Disney-ABC Domestic Television

Disney-ABC Domestic Television

Type	(subsidiary) of The Walt Disney Company
Industry	Television Syndication
Founded	Burbank, California, U.S. (2007)
Headquarters	Burbank, California, U.S.
Area served	North America
Key people	John E. Pepper, Jr., Chairman Robert Iger, President/CEO
Owner(s)	The Walt Disney Company
Parent	Disney-ABC Television Group
Website	www.disneyabc.tv

Disney-ABC Domestic Television (formerly known as Buena Vista Television and also known as Disney Domestic Television) is the domestic television syndication firm of the Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company, that handles the television distribution of product from Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Television Animation, BVS Entertainment, and ABC Studios (formerly called Touchstone Television).

History & profile

Buena Vista Television logo

The company distributes first-run programming such as the daytime version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as well as Live with Regis and Kelly, which is produced by Disney's O&O station WABC-TV. It also distributes the movie packages from corporate sibling Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Walt Disney Pictures (including all collaborations with subsidiary Pixar Animation Studios, Touchstone Pictures, and Hollywood Pictures).

Disney-ABC Domestic Television was established in 1985 as Buena Vista Television. In May 2007, the Walt Disney Company announced plans to semi-retire the use of the Buena Vista brand, instead focusing on the three core brands of Disney, ABC, and ESPN. [1] As a result, Buena Vista Television was rebranded for the fall 2007 season as Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

In the fall of 2007, DADT started using their new on-screen identity on its first-run syndicated shows (second-run syndicated offerings had the distribution tag mysteriously dropped completely), its score being a newly remixed version of the previous Buena Vista Television theme.

The DreamWorks live-action film and TV library is now distributed by DADT, as a result of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures agreeing to distribute new releases starting in 2009.

History of ABC and syndication

ABC's first syndication arm, ABC Films (established in July 1953), was spun-off as Worldvision Enterprises in March 1973 due to fin-syn laws (which have been repealed), it is currently part of CBS Television Distribution. As BVTV, DADT initially acted as a de-facto syndication arm for ABC after Disney bought the network in 1996, since at the same time, ABC's original production division was folded into Touchstone Television. That company became ABC Studios in 2007, also as part of Disney's branding strategy. In between these transactions, Disney reorganized all its non-ESPN TV assets into the Disney-ABC Television Group in 2004, making BVTV the official syndication arm of ABC. It also ran Legend of the Seeker from 2008-2010. DADT also holds distribution rights to Muppet media since Disney bought the franchise in 2004 from The Jim Henson Company.

Current programming

First-run syndication

• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999-2002, 2002-present; co-production with ABC, Celador (until 2007), 2waytraffic (since 2007), Sony Pictures Television (since 2008 after Sony's acquisition), Valleycrest Productions, Inc.)

Off-network syndication

• According to Jim
• America's Funniest Home Videos
• Brothers & Sisters
• Grey's Anatomy
• My Wife & Kids
• Scrubs
• Ugly Betty
• Grounded For Life

Library programs

Buena Vista Television

• Siskel & Ebert
• Win, Lose or Draw
• The Stephanie Miller Show
• The Tony Danza Show
• The Ainsley Harriott Show (produced by Merv Griffin Entertainment)
• The Wayne Brady Show

Walt Disney Television

• Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985–1991)
• Wonderful World of Disney (1986 syndication package)
• DuckTales (1987–1990)
• The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988–1991)
• Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1989–1990)
• The Mickey Mouse Club (1990–1996)
• TaleSpin (1990–1992)
• Adventures in Wonderland (1991–1995)
• Dinosaurs (1991–1994)
• Darkwing Duck (1991–1993)
• Goof Troop (1992–1993)
• Bonkers (1993–1995)
• The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show (1993–1995)
• Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993-1998)
• Aladdin (1994–1995)
• Gargoyles (1994–1997)
• Brotherly Love (1995–1997)
• The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa (1995–1998)
• Doug (1996–1999)
• Mighty Ducks (1996–1997)
• Quack Pack (1996)
• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997–1998)
• Smart Guy (1997–1999)
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997–2000)
• Recess (1997–2001)
• Hercules (1998–1999)
• Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000–2001)
• The Legend of Tarzan (2001–2003)

Touchstone Television

• The Golden Girls
• Empty Nest
• Blossom
• Home Improvement
• The Commish
• Boy Meets World
• Unhappily Ever After
• Brotherly Love
• Clerks: The Animated Series
• The PJs
• Once and Again
• Alias
• 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
• Hope and Faith
• Desperate Housewives
• Lost
• Ghost Whisperer

ABC Studios

• Legend of the Seeker

Disney Channel Originals

• Lizzie McGuire
• Even Stevens

Other programs

• Moonlighting (produced by ABC Circle Films)
• The Muppet Show (produced by Henson Associates)
• My So-Called Life (produced by ABC Productions)
• Muppet Babies (Produced by Henson Associates)

External links

• Disney-ABC Domestic Television at the Internet Movie Database
• Syndicated Network Television Association - Disney-ABC Domestic Television