Universal Media Studios

Infobox_Company

company_name = Universal Media Studios
company_
company_type = Subsidiary
parent = NBC Universal Television Group (NBC Universal, Inc.)
owner = General Electric Co. (80%)
Vivendi SA (20%)
foundation = 2007
location_city = Universal City, CA
location_country = USA
key_people = Ben Silverman, Co-chairman
Marc Graboff, Co-chairman/CEO
industry = Television Production
homepage = [http://www.nbcuni.com/NBC_Universal_Television_Group/ www.nbcuni.com]

Universal Media Studios (UMS, formerly NBC Universal Television Studio) is the TV production arm of the NBC Universal Television Group. It was previously known as Revue Studios, NBC Studios, and Universal Network Television. Both NBC Studios and Universal Network Television are predecessors of Universal Media Studios.

The name was changed in 2004 to reflect the NBC Universal brand. However, on Thursday, June 14, 2007, NBC Universal Television Studio, in immediate effect, was renamed Universal Media Studios. The parent company, NBC Universal, explained that the reason for the name change of the production arm 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] ]

The first series ordered under the new name was supposed to be the upcoming "Without Breasts There Is No Paradise". [ [http://nbcumv.com/telemundo/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20070614000000-nbcuniversalscores.html?rss=1 nbcumv.com/telemundo/release] ] However, the new logo debuted after November 5th's episode of "Heroes". The logo took over all of the old NBC Universal logos on other non-syndicated fare such as "House, M.D.", "Bionic Woman", "The Office", and "Friday Night Lights".

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 Revue Studios after MCA brought the Universal Studios lot in 1958. Four years later in 1962, following the acquisition of Universal Pictures, Revue was renamed Universal Television.

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 U.S. television season in first place.

Universal Television

Universal Television was an American television production/distribution company that was reincorporated from Revue Studios in 1966, four years after MCA bought Universal Pictures (though the Revue name had been phased out, little by little, during the previous three years starting in 1963). 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 (plus some of the pre-1996 films). 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.

NBC Productions/Studios

NBC Productions was American/television production/distribution company that was founded in 1947 by RCA (NBC's Former parent company).While that in 1996 to became NBC Studios. Although that in 2004 was Merged with Universal Network Television to form NBC Universal Television Studio.

MCA Television

MCA TV (also known as MCA TV, Ltd.), 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.

In 1996/1997, MCA TV was folded into Universal Television, becoming "Universal Television Enterprises".

*MCA Television Enterprises (also known as MCA Television Entertainment and 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. It was formed in 1987. Like MCA TV, in 1996/1997 it folded into Universal Television.

*EMKA, Ltd. is the holding company responsible for a majority of the pre-1950 Paramount Pictures sound library. Although now officially part of the Universal Pictures library, they are technically part of Universal Media Studios' television unit.

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.

Currently produced

* "30 Rock " (NBC)
* "American Gladiators" (NBC)
* "Bionic Woman" (NBC)
* "Battlestar Galactica" (SCI FI)
* "Eureka" (SCI FI)
* "Friday Night Lights" (NBC/The 101 on DirecTV)
* "In Plain Sight" (USA)
* "Heroes" (NBC)
* "House" (Fox)
* "Knight Rider" (NBC)
* "Last Call with Carson Daly" (NBC")
* "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (NBC)
* "Law & Order" (NBC)
* "" (USA)
* "" (NBC)
* "Life" (NBC)
* "Lipstick Jungle" (NBC)
* "Monk" (USA, co-production with ABC Studios)
* "Psych" (USA)
* "Passions" (NBC) 1999-2007, (The 101) 2007-2008
* "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (NBC)
* "The Apprentice" (NBC)

Future productions

* "Rosie's Variety Show" (NBC) will air live from New York on the night before Thanksgiving, November 26 at 8 p.m. The hour long event will include celebrity guests, musical acts, comedy skits and a contest both for in-studio and at-home audiences. This Thanksgiving special will be the premiere to the series. Rosie O'Donnell and David Friedman are the co-executive producers.

* "Without Breasts There Is No Paradise" (NBC)

Formerly produced

See NBC Universal Television Distribution.

References