors
List
Founded
  • 1948;76 years ago (1948)
    (as MCA Television Ltd.)
  • December 9, 1996;27 years ago (1996-12-09)
    (as Universal Television Enterprises)
  • September 13, 2004;19 years ago (2004-09-13)
    (as NBC Universal Television Distribution)
Headquarters Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Manhattan, New York City, New York
Universal City, California
Key people
Frances Manfredi (President, US & Canada, 2015) [1]
Parent NBCUniversal Television and Streaming

NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (a.k.a. NUSS), formerly known as NBCUniversal Television Distribution (a.k.a. NUTD), Universal Domestic Television, Studios USA Television Distribution and MCA TV, is the television syndication division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, in the United States. [2] Its predecessors include NBC Enterprises, Universal Television Distribution, Multimedia Entertainment (including Avco Program Sales), PolyGram Television (formerly ITC Entertainment), and Sky Vision. At some point in its history, it was also known as "NBCUniversal Television & New Media Distribution" [1] and "NBC Universal Television and New Media Distribution.” [3] This unit is possibly the parent for the similarly named "NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution" unit. [4] [5]

Contents

The company distributes television series produced by NBC (after 1973), Universal Television, Multimedia Entertainment, Studios USA, Revue Studios, PolyGram Television (except the ITC library), Universal Media Studios and G4 Media, LLC. The division distributes the film libraries of Universal Pictures, the 1929–49 Paramount Pictures library (owned by EMKA, Ltd.), all 1996–99 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films (as well as PolyGram Visual Programming), USA Films, StudioCanal (International only), Focus Features, Universal Animation Studios, Summit Entertainment (unitl 2012), Open Road Films and DreamWorks Animation.

The name was changed to reflect the NBCUniversal brand between September 13, 2004 and January 31, 2011. NUTD is considered the third broadcast syndication arm of NBC, with NBC Enterprises being the second and NBC Films (now part of CBS Media Ventures) as the first, dating back to spring 1953. NUTD is also considered the sixth broadcast syndication arm of Universal Television with MCA TV as the first, Universal Television Enterprises as the second, Studios USA Television Distribution as the third, Universal Domestic Television as the fourth, and Universal Television Distribution as the fifth.

Background

Logo used as NBCUniversal Television Distribution. NBCUniversal Television Distribution.svg
Logo used as NBCUniversal Television Distribution.

NBC Enterprises

In 1955, NBC bought out Kagran Corporation, [6] which was then renamed to California National Productions (CNP) for merchandising, syndication and opera stage production. [7] In 1956, NBC Television Films was then migrated to Kagran, which was then renamed to CNP. [8] The subsidiary started producing The Silent Service that year. [9] By 1957, NBC planned to remove the opera department from CNP and Earl Rettig was named president. [9] CNP was also in discussion with MGM Television about handling distribution for the latter's series. [9]

In 1971, the company begin syndicating the ABC television western The Guns of Will Sonnett , which was one of a few times NBC had to distribute a program not actually airing on the network. [10]

Following the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules in 1971, NBC had to divest the NBC Films unit to National Telefilm Associates, while programs from NBC News continued to be distributed internationally by NBC Enterprises for $7.5 million. [11] In 1987, NBC Enterprises decided to break up into 5 units, which integrated most of the NBC Enterprises assets into NBC-TV, and a new division, NBC Operations & Services was created, with some of the assets being integrated into the NBC Corporate Communications unit, and the merchandising and foreign sales branch of NBC Enterprises became part of NBC-TV, and the guest relations and studio tours branch was integrated into NBC Corporate Communications. [12] In 1991, NBC licensed the syndication rights of Saved by the Bell to Rysher Entertainment. [13]

In 1993, while the Fin-Syn rules were relaxed, NBC had returned to distributing off-net syndicated reruns of their programming. [14] In 2000, NBC Enterprises had officially launched its own syndicated division NBC Enterprises & Syndication, with former Eyemark Entertainment executive Ed Wilson as the head of the division. [15]

In 2001, NBC Enterprises made a deal with Hearst-Argyle Television Productions to deal with their programming alliance to produce first-run syndicated series. [16] In 2002, NBC inked a deal with MGM Television to launch a media sales operation, called MGM-NBC Media Sales. [17]

MCA Television/Studios USA Domestic Television

MCA Television Enterprises (commonly known as MCA TV and also known as MCA Television Limited) was founded in 1948, several years before parent MCA Inc.'s purchase of Decca Records (in 1959) and Universal Pictures (in 1962). For more than four decades, it was one of the most active syndicators of television programming. In 1954, it formed an alliance with producer Don Fedderson, through his Don Fedderson Productions company, and the first show to be formed under the alliance was The Millionaire , which spawned a five-year run on the air. [18]

In 1957, it bought out the rights to the pre-1950 Paramount sound library and created a shell holding company, EMKA, Ltd.

During the 1980s, it distributed both off-network reruns of shows like Kate & Allie and Gimme a Break! , as well as original syndication product like the animated action series Bionic Six (co-produced with TMS Entertainment), The Morton Downey Jr. Show (taped at then-MCA owned WWOR-TV in Secaucus, New Jersey), The Munsters Today (a revival of the Universal sitcom), and Pictionary , based on the popular board game.

In 1984, MCA TV entered into the evergreen bandwagon of nostalgic TV show reruns by starting Encore Programs, which reran various shows that went into syndication. [19]

MCA Television attempted several branded TV packages from 1985 to 2001, including an ad-hoc film network, a broadcast network and a few syndicated programming blocks. The company launched the Universal Pictures Debut Network, an ad-hoc film network with plans to launch in two stages beginning in September 1985. [20] In September 1989, MCA TV and Paramount Domestic Television had formed Premier Advertiser Sales, a joint venture created for the sale of advertising for their existing syndicated programs. As a possible outgrowth of this sales joint venture, MCA and Paramount began plans for a new network, the Premier Program Service. [21] However, plans for the service halted thanks to objections from Fox, annoyed that MCA and Paramount were soliciting some of their affiliates for PPS. In the meantime, MCA teamed up with BHC Communications for a syndicated block; the Hollywood Premiere Network, that only lasted for the 1990–1991 season. [22] The Universal Family Network syndicated programming block was launched by the company in the fall of 1993 with a single weekly half hour show, Exosquad , as a counter to The Disney Afternoon. [23] The Action Pack was also launched by MCA to syndicate action-adventure programming. [24]

In 1987, MCA TV decided to embark on the most ambitious slate of first-run syndicated programming and had hopes that if all seven could go to series, MCA TV would receive a payment of $50.7 million and reveals two new sitcoms, an action-adventure hour, and a cop show strip that was filmed on location, and The Street, which is planning on to be produced by another MCA network subsidiary, Universal Television, would be planned for a late-night audience. [25] That year, MCA TV is renewing an agreement with Tribune Broadcasting for rights to Charles in Charge and Bustin Loose , then-two of the strongest MCA TV programs, up until 1989. [26] In 1989, MCA TV was signed on as syndicator of Inside Story, which was produced by Sunbeam Television-owned Fox affiliate WSVN, and went nationwide as their new title Inside Report, but it only lasted one season on the air. [27]

In 1993, MCA Television had launched a joint effort with Brandon Tartikoff and his new Moving Target Productions company for a development of a late night talk show. [28]

In 1996, MCA TV was renamed Universal Television Enterprises; at this time they also assumed production and distribution of several daytime talk shows previously produced by Multimedia Entertainment (which Universal had acquired), including The Jerry Springer Show . In 1997, it was sold again, along with the network unit, to USA Networks, which was renamed as Studios USA Domestic Television in 1998. [29]

EMKA, Ltd. is the holding company responsible for a majority of the pre-1950 Paramount Pictures sound library. As an official part of the Universal Pictures library, they are part of the company's television unit, Universal Television.

PolyGram Television/Universal Worldwide Television

In 1997, PolyGram created a television division to distribute first-run syndicated and network series, hiring Bob Sanitsky from ICM Partners to be president of the division. The new unit absorbed the domestic syndication unit of ITC Entertainment (acquired by PolyGram in 1995), including its domestic sales president Matt Cooperstein. [30] This company called PolyGram Television, is unrelated to an earlier domestic syndication television distribution arm of the same name that PolyGram also owned that was formed in 1981 and it was closed in 1983, and sold its assets to King Features Entertainment. [31]

The division's first project was the syndication of new episodes of Alliance Atlantis' Due South , distributing 22 new episodes for primetime or weekend afternoon slots. It was distributed in conjunction with Worldvision Enterprises for ad sales. [32] The unit also syndicated action hour series such as The Crow: Stairway to Heaven (based on the Miramax film with Brandon Lee. The Walt Disney Company, its owner at the time had passed on the series) and Total Recall 2070 , as well as the music variety program Motown Live . [33]

In early 1999, Shortly after Seagram and Universal completed their deal to acquire PolyGram. PolyGram TV was absorbed into Universal's TV and Networks division (which consisted of Universal's international TV operations). Universal would sell the ITC film and TV library to Carlton Communications, and the pre-1996 film library to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Following this, PolyGram TV was renamed Universal Worldwide Television, and in the fall of that year, UWT launched a successful realty strip, Blind Date (which gained a sister program from the same producers, The 5th Wheel ). [34] At the same time, Universal launched Universal Studios Network Programming to inherit the Brillstein-Grey productions, such as the upcoming Work with Me , and the existing Brillstein-Grey shows Just Shoot Me! and The Steve Harvey Show . [35]

By 2001, rumors began circulating about the closure of the division (and its two series would have been sold off to another syndicator). However, by October, UWT's head of sales said the closure would not happen. [36]

In June 2002, after Vivendi Universal re-acquired the entertainment arm of USA Networks. Universal Worldwide Television was merged with Studios USA Domestic Television to form Universal Television Enterprises, with Universal Domestic Television and Universal Television Distribution acting as subsidiaries of the company. Lori Shackel immediately left it as vice president of the company [37]

History

NBC Universal Television Distribution was formed in 2004 from a merger between NBC Enterprises and Universal Television Distribution. In 2004, it broke their ties with MGM Television to launch a standalone distribution operation. [38] In 2011, NBC Universal dropped its space from all of its television divisions, becoming the CamelCase style format NBCUniversal. [39] [40]

In 2014, Hulu Plus reached an agreement with the company to allow streaming of television programs from NBCUniversal's series aired the previous year. [3]

On October 5, 2020, NBCUniversal Television Distribution was renamed to NBCUniversal Syndication Studios, in an effort to drop "Television" from its branding. [41] [ failed verification ] [42] On December 2, 2020, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios announced that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit would air on a daily strip for syndication. [43]

Current programming

Syndicated Television

Off-net

See also

Related Research Articles

MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film industry, and later expanded into television production. MCA published music, booked acts, ran a record company, represented film, television, and radio stars, and eventually produced and sold television programs to the three major television networks, especially NBC.

PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a holding for their record companies, and was renamed "PolyGram" in 1972. The name was chosen to reflect the Siemens interest Polydor Records and the Philips interest Phonogram Records. The company traced its origins through Deutsche Grammophon back to the inventor of the flat disc gramophone, Emil Berliner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PolyGram Filmed Entertainment</span> British-American film studio, film production company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment was a film production company founded in 1975 as an American film studio, which became a European competitor to Hollywood within two decades, but was eventually sold to Seagram Company Ltd. in 1998 and was folded a year later. Among its most successful and well known films were The Deep (1977), Midnight Express (1978), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Flashdance (1983), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Dead Man Walking (1995), The Big Lebowski (1998), Fargo (1996), The Usual Suspects (1995), The Game (1997), Barney's Great Adventure (1998) and Notting Hill (1999).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBS Studios</span> American television production company

CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount (Network) Television, as a renaming of the original incarnation of the Paramount Television studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Pictures Television</span> American content company

Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems (SG) and the third name of Pioneer Telefilms. For 26 years, the company was active from 1974 until New Year's Day 2001, when it was folded into Columbia TriStar Television, a merger between Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television. A separate entity of CPT continues to exist on paper as an intellectual property holder, and under the moniker "CPT Holdings" to hold the copyright for the TV show The Young and the Restless, as well as old incarnations from the company's television library such as What's Happening!!

Universal Television LLC is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predecessor of the company previously assumed such functions, and a substantial portion of the company's shows air on the network. It was formerly known by various names, including Revue Studios, Universal Pictures Television Department, Universal-International Television, Studios USA Television LLC, Universal Studios Network Programming, Universal Network Television, Universal Domestic Television, NBC Universal Television Studio, and Universal Media Studios. Re-established in 2004, both NBC Studios and the original Universal Television are predecessors of the current Universal Television, formerly known as NBC Universal Television Studio and Universal Media Studios.

NBCUniversal Media Group is the television and streaming arm of NBCUniversal, and the direct descendant and successor of the former division NBCUniversal Television Group, which existed from 2004 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worldvision Enterprises</span> American television program distributor

Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. was an American television program and home video distributor established in 1954 as ABC Film Syndication, the domestic and overseas program distribution arm of the ABC Television Network. They primarily licensed programs from independent producers, rather than producing their own content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITC Entertainment</span> UK-based TV and movie production and distribution company

The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coca-Cola Telecommunications</span> Syndication unit of Columbia Pictures Television

Coca-Cola Telecommunications (CCT) was a short-lived first-run syndication unit of Columbia Pictures Television created on November 4, 1986, that was a merger between CPT's first-run syndication division and The Television Program Source. The Television Program Source was a joint-venture between Alan Bennett, former King World president Robert King, and CPT that was founded on October 15, 1984.

Tribune Entertainment was a television production and broadcast syndication company owned and operated by Tribune Broadcasting. It was started in 1964 as a subsidiary of WGN-TV in Chicago. Many programs offered from Tribune Entertainment have been broadcast on the company's television stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rysher Entertainment</span> American film and television production company and distributor

Rysher Entertainment, Inc. was an American film and television production company and distributor. It was founded in 1991. In 1993, Rysher was acquired by Cox Enterprises, and was closed in 1999.

Multimedia, Inc. was a media company that owned 12 daily newspapers, 49 weekly newspapers, two radio stations, five television stations, and a cable television system division. The company was headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Pictures Home Entertainment</span> Home video distribution division of Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment LLC is the home video distribution division of Universal Pictures, an American film studio, owned by NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Television</span> American television production company

20th Television is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributes the television series produced by 20th Television in home media formats through the 20th Century Home Entertainment banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBS Productions</span> Production arm of American CBS television network

CBS Productions was a production arm of the CBS television network, now a part of Paramount Global, formed in 1952 to produce shows in-house, instead of relying solely on outside productions. One of its first productions was Studio One, a drama anthology series.

DreamWorks Television was an American television distribution and production company based in Universal City, California, that was a division of DreamWorks. It folded into Amblin Television in 2013.

CBS Media Ventures, Inc. is the television broadcast syndication arm of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global, founded on September 26, 2006 by CBS Corporation from a merger of CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Domestic Television</span> Television distribution arm of Paramount Pictures

Paramount Domestic Television (PDT) was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures. It was formed in 1982 originally as Paramount Domestic Television and Video Programming, the successor to Paramount Television Domestic Distribution, Paramount Television Sales, and Desilu Sales.

Ed Wilson is an American media executive. He has been President of Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting and has held top-level executive roles with Fox Television Network, NBC Enterprises and CBS Enterprises.

References

  1. 1 2 Min, Janice (December 18, 2015). "Women in Entertainment Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. p. 31. Retrieved January 15, 2020 via Internet Archive.
  2. "NBCUniversal Television Distribution". nbcuniversal.com.
  3. 1 2 FCC Record: Sixteenth Report (Report). Vol. 30. Federal Communications Commission. April 2, 2015. pp. 3360–1. FCC 15–41. Retrieved January 15, 2020 via Google Books (eBook).
  4. 1 2 "NBC-owned stations to air Clarkson show". Daily Press (Originally published in Variety). Newport News, Virginia: Daily Press LLC. Times News Service. September 20, 2018. p. 2. Retrieved January 15, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Vieira to launch talk show". Victoria Advocate. Vol. 168, no. 64. Victoria, Texas. July 10, 2013. p. A2. Retrieved January 15, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Kagran Corp Takes Over NBC Licensing Activities" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1955-05-30.
  7. "NBC Subsidiary Changes Name As Result of Expansion" (PDF). Broadcasting Magazine . 1956-07-30.
  8. "NBC Television Films" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1956-04-09. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  9. 1 2 3 "MGM Plan Eight for Next Year". Billboard. December 16, 1957. p. 6. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  10. "Turmoil in the program market" (PDF). Broadcasting Magazine . February 15, 1971. p. 34. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  11. "Sale of NBC Films completes exodus of networks from syndication" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1973-02-12. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  12. "NBC Divides Up Enterprises Unit Among 5 Execs". Variety . 1987-11-18. pp. 34, 68.
  13. "Off-net kid's show being stripped for fall" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1991-05-06. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  14. "Coming to the end of the fin-syn road?" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1993-10-25. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  15. Ault, Susanne (2000-09-11). "The Peacock wins Ed" (PDF). Broadcasting . Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  16. Grego, Melissa (2001-01-25). "NBC, Hearst-Argyle in programming alliance". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  17. "MGM, NBC link sales efforts". Variety. 2002-02-26. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  18. "C-P Buys 'The Millionaire' To Replace 'Strike It Rich'" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1954-12-13. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  19. "MCA announces new division" (PDF). Broadcasting Magazine . July 23, 1984. p. 102. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  20. Kerry Segrave (January 1, 1999). Movies at Home: How Hollywood Came to Television. McFarland. p. 147. ISBN   9780786406548 . Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  21. Richard W. Stevenson (October 20, 1989). "Plan Seen For Another TV Network". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  22. "MCA TV Spins The Bottle". Variety. April 10, 1995. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  23. Brown, Rich (January 25, 1993). West, Donald V. (ed.). "New Faces, Familiar Ones Vie For Kids Audience" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 123, no. 4. p. 72. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  24. Benson, Jim; Dempsey, John; Lowry, Brian (1993-01-29). "Syndie fever at MCA, Col". Variety. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  25. Dempsey, John (1987-11-04). "MCA TV opens first-run syndie purse but has gameplan to control costs". Variety . pp. 36, 62.
  26. "Tribune Renews 2 MCA TV Series". Variety . 1987-12-09. p. 40.
  27. "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1989-04-03. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  28. "Tartikoff's back, and MCA's got him" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1993-10-18. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  29. Guider, Elizabeth (1997-12-02). "Westlake's village". Variety. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  30. "P'GRAM PUSHES TV". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  31. "PolyGram to fold" (PDF). Broadcasting . 1983-05-09. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  32. "Due South gets U.S. syndie deal". Playback.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  33. "NAPTE '98". AdAge.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  34. "Polygram TV unit stays at U". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  35. Littleton, Cynthia (1999-03-25). "U ponders TV biz return". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  36. "Universal Worldwide plans to stay the syndie course". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  37. "Shackel exits U Worldwide TV". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  38. Dempsey, John (2004-07-15). "Peacock, Lion split". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  39. Stelter, Brian (2011-01-27). "Lost in the Comcast Takeover? A Logo's Peacock". Media Decoder Blog. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  40. Nakashima, Ryan (February 12, 2013). "Comcast to buy GE's 49 pct stake in NBCUniversal". MSN. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  41. Low, Elaine (2020-10-05). "As Susan Rovner Joins NBCU as TV and Streaming Programming Chief, Four Challenges Await". Variety. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  42. Petski, Denise (2020-12-15). "'The Kelly Clarkson Show' Renewed Through 2023 By NBCUniversal". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  43. Hayes, Dade (2020-12-02). "'Law & Order: SVU' Sets Broadcast Syndication Return As 'Dateline' Clears 75% Of U.S. Markets". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  44. 1 2 Miller, Mark K. (June 4, 2019). "NBCU TV Distribution Names Programming VP". TVNewsCheck. Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  45. Miller, Mark K. (July 18, 2014). "Tribune May Nix Long-Time Conflict Talkers". TVNewsCheck. Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  46. Miller, Mark K. (February 26, 2019). "Syndicated 'Dateline' Tops 85% For Season 3". TVNewsCheck. Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 15, 2020.