SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

'Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.' ('SPE') is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japan-based media conglomerate Sony. Its group sales in 2005 has been reported to be of $6.6 billion.^[4]

Contents

History

Corporate structure

Senior management team

List of holdings

Notes and references

External links

History

In 1989, Sony acquired the American film and television production company Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, etc.) from The Coca-Cola Company for $3.4 billion. ^{[5] [6] 2} 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 Studios, Inc. in a deal worth nearly $5 billion.^[7]

Corporate structure

Headquartered in Culver City, California, USA, SPE comprises various studios and entertainment brands, including Columbia Pictures and GSN.

Senior management team

★ Michael Lynton

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★ Chairman & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment

★ Amy Pascal

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★ Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment

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★ Chairman, Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment

★ Jeff Blake

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★ Vice Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment

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★ Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group

★ Yair Landau

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★ Vice Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment

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★ 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. ⁴ 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.

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★ Columbia Pictures: Founded in 1924 by Harry Cohn, Sony acquired the studio in 1989 from The Coca-Cola Company for $3.4 billion. ^{5 6}

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★ TriStar Pictures

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★ Sony Pictures India, production house established by Sony to release Indian movies and distribute hollywood movies, released under Columbia Pictures.

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★ 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. ⁴

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★ Sony Pictures Releasing

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★ Sony Pictures Releasing International

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★ Screen Gems: Originally Columbia's animation division and later a television production company best known for TV's ''Bewitched'' and ''The Partridge Family'', 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.

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★ Triumph Films: The label Sony uses for its low-budget or direct to video films.

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★ Destination Films: A "niche" motion picture company purchased by Sony in 2001.

★ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: Manufactures and distributes the Sony film library in DVD, video cassette, and UMD forms to global markets.

★ 'Sony Pictures 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''.

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★ The Minisode Network''

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★ 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.

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★ 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

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★ Chuck Barris Productions: Formed in 1965 by Chuck Barris. Formed Barris Industries in 1968.

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★ Bob Stewart Productions: Formed in 1965 by Bob Stewart

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★ ELP Communications (ELPC) and Tandem Licensing Corporation (TLC): The companies 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.

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★ 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.

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★ SPE Networks

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★ Sony Entertainment Television

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★ Animax: Instituted in Japan by Sony in 1998, Animax is the world's largest anime television network ^[8], with respective networks operating across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America and other regions ^[9].

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★ AXN: Formed in 1997, AXN is Sony's entertainment television network, which airs across Japan, Asia, Latin America and Europe.

★ Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group

★ Sony Online Entertainment

★ Sony Pictures Animation

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★ Adelaide Productions

★ Sony Pictures Consumer Products

★ Sony Pictures Digital

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★ Sony Pictures Imageworks

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★ Sony Station

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★ Sony Pictures Network

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★ Sony Pictures Mobile

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★ Sony Pictures Digital Networks

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★ SPiN

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★ SoapCity

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★ Screenblast

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★ Advanced Platform Group APG

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★ Grouper Networks, Inc. (renamed Crackle, Inc.)


★ 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 m²)

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★ Sony Pictures Studios Post Production Facilities

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★ Worldwide Product Fulfillment

★ Game Show Network: ''(joint venture with Liberty Media)''

★ Movielink: ''(joint venture with MGM, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros.)''

★ 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^[3], 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.^[11] Based in Tokyo, Japan.


★ 'Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.' (MGM) [1] : On April 8, 2005, a consortium led by Sony, Comcast and their equity partners acquired the legendary Hollywood studio in a deal finalized, worth nearly $5 billion.^7[12] The consortium created a Delaware-registered company MGM Holdings, Inc. and, with the company, wholly owns the Century City-based holding company. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG Capital, L.P. (formerly Texas Pacific Group) (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). Officially, unlike Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is not a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. ^[13][14] Sony owns 20% of the total equity (which includes 45% of the total outstanding common stock) of MGM Holdings. MGM has operating agreements with SPE in regard to the distribution of MGM's library and co-production of new films.

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★ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.: it is a television and motion picture holding company. MGM Studios is located in Century City, California.

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★ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Inc.: The company produces MGM films. The studio also was acquired by the Comcast/Sony partnership.

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★ MGM Distribution Company

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★ United Artists Entertainment LLC ^[15]: The company is a film studio which was formed in November, 2006 under a partnership between producer/actor Tom Cruise, his production partner, Paula Wagner, and MGM Studios. Cruise and Wagner own a small stake in the studio. The "new" UA is the latest incarnation of United Artists Corp. (originally formed in 1919), MGM's sister specialty studio also acquired by the Comcast/Sony partnership.

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★ Orion Pictures Corporation: In-name-only unit of MGM, its library also now part of the Comcast/Sony acquisition. The company owns labels and films produced by Filmways, American International Pictures, Heatter-Quigley Productions and Streamline Pictures.

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★ The Samuel Goldwyn Company: Founded by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. in 1979. It is also part of the Comcast/Sony partnership. Also known as Samuel Goldwyn Films, Goldwyn Films, G2 Films and Goldwyn Entertainment Company.

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★ Motion Picture Corporation of America

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★ MGM Television: MGM's television division established in 1955. MGM Television owns shows from United Artists Television, Orion Television, Filmways Television, American International Television, Samuel Goldwyn Television, Heatter-Quigley Productions, and post-1986 shows by MGM/UA.

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★ MGM Worldwide Television: MGM's global television arm of MGM Television established in 1996.

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★ MGM Networks

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★ MGM Home Entertainment: Manufactures and distributes the MGM film library for DVD and video cassette.

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★ Soul Cinema

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★ MGM Interactive

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★ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation

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★ MGM On Stage

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★ MGM Theatrical Distribution

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★ Ventanazul: The company is a film studio which was formed in April, 2007 under a partnership between Salma Hayek, her partner Jose Tamez and MGM.

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★ MGM Consumer Products

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★ MGM Location Based Entertainment

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★ MGM Worldwide Digital Media
: Note: MGM Mirage, a Las Vegas-based megaresort company listed on the NYSE under the symbol "MGM," is affiliated with neither MGM nor SPE.

Notes and references

1. Sony Pictures History, Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum
2. Nathan, J. (1999) ''Sony: The Private Life.'' (Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-395-89327-5, ISBN 0-618-12694-5)
3. Sony Pictures Online SPEJ - Company Profile, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan), Inc. official website.
4. Sony Pictures - Corporate Factsheet, sonypictures.com
5. Rudolph B (1994) ''So many dreams so many losses.'' ''Time'' vol. 144, no. 22 (Nov. 28, 1994)
6. Griffin N, Masters K (1996) ''Hit and Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood.'' (Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-684-83266-6)
7. ''Sony will purchase MGM in a deal worth about billion'', ''CNN'', September 14 2004.
8. ''The Anime Biz'' - By Ian Rowley, with Hiroko Tashiro, Chester Dawson, and Moon Ihlwan, ''BusinessWeek'', June 27 2005.
9. ''Animax Asia - Corporate Profile'' - ''Animax-Asia official website''.
10. Sony Pictures Online SPEJ - Company Profile, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan), Inc. official website.
11. History of Columbia Pictures Part 3, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (in Japanese)
12. Acquistion of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Completed. April 8, 2005, Press Release, Sony Corporation of America
13. Sony Annual Report (SEC Form 20-F) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006
14. Sony 2006 Annual Report
15. Dennis Rice Leaves Disney to join United Artists as marketing and publicity chief

External links

★ Official website

★ Official Japan website

★ Official Sony Pictures Releasing International website

★ Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum