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Spelling Television

From Alfawiki
Spelling Television Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTelevision production
PredecessorAaron Spelling Productions
FoundedOctober 25, 1965; 61 years ago (1965-10-25) in Los Angeles, California, United States
FounderAaron Spelling
DefunctMay 2007 (2007-05)
FateClosed and became a nominal unit within CBS Studios
Headquarters
Los Angeles
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
Aaron Spelling (founder, CEO until 2006), Jonathan Levin (president)
ProductsTelevision series (e.g., The Love Boat, Dynasty, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Melrose Place, Charmed)
ParentSpelling Entertainment Group (1991–1999), Paramount Television (1999–2006), CBS Paramount Television / CBS Studios (2006–2007)

Spelling Television Inc. was a prominent American television production company established by producer Aaron Spelling on October 25, 1965, initially operating under the name Aaron Spelling Productions. The company later evolved into Spelling Entertainment Inc. and became a division within the larger Spelling Entertainment Group. It was responsible for creating popular series such as The Love Boat, Dynasty, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Melrose Place, and Charmed. Based in Los Angeles, the firm functioned as a subsidiary of Spelling Entertainment Group from 1991 to 1999, then operated under Paramount Television between 1999 and 2006, and subsequently under CBS Paramount Television from 2006 until 2007. Today, the brand exists solely as a nominal unit within CBS Studios.

Associated companies included Spelling-Goldberg Productions, co-founded by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg, which produced series like Family, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, and Fantasy Island. Notably, these shows are not included in the current Paramount Global catalog. Another contemporaneous entity, The Douglas S. Cramer Company—headed by Executive Vice President Douglas S. Cramer—was responsible for producing series such as Wonder Woman and TV movies including Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway.

Background

Following his departure from Four Star Television, Aaron Spelling launched Aaron Spelling Productions on October 25, 1965, securing an exclusive two-year production contract with United Artists Television. Shortly thereafter, on April 15, 1966, he joined forces with comedian Danny Thomas to create Thomas-Spelling Productions, overseeing a portfolio that eventually encompassed 24 properties. By July 1966, ABC had announced its financial backing for the company’s inaugural program, the comedy-western Range (which was later renamed Rango) starring Tim Conway. ABC also commissioned a pilot for The Guns of Will Sonnett. Thomas-Spelling Productions concluded operations following the final season of The Mod Squad in 1972, after which Spelling partnered with Leonard Goldberg to form Spelling-Goldberg Productions.

History

While still active with Thomas-Spelling Productions, Aaron Spelling secured an exclusive agreement with ABC through Aaron Spelling Productions for both television series and feature films.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Spelling had established himself as a leading figure in television production. In 1982, Aaron Spelling Productions obtained global syndication rights for its forthcoming projects through Warner Bros. Television Distribution. By 1984, the company boasted seven programs airing on ABC, representing approximately one-third of the network’s prime-time lineup. This dominance earned ABC the informal nickname "Aaron's Broadcasting Company," although Spelling himself was not fond of this label.

In 1986, Aaron Spelling Productions went public and raised $80 million through its initial offering. By 1987, it had diversified into feature film production with several projects in development across different studios. That year also saw an extension of its contract with ABC and a transition toward non-exclusive agreements with other networks. In 1988, Aaron Spelling Productions acquired Laurel Entertainment along with most assets of Taft Entertainment Company—including Worldvision Enterprises—which were consolidated under the newly formed Spelling Entertainment Inc., with Worldvision continuing its operations. The sale was finalized in March 1989. In 1990, the company launched Spelling Films International to handle distribution and financing of feature films.

Throughout the early 1990s, series such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place significantly enhanced Fox’s ratings while attracting younger viewers. Although short-lived, Sunset Beach, Spelling’s only daytime soap opera endeavor, gained international acclaim. The WB network debuted with 7th Heaven, which became its longest-running and highest-rated program during its ten-season run. By 2006, The CW included 7th Heaven in its first season lineup; this marked Spelling Television’s last network broadcast series. The company also capitalized on merchandising opportunities throughout the 1980s and 1990s and was among the pioneers in establishing a dedicated website for one of its shows—Melrose Place—at the dawn of the internet era.

On April 6, 1991, Charter Company acquired Spelling Entertainment Inc. A merger agreement followed in March 1992; by October that year Charter rebranded itself as Spelling Entertainment Group Inc., updating its NYSE ticker symbol to SP. In October 1993, Blockbuster Inc. purchased a controlling interest in Spelling Entertainment Group. Subsequently, on April 28, 1994, Spelling Entertainment acquired Republic Pictures for $100 million.

Viacom acquisition

On September 29, 1994, Blockbuster completed a merger with Viacom. At that point, Blockbuster held a 67% stake in Spelling Entertainment. Following this consolidation, Spelling merged Worldvision into its Republic Pictures division, ceasing Worldvision’s role as an independent production entity. Its distribution operations persisted until 1999, when they were integrated into Paramount Domestic Television—a result of Viacom's 1994 acquisition of Paramount Communications, the parent company of Paramount Pictures and its television branch.

In 1995, Viacom aimed to divest its 78% ownership in Spelling to alleviate debt incurred from acquiring Paramount and due to overlapping functions with Paramount Television. Prospective purchasers included PolyGram, New World Entertainment, and News Corporation, but no viable offer materialized, leading to the withdrawal of the sale plan in 1996. Subsequently, Viacom purchased the remaining shares of Spelling Entertainment on June 23, 1999.

Prior to merging with Viacom, the majority of Spelling’s productions were distributed through Worldvision, while older catalog titles were managed by Warner Bros. Television Studios and 20th Television.

Spelling’s corporate headquarters transitioned from offices located on the former Warner Bros. lot in Hollywood to a prominent position as a major tenant at Wilshire Courtyard in Los Angeles’s Miracle Mile area. The firm expanded considerably, leasing several floors and occupying substantial office space. Aaron Spelling's expansive personal office became well-known within Hollywood circles. Following Spelling’s departure, various media companies—including the newly established The CW—expressed interest in the vacated offices. In 2006, Spelling Television moved to more modest accommodations in Santa Monica.

Aaron Spelling continued as CEO until his passing in 2006. Jonathan Levin, the company president, oversaw daily operations with support from longtime producing collaborator E. Duke Vincent. Toward the end of 2005, Spelling Television reduced its workforce and entered into a development and production agreement with Paramount Television, relocating personnel to Paramount’s facilities.

CBS/ViacomCBS/Paramount Global era

Spelling Television was scaled down to a minimal "production shingle" within CBS Paramount Television (currently CBS Studios), a division under CBS Corporation (now Paramount Global), maintaining only a small staff. After Aaron Spelling’s death in June 2006, the company was officially closed in May 2007 and remained solely as a nominal entity within CBS Studios.

Spelling's library today

The division of CBS and Viacom separated ownership of the Spelling and Republic catalogs: CBS retained rights for television content, while Viacom (Paramount) maintained control over theatrical releases and direct-to-video properties. All television series produced or acquired by Spelling Television are currently distributed by CBS Media Ventures.

The Spelling logo last appeared on broadcast television during the rerun airing of the 7th Heaven finale on September 16, 2007; however, it continues to be featured on DVD editions except for titles controlled by Sony Pictures Television or acquired shows such as Bonanza. Since 2008, major productions like Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, and Twin Peaks have been available through CBS’s online streaming platform. Beginning in 2015, CBS-owned channels such as Pop along with streaming services including Paramount+ and Hulu have offered these series digitally.

In December 2019, CBS Corporation and Viacom reunited as ViacomCBS (later rebranded as Paramount Global), bringing together the Spelling and Republic libraries once again.

Spelling Entertainment Group

Prior to Viacom's complete takeover in 1999, Spelling Entertainment Group comprised the following entities:

In 1998, Spelling divested multiple assets to concentrate exclusively on television production: Spelling Films along with its home video division was closed; TeleUNO was sold to Sony Pictures. That same year, North American home video distribution rights were licensed to Artisan Entertainment, while Virgin Interactive’s software development operations were sold to Electronic Arts.

After the 2005 corporate separation between Viacom and CBS Corporation, most film-related properties transferred to Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, whereas television assets were assigned to CBS Corporation’s distribution divisions until their re-merger in 2019. The Selznick film catalog remains under the control of The Walt Disney Company/ABC syndication branches.

DVD distribution rights are divided but largely consolidated:

  • Worldwide DVD rights for the television catalog are held by Paramount Home Entertainment, marketed under the CBS Home Entertainment label. Notable exceptions include UK DVD distribution for Twin Peaks, managed by Universal Playback, and the miniseries Holocaust, whose international DVD rights are licensed separately.
  • In the United States, physical media rights for the Spelling/Republic film collection were originally handled by Lionsgate Home Entertainment through Artisan Entertainment. Following Paramount’s acquisition of full ownership, numerous titles have been relicensed to Olive Films. Paramount currently controls most films; however, select titles such as It's a Wonderful Life are either directly managed or licensed to specialty distributors like Kino Lorber and Criterion. Outside the U.S., DVD rights belong to various companies including Universal in the UK and Paramount in other territories.

Former names

  • Aaron Spelling Productions (1965–1988)
  • Spelling Entertainment Inc. (1988–1992)
  • Spelling Entertainment Group (1992–1999)

See also

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