Columbia TriStar Television

Former American television production and distribution company

Columbia TriStar Television, Inc.

Company type| Division
Industry| Television production
Broadcast syndication
Predecessors| Pioneer Telefilms (1948–1974)
Screen Gems (1948–1974)
Columbia Pictures Television (1974–2001)
TriStar Television (1986–1988, 1991-1999)
Founded| February 21, 1994 (1994-02-21)
Defunct| September 16, 2002 (2002-09-16)
Headquarters| 10202 West Washington Boulevard,

Culver City, California

United States

Area served

| Worldwide

Key people

| Samuel White (co-president)
Parent| Sony Pictures Entertainment
Divisions| Adelaide Productions
Trackdown Productions
Columbia TriStar International Television
Subsidiaries| ELP Communications
Califon Productions
Jeopardy Productions
Rastar Television

Columbia TriStar Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CTT) was an American television production and distribution company, which was active from February 21, 1994 until its reincorporation as Sony Pictures Television on September 16, 2002. It was the third iteration of what had originated as Columbia Pictures' television studio, Screen Gems.

## History

[edit]

Columbia TriStar Television was launched on February 21, 1994, from the merger of Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television, under the leadership of Jon Feltheimer, who was president of TriStar Television from 1991 to 1994 and of New World Television until 1991. After the merger, Columbia Pictures Television Distribution was renamed Columbia TriStar Television Distribution,[1][2][3] although most traces of the former name were not removed in full until the start of the 1995–1996 television season. It officially subsumed Merv Griffin Enterprises on June 4, 1994 and took over the role of production of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune starting in September 1994, with both shows continuing to utilize King World for distribution, an arrangement that continued until 2025 under successor company CBS Media Ventures.[4][5] In 1994, SPE acquired Stewart Television, which was known for the Pyramid franchise, to burnish the library for Sony's Game Show Network, which would launch on December 1, 1994.

Its global subsidiary, Columbia TriStar International Television, distributed Sony's programs outside North America, and was formed from Columbia Pictures International Television with TriStar International Television's merger into one unit in 1992.

In 1995, Columbia TriStar Television established its children and family entertainment division, Columbia TriStar Television Children's Programming, with Sander Schwartz named as senior vice president of the unit.[6]

In 1996, Sony merged their production units of Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television into the new Columbia TriStar Television production unit, led by Eric Tannenbaum, who was the head of TriStar Television, and around the same time partnered with CBS and 3 Arts Entertainment to start the new 3 Arts Television unit.[7]

On January 30, 1997, Sony streamlined its American domestic operations.[8] On March 12, 1997, Columbia TriStar Television signed a deal with Procter & Gamble Productions (P&G) to launch shows that P&G products sponsor, after the original agreement with Paramount Television expired.[9] On August 26, 1997, Addis-Wechsler inked a five-year joint venture agreement with the studio to produce all forms of its own television programming.[10] In 1999, Tannenbaum left CTT to head the new Artists Television Group, with CTT serving as distributor on all ATG productions.[11]

On July 1, 2000, Barry Thurston stepped down as president of Columbia TriStar Television Distribution after 17 years and was succeeded by then-current president, Steve Mosko. Thurston was originally president of Embassy Telecommunications in 1983.[12]

On October 25, 2001, Sony combined the domestic network and syndication divisions (Columbia TriStar Television and Columbia TriStar Television Distribution, respectively) into one unit known as Columbia TriStar Domestic Television.[13]

During the beginning of the 2002–2003 television season, Sony Pictures Entertainment retired the "Columbia TriStar" name from its television divisions, and the television divisions became Sony Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television International officially on September 16, 2002.[14]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Sony Pictures Television programs
* Screen Gems (1948–1974)
* Columbia Pictures Television
* TriStar Television
* Merv Griffin Enterprises
* Sony Pictures Television

## References

[edit]

1. ^ TriStar President Expected to Head Combined Unit  Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1994.
2. ^ Feltheimer heads new Columbia TriStar TV connection.ebscohost.com, Retrieved on December 18, 2012
3. ^ "Feltheimer heads new Columbia TriStar TV". Broadcasting. February 21, 1994. p. 20.
4. ^ Company Town Annex Los Angeles Times, Retrieved on July 1, 2013
5. ^ Sony-Griffin Deal New York Times, Retrieved on July 1, 2013
6. ^ "Everybody into kids' programming pool". Variety. November 5, 1995. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
7. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (July 15, 1996). "Columbia merges production units" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. p. 5. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
8. ^ Cox, Dan (January 30, 1997). "SONY STREAMLINING". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
9. ^ Levin, Gary (March 12, 1997). "SONY, P&G LATHER UP". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
10. ^ Hontz, Jenny (August 26, 1997). "Col TV, Addis-Wechsler pact". Variety. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
11. ^ Schlosser, Joe (June 21, 1999). "Ovitz reaps executive harvest" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. p. 16. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
12. ^ Schlosser, Joe (May 15, 2000). "Barry Thurston is a firm go". Broadcasting & Cable. NextTV. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
13. ^ "The Free Library" Sony Pictures Entertainment Unveils Realignment of Columbia TriStar Domestic Television Operations. Archived October 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine thefreelibrary.com, Retrieved on July 3, 2012
14. ^ Sony Pictures Entertainment Renames Television Operations; Domestic and International Divisions Take Sony Name, prnewswire.com

## External links

[edit]

* Columbia TriStar Domestic Television official website

* v
* t
* e

Columbia Pictures

A division of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group.

Predecessors|

* Independent Moving Pictures
* CBC Film Sales Corporation

Film subsidiaries|

* Ghost Corps

Defunct/former assets|

* Screen Gems
* Gottlieb
* Colpix Records
* Colgems Records
* Bell Records
* Arista Records

People|

* Sanford Panitch

See also|

* Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. v. Redd Horne, Inc.
* Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. v. Fung
* Steinberg v. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
* Columbia Pictures Television
* Columbia TriStar Television
* Sony Pictures
* Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
* Sony Pictures Releasing
* Sony Pictures Television

List of films
Film serials
1922–39
1940–49
1950–59
1960–69
1970–79
1980–89
1990–99
2000–09
2010–19
2020–29

* v
* t
* e

Sony Pictures

Key personnel|

* Tony Vinciquerra
* Tom Rothman

Motion
Picture Group|

* Columbia Pictures
* Ghost Corps
* TriStar Pictures
* TriStar Productions
* Screen Gems
* Classics
* Imageworks
* Animation
* Worldwide Acquisitions
* Destination Films
* Stage 6 Films
* Affirm Films
* Great American Pure Flix
* Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
* Sony Pictures Kids Zone

Television|

| U.S. production|

* Embassy Row
* Great American Pure Flix

|

International production|

* Bad Wolf
* Eleven
* Left Bank Pictures
* Curio Pictures
* Sony Pictures Television Kids
* Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction
* The Intellectual Property Corporation
* 19 Entertainment
* Sharp Entertainment
* Stellify Media
* Stolen Picture
* Teleset

* v
* t
* e

Sony Pictures TV channels

Sony Channel|

* United States
* Sony Movies
* Cine Sony
* Latin America

AXN|

* Brazil
* Latin America
* Portugal
* AXN White
* AXN Movies
* AXN Now
* Spain
* AXN Movies
* AXN Now

Others|

* Game Show Network
* Get

Former|

| Sony Channel|

* Baltics
* Sony Sci-Fi
* Sony Turbo
* Germany
* Sony AXN
* Russia
* Sony Sci-Fi
* Sony Turbo
* Turkey
* Sony Çocuk
* Sony Max (Hungary)
* Sony Movie Channel (Hungary)
* Sony One

|

Others|

* Animax
* Japan
* Middle East
* Southeast Asia
* Taiwan
* AXN
* Adria
* Hungary
* Southeast Asia
* Taiwan
* AXN Black
* CEE
* AXN White
* CEE
* AXN Now
* Hungary
* AXN Spin
* Crackle
* Film1
* Film1 Action
* Film1 Drama
* Film1 Family
* Film1 Premiere
* Gem
* Hollywood Suite
* Kids Station
* Planet Mutfak
* Planet Türk
* Viasat Hungary
* Viasat 3
* Viasat 6

Defunct|

* 3net
* Animax
* CEE
* Germany
* Latin America
* Portugal
* South Africa
* Spain
* AXN
* Israel
* Italy
* AXN Beyond
* AXN Black
* Portugal
* AXN Crime
* AXN Sci-Fi
* CEE
* Italy
* Cine Sony
* Italy
* BeTV
* Fearnet
* Film1 Festival
* Film1 Sundance
* Hooq
* Locomotion
* Pop (Italy)
* Sony Channel
* Southeast Asia
* Sony Max
* Sony Spin

* v
* t
* e

Sony Pictures Networks

Hindi|

* Sony Entertainment Television
* Sony Max
* Sony Max 2
* Sony Pal
* Sony Sab
* Sony Wah

English|

* Sony Pix

Bengali|

* Sony Aath

Marathi|

* Sony Marathi

Sports|

* Sony Sports Ten
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5

Children's|

* Sony Yay

Factual|

* Sony BBC Earth (50%; Joint venture with BBC Studios)

Online VOD|

* Sony LIV

International channels|

* Sony Kal

Former|

* Animax
* AXN
* Sony ESPN (50%; joint venture with ESPN Inc.)
* Sony Le Plex HD
* Sony Mix
* Sony Rox HD
* TEN Cricket International

* v
* t
* e

Television channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland operated by Sony Pictures Television

Currently broadcasting but sold to another company|

Narrative Capital Partners LLC

Great! TV
Great! Movies
Great! Action
Great! Romance
Pop
Tiny Pop

Former|

Bliss
Flava
More Than Movies
Movies4Men
Movies4Men 2
Pop Girl
Scuzz
Sony Crime Channel
True Crime
True Drama
True Entertainment
True Movies
True Movies 2
TruTV

Sold and later closed|

Pop Max
Starz TV
Trace Hits
Trace Latina
Trace Vault

Miscellaneous|

* Sony Pictures Television
* CSC Media Group
* animaxtv.co.uk (VOD, defunct)
* Funimation

Other|

* Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
* Crunchyroll, LLC (with Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex)
* Crunchyroll
* Crunchyroll EMEA
* Crunchyroll SAS
* Crunchyroll SA
* Crunchyroll GmbH
* Crunchyroll Films
* Crunchyroll Games LLC
* Crunchyroll Studios
* Crunchyroll Store Australia
* Crunchyroll UK and Ireland
* Nozomi Entertainment
* Digital
* Mobile
* Entertainment Japan
* Studios
* Madison Gate Records

Defunct/Former|

* 2waytraffic
* Adelaide Productions
* AnimeLab
* Anime on Demand
* Columbia Pictures Television
* Columbia TriStar Television
* Crackle
* The Minisode Network
* Culver Entertainment
* ELP Communications
* Funimation
* Jim Henson Pictures
* Kazé
* Merv Griffin Enterprises
* Right Stuf
* Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group
* TriStar Television
* Triumph Films
* VRV
* Wakanim

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template