Sony Pictures Television
| File:Sony Pictures Television logo.svg Logo used since 2019 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production and distribution |
| Predecessor | Columbia TriStar Television |
| Founded | September 16, 2002 |
| Headquarters | Culver City, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Andrea Wong (head of international production, former) |
| Products | Television shows, television networks |
| Parent | Sony Pictures Entertainment |
| Website | www |
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (SPT) serves as the television production and distribution division of Sony Pictures, itself a segment of Sony Entertainment. Founded on September 16, 2002, and headquartered at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, SPT originated from Columbia TriStar Television and traces its lineage back to Columbia Pictures’ television operations.
History
The foundation of SPT can be traced back to 1947 with Ralph Cohn's Pioneer Telefilms, which Columbia acquired and renamed Screen Gems in 1948. This entity evolved into Columbia Pictures Television in 1974 and later merged with TriStar Television in 1994, forming Columbia TriStar Television. The rebranding to Sony Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television International occurred in 2002 under Sony’s ownership.
SPT expanded its international presence through a series of acquisitions and collaborations: it purchased French production company Starling in 2004; established a joint venture with China Film Group the same year to enter the Chinese market; invested in UK-based Gogglebox Entertainment in 2008; acquired Dutch firm 2waytraffic, known for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, also in 2008; and enhanced its U.S. unscripted content by acquiring Embassy Row in 2009.
In 2009, SPT unified its domestic and international branches under a single brand identity. The launch of Victory Television in London followed in 2011, alongside Andrea Wong’s appointment as head of international production. Subsequent UK growth included acquiring Dolphin Broadcast Services and Silver River Productions in 2012, Left Bank Pictures also in 2012, and securing majority control of Scarlet Media in 2013. The company further expanded its global reach by acquiring Australian drama producer Playmaker Media and British cable operator CSC Media Group in 2014.
The TriStar Television label was revived as a boutique brand by SPT in 2015, debuting with the series Good Girls Revolt. By that year, SPT ranked among the largest television production and distribution entities globally based on library size and revenue.
Further growth was achieved through investments in Swedish producer Palladium Fiction (2016) and British scripted content creator Eleventh Hour Films (2018). In 2017, SPT acquired a majority stake in anime distributor Funimation for $143 million, integrating it with its Animax and Kids Station divisions.
Additional acquisitions included Silvergate Media in 2019—known for Octonauts and Netflix's Hilda—and majority stakes in UK producers Eleven Film (2020) and Bad Wolf (2021), strengthening its scripted programming portfolio.
Strategic divestitures involved selling Sony Pictures Television France’s unscripted division to Satisfaction Group in 2020 while maintaining an equity interest and distribution agreement; offloading Southeast Asian channels AXN, Animax, and Sony One to KC Global Media the same year; transferring UK channels to Narrative Capital in 2021; and divesting Central/Eastern European channels to Antenna Group also in 2021.
In 2022, SPT sold its German operations to Banijay, which subsequently rebranded the unit as Noisy Pictures. Leadership transitions include the retirement of Ed Lammi after a 36-year tenure overseeing production in 2023. In early 2024, SPT inaugurated Hot Sauce Pictures in Belfast to broaden its UK production capabilities.
This chronology underscores SPT’s strategic emphasis on global expansion through acquisitions, partnerships, and diversification across both scripted and unscripted content to sustain competitive positioning within the worldwide television industry.
Units
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) comprises seven primary divisions: Game Shows, International Production, Kids, Music Development, Nonfiction, Networks, and Studios.
Through its International Production branch, SPT manages local television studios in 12 different countries.
The principal production and distribution entities are listed as follows:
| Region/country | Division(s) |
|---|---|
| United States |
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| Australia | |
| Brazil |
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| France |
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| India | |
| United Kingdom |
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| Latin America |
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| International |
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| Former/Defunct |
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Sony Pictures Television Networks
The channels under this division are either wholly or partially owned and managed by Sony Pictures Television Networks. For channels previously operated by CSC Media Group, refer to CSC Media Group.
United States
- CPE US Networks, Inc.
- Get: A digital multicast channel that debuted on February 3, 2014, showcasing classic television series sourced from Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Television, and CBS Media Ventures.
- Sony Movies: A cable network introduced on October 1, 2010.
- Sony Cine: A cable channel broadcasting in Spanish, launched in August 2012.
- Game Show Network, LLC
- Game Show Network: A cable channel that began airing on December 1, 1994.
- Game Show Central: A free ad-supported streaming service featuring Game Show Network content, launched on March 28, 2020.
- Crunchyroll Channel: A free ad-supported streaming platform offering anime from sister company Crunchyroll, LLC. It was launched on October 11, 2023, available on services such as The Roku Channel and Amazon Freevee. This channel exemplifies a strategic collaboration among Sony divisions—Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex’s Crunchyroll LLC working together with Sony Pictures Television's Game Show Network to optimize cross-division content distribution.
International
- Sony Channel
- Culver Max Entertainment: Originally founded as SET India Private Limited on September 30, 1995.
- AXN: Introduced to audiences on June 22, 1997.
Filmography
Among the prominent productions and distributions by Sony Pictures Television are Jeopardy!, Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Jackie Chan Adventures, Shark Tank, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Boys, Cobra Kai, and 90 Day Fiancé.
External links
- Official website: Sony Pictures Entertainment TV Home
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