Columbia TriStar Television: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox company|image=Columbia_TriStar_Television.png|founded=February 21, 1994 ({{age|1994|2|21}}|country=United States|predecessors=[[Sony Pictures Television]]|founder=Ralph Cohn|defunct=September 16, 2002 ({{age|2002|9|16}}|fate=Folded into [[Sony Pictures Television]]|parent=[[Columbia Pictures|Columbia/TriStar Television]]|key people=Jeff Frost<br>Chris Parnell<br>Jason Clodfelter|successors=[[Sony Pictures Television]]}}

===Background===

'''Columbia TriStar Television''' was a merger of [[Columbia Pictures Television|'''Columbia''' Pictures Television]] and [[TriStar Television (1991-1999)|'''TriStar''' Television]] (after branding [[Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment|Columbia TriStar Home Video]]). It was founded on February 21, 1994 and the same day, SPE renamed Columbia Pictures Television Distribution to "'''Columbia TriStar Television Distribution'''". With [[Columbia TriStar International Television]] (formerly "Columbia Pictures International Television") (now [[Sony Pictures Television International]]) already in operation since the early 1990s, all three became part of the "'''Columbia TriStar Television Group'''". On June 4, 1994, CTT folded [[Merv Griffin Enterprises]] and took over the rights to ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel of Fortune'', and used a logo since the inception by September. However, CPT and TriStar continued producing their own series until TriStar Television became in-name-only in 1999 and CPT folded in 2001. Columbia TriStar Television was officially incorporated on July 12, 1996. On October 25, 2001, CTT and CTTD were merged into "'''Columbia TriStar Domestic Television'''" with CTIT remaining. On September 16, 2002, CTDT was reincorporated as "[[Sony Pictures Television]]".

'''Technique:''' None.

'''Music/Sounds Variants:'''  

*Like the CPT logo, from 1994, the logo theme was re-orchestrated.

* From 1996-2000, the logo fades out at the last note. This doesn't happen on ''Jeopardy!'' or ''Wheel of Fortune''.

*On the VHS promo for ''Godzilla: The Series'', it's silent, except for non-U.S. releases that carries the logo theme. It was also used on ''Jeopardy!'' on the Philips CD-i.

*On some airings of season 4 ''Early Edition'' episodes, the 1993 TriStar Television music is heard over the logo.

*It appeared on GSN up until their infamous "Dark Period", then was replaced with the then-current CTT logo.

*It was spotted on ''Jeopardy!'', ''Wheel of Fortune'' (both until spring 1997), ''Men in Black: The Series'' (until 2000), ''Channel Umptee-3'', ''Jumanji: The Series'', several S1 episodes of ''Godzilla: The Series'', and some network shows. Usually during this time, however, whatever logos the shows were always using were used; "C-T mania" did not start until 1997.

*This was intact (followed by SPT) on later episodes of ''Beakman's World'' on Tubi.

*Certain modern releases of ''Jumanji: The Animated Series'' retain the logo, including when Hulu and Tubi streamed the series. Most episodes on the former service used the SPTI logo, while the latter features the SPT logo following it.

*There is also an extremely rare enhanced variant for CTTD. So far, it has been seen on the TV movies ''The Linda McCartney Story'' and ''First Shot'' (the latter using a filmed version), which were last seen on Sony Movies (however, a recent airing of the latter had SPT instead, while the DVD has Domestic Television instead, but is retained on Crackle's print). It can be also seen on season 3 (and early episodes of season 4) episodes of ''V.I.P'' (in which Tubi prints retains it).

*A still/filmed version was seen on ''ATF'' (1999).

*A warp speed version of CTDT (with the ending theme) was spotted on an Escape (now Court TV Mystery) airing of ''The Juror''.

*A black-and-white version of the Television Distribution variant (apparently in telecine format) was spotted on a Retro TV print of the ''Naked City'' season 2 episode "The Day It Rained Mink". This plasters the original Screen Gems Torch Lady logo.

*The "Eurostile Thin" version of CTTD is a tough one, but it can be currently seen on season 2 episodes of ''Strong Medicine'' on Start TV (and previously on Lifetime, in which the show originally aired there), as well as on The Roku Channel, Tubi and CTV Throwback prints. It also appeared on ''V.I.P.'' and ''Sheena'' (both of these being first-run syndication shows), as well as on some episodes of Lifetime's ''Oh, Baby'' (in which the CTV Throwback prints retains it), USA Network's ''The Net'' (but DVD and Crackle prints have it plastered with SPT) and season 2 of the the Showtime original series ''Rude Awakening'', among possibly others. This version was also seen on two short-lived series, ''The $treet'' and ''Grosse Point'' (the former hasn't been reran since it originally aired on Fox, but the latter was released on DVD, although it's plastered by the SPT logo there), both of which were co-produced by [[Artists Television Group]].

*The logo was also shown surprisingly intact on PBS Kids Sprout (now Universal Kids) airings of ''Dragon Tales''.

*It can also be found on Australian airings of ''The King of Queens'' on Channel Eleven and current international prints, usually followed by a [[CBS Broadcast International]] or [[CBS Studios International]] logo.

*CTT makes a surprise appearance on Laff's print of the film ''If Lucy Fell''.