NBC Universal Television Group

Infobox_Company
company_name = NBC Universal Television Group
company_
company_type = Subsidiary
parent = NBC Universal, Inc.
owner = General Electric Co. (80%)
Vivendi SA (20%)
foundation = 2004

NBC Universal Television Group is an American and global television production/distribution company and a subsidiary of NBC Universal.

The company is comprised of four divisions: Universal Media Studios (formerly NBC Universal Television Studio), NBC Universal Television Stations, NBC Universal Television Distribution, NBC Universal International Television and the recently-established Universal Cable Productions.

The company was previously known as Revue Studios, NBC Studios, Universal Television, and MCA TV. The name was changed to NBC Universal Television on May 12, 2004 from the merger of NBC's production/distribution arm and Universal's television division to reflect the NBC Universal brand.

The previous name took syndication until September 20, 2004, which was also the date launch of the NBC Uni TV Distribution logo, even though the copyright to the NBC Universal TV shows are now credited to either NBC Studios, Inc., NBC Enterprises, Inc., Universal Network Television LLC, Universal Talk TV Productions, LLC, or otherwise NBC Universal, Inc. (all NBC Universal TV's alternate monikers).

On Thursday, June 14, 2007, NBC Universal announced that NBC Universal Television Studio would be renamed, effective immediately, to Universal Media Studios. The parent company, NBC Universal, explained that the reason for the name change of NBC Universal Television was because "the new name fully describes the company's mission to be the premier content provider for television and digital platforms, spanning all television dayparts and creative genres." [ [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070614nuts01 The Futon Critic] ]

DVD releases for most shows owned by the group are handled by Universal Studios Home Entertainment, while others are licensed to other companies such as Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Arts Alliance America and Shout! Factory.

History

Revue Studios

Revue Studios (first known as Revue Productions) was founded in 1943 by MCA to produce live shows. The partnership of NBC and Revue extends as far back as September 6, 1950, with the television broadcast of "Armour Theatre", based on radio's "Stars Over Hollywood". The company was renamed to Revue Studios in 1958. Then in 1962, following the acquisition of Universal Pictures, Revue was renamed Universal Television one year later.

During the early years of television, Revue was responsible for producing and/or distributing many television classics. The most noteworthy of such, included "Leave It to Beaver", which ran for only one season on CBS before going to ABC from 1958 until 1963. In addition, Revue also made "The Jack Benny Program" for CBS and NBC, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" for CBS, and westerns such as "Tales of Wells Fargo" and "Laramie" for NBC, as well as "Wagon Train" for NBC and ABC, and the first two seasons of "The Virginian" (based on a film released originally by Paramount Pictures, whose pre-1950 theatrical sound library was sold to MCA in 1957) for NBC. "Wagon Train" was the only Revue-produced TV show to ever finish a USA television season in first-place.

Universal Television

Universal Television was an American television production/distribution company that was reincorporated from Revue Studios in 1963, a year after MCA bought Universal Pictures. From 1967-1979, Uni TV co-produced many shows with Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited such as "Adam-12" and a revival of the 1951 series "Dragnet".

In 1990, Uni TV began the "Law & Order" franchise. In 1996, MCA was reincorporated as Universal Studios. The same time around, Universal was acquired by Joseph A. Seagram and Sons and later acquired the USA Networks and Multimedia Entertainment. In 1997, the company formed Universal Worldwide Television. In 1998, Universal sold off its USA Networks and Universal Television to Barry Diller and renamed it to Studios USA.

In 1999, Seagram bought PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, which included PolyGram Television and the post-1996 film library. The deal closed in 2000 and quickly adapted PolyGram to the Universal name. Vivendi Universal acquired Studios USA and made Diller as CEO of VU Entertainment fully reforming Universal Television.

On May 12, 2004, GE formed NBC Universal Television. However, the company decided to keep the NBC and Universal Television names in the end credits from any series by NBC or Universal, though NBC Universal logos have showed up on some shows after the logo of the original production company.

MCA Television

MCA TV (also known as MCA TV, Ltd. and MCA Television Enterprises), was an American television production/distribution company that was founded in 1951, several years before parent MCA's purchase of the U.S. branch of Decca Records (in 1959) and Universal Pictures (in 1962).

For more than four decades, it was one of the most active producers of television programming. MCA TV's other television divisions included Universal Television and MCA Television Enterprises.

When MCA, Inc. was reincorporated as Universal Studios during the 1996-1997 season, MCA-TV followed suit, becoming "Universal Television Enterprises".

*MCA Television Entertainment (also known as MTE) was the specialty division of MCA Television Ltd., focusing on TV movies for cable and network television, as well as direct to video fare was formed in 1987. As was the case with MCA-TV, it was renamed to Universal Television Entertainment in 1997.
*EMKA, Ltd. is the in-name-only holding company responsible for the copyright and distribution of the classic Paramount Pictures sound library up to 1950, with very few exceptions. This includes classic movies from Cecil B. DeMille and Preston Sturges. Because the unit is now officially part of the Universal Pictures library, it is the NBC Universal Television Distribution unit that oversees the EMKA/classic Paramount holdings.

tudios USA

Studios USA was a American film and television production/distribution company formed by Barry Diller when he bought Universal Television and the USA Networks from Seagram's Universal Studios in 1998. It produced and distributed talk shows, including "Sally Jessy Raphael", "The Jerry Springer Show", and "Maury". It also produced shows formerly from Universal Television, including the "Law & Order" franchise. The company also formed USA Films and USA Home Entertainment. In 2002, Vivendi Universal acquired Studios USA and the rest of USA's non-shopping (film and TV) assets, and reverted the remaining series produced and/or distributed by Studios USA to Universal Television.

Universal Media Studios

Universal Media Studios (formerly NBC Studios, Universal Network Television and NBC Universal Television Studios) is the television production arm of NBC Universal that produces network programs.

NBC Universal Television Stations

NBC Universal Television Stations is another production company that handles series that are aired on NBC owned stations.

NBC Universal Television Stations Division (TVSD) is an operation division of NBC Universal's owned and operated NBC stations and the following Telemundo Stations:
*KNBC
*KNSD
*KNTV
*KXAS
*WCAU
*WMAQ
*WNBC
*WRC-TV
*WTVJ
*WVIT
*KBLR (TV)
*KHRR
*KDEN
*KNSO
*KTAZ
*KTMD
*KVDA
*KSTS
*KVEA
*KXTX
*WKAQ
*WNEU
*WNJU
*WSCV
*WSNS

NBC Universal Television Distribution

NBC Universal Television Distribution (formerly NBC Enterprises, Universal Domestic Television and MCA TV among other distributor incarnations) is the television distribution arm of NBC Universal that distributes programs across the nation.

NBC Universal International Television

NBC Universal International Television or NBC Universal International Television Distribution (formerly Universal Worldwide Television) is the worldwide television production/distribution arm of NBC Universal, syndicating NBC Uni's programs across the globe. Prior to NUIT's formation, for several years MGM International Television Distribution handled worldwide distribution of shows from NBC Studios.

References