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Sony Pictures Entertainment
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Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (SPE) is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese media conglomerate Sony. Its group sales in 2007 has been reported to be of $8.58 billion.
HistoryIn 1989, Sony acquired the American film and television production company Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. from The Coca-Cola Company for US$3.4 billion. The company was renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1991.
Sony has since created numerous other film production and distribution units, such as creating Sony Pictures Classics for art-house fare, and expanded its growth on April 8, 2005, when a consortium led by Sony and its equity partners acquired the legendary Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in a deal worth nearly US$5 billion.
Corporate structureHeadquartered in Culver City, California, USA, SPE comprises various studios and entertainment brands, including Columbia Pictures and GSN.
Senior management team- Michael Lynton
- Chairman & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Amy Pascal
- Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Chairman, Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment
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- Vice Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
- Yair Landau
- Vice Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment
- President, Sony Pictures Digital
List of holdings
- Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group (result of a merger between Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures in 1998): With a library of more than 4,000 films (including 12 Academy Award for Best Picture winners), as of 2004 this unit of Sony distributes about 22 films a year under its various studio brands in 67 countries. The group owns studio facilities in the United States, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Japan. In addition to the below company-owned brands, Columbia TriStar also has a contract to distribute films for independent Revolution Studios and select films by MGM and United Artists.
- Columbia Pictures: Founded in 1924 by Harry Cohn, Sony acquired the studio in 1989 from The Coca-Cola Company for $3.4 billion.
- TriStar Pictures Formed in 1982 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS. Became part Columbia Pictures Entertainment in December 1987 and the Sony ownership in 1989.
- Sony Pictures India, production house established by Sony to release Indian movies and distribute hollywood movies, released under Columbia Pictures.
- Sony Pictures Classics (SPC): Specializes in acquiring distribution rights to independent and art films as well as producing lower-budget productions geared to limited audiences.
- Sony Pictures Releasing
- Sony Pictures Releasing International
- Screen Gems: Originally Columbia's animation division and later a television production company best known for TV's Bewitched and The Partridge Family, as well as bringing The 3 Stooges "shorts" to TV in 1958. Sony revived the Screen Gems brand to develop mid-priced movies (production budget of between $20 million and $50 million) in specific genres such as science fiction, horror, black cinema and franchise films.
- Triumph Films: The label Sony uses for its low-budget or direct to video films.
- Destination Films: A "niche" motion picture company purchased by Sony in 2001.
- FEARnet A joint venture between SPE, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Comcast for horror, suspense, and thriller movies online.
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: Manufactures and distributes the Sony film library on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, video cassette, and UMD forms to global markets.
- Culver Entertainment
- Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group
- Sony Pictures Television Group: (formerly Columbia TriStar Television Group) The successor-in-interest to Columbia's television division (first Screen Gems, later Columbia Pictures Television, Coca-Cola Television, TriStar Television (A division of Columbia Pictures Television), and Columbia TriStar Television), as of 2004 the unit was producing 60 titles for various television outlets globally. Contains a library that includes more than 35,000 episodes of more than 270 television series and 22,000 game show episodes under the Columbia TriStar Television brand, and the television rights to the Embassy Pictures library (including The Graduate and The Lion in Winter) and also the owner of the television brand "Embassy Television"--among most recent notable shows in this library are Seinfeld, King of Queens, Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless.
- The Minisode Network
- Crackle C-Spot
- Merv Griffin Enterprises: Founded in 1964 by Merv Griffin as Merv Griffin Productions. He sold his company to The Coca-Cola Company in 1986 as Merv Griffin Enterprises. It is now a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment since 1991. MGE is located in Los Angeles, California.
- Barry & Enright Productions (post-scandal), including Jack Barry Productions: Formed in 1947 by Jack Barry and Dan Enright, shut down in 1959, and reformed in 1975
- Bob Stewart Productions: Formed in 1964 by Bob Stewart
- Chuck Barris Productions: Formed in 1965 by Chuck Barris. Formed Barris Industries in 1968.
- ELP Communications (ELPC) and Tandem Licensing Corporation (TLC): The two in-name only units of Sony Pictures Television own the productions' copyrights presented by Norman Lear's companies: Tandem Productions and ELP Communications (series from TAT to ELP Communications). The companies were formed by Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear in 1963 as Tandem Productions. Yorkin sold his shares to Lear in 1975. Lear sold Tandem/Embassy Television to The Coca-Cola Company in 1985 and later became Embassy Communications in 1986 (later became ELP Communications in 1988). ELPC and TLC are part of Sony Pictures Entertainment since 1991.
- Sony Pictures Television International: Formed in 1995 as the worldwide television distribution arm for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Formerly known as Columbia TriStar International Television from 1995-2002.
- SPE Networks
- Sony Entertainment Television
- Animax: Instituted in Japan by Sony in 1998, Animax is the world's largest animated television network, with respective networks operating across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America and other regions.
- AXN: Formed in 1997, AXN is Sony's entertainment television network, which airs across Japan, Asia, Latin America and Europe.
- 2waytraffic Acquired by Sony in 2008, this television production company owns a number of formats, most notably including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
- Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group
- Sony Online Entertainment
- Sony Pictures Animation
- Sony Pictures Consumer Products
- Sony Pictures Digital
- Sony Pictures Cable Ventures, Inc.
- Sony Pictures Studios: The actual physical buildings, land and movie-making equipment properties in Culver City, California. Includes 22 sound stages, ranging in size from 7,600 to 43,000 square feet (700 to 4,000 mē)
- Sony Pictures Studios Post Production Facilities
- Worldwide Product Fulfillment
- Game Show Network: (joint venture with Liberty Media)
- Crackle (formerly known as Grouper Networks)
- Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) (SPEJ): The company plans, produces, manufactures, sells, imports, exports, leases, broadcasts and distributes movies, TV programs, videos and audio-visual software in Japan. The company web site says it was established on February 10, 1984, predating Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures Entertainment by 5 years. SPEJ was formed in 1991 through the merger of Columbia Tristar Japan, RCA Columbia Pictures Video Japan, and Japan International Enterprises. Based in Tokyo, Japan.
Affiliates
MGM Holdings, Inc. (MGM):
- Officially, unlike Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is not a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony owns 20% of the total equity (which includes 45% of the total outstanding common stock) of MGM Holdings, Inc.
- MGM has operating agreements with SPE in regard to the distribution of MGM's library and co-production of new films. In 2006, MGM ended their distribution agreement with SPE and transferred their home video output from SPE to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (excepting those Columbia TriStar/MGM/UA co-productions).
External links
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