| Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Subsidary |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | |
| Owner | TimeWarner |
Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. is an American media company largely responsible for overseeing the classic MGM/WB/RKO library for worldwide distribution.
Contents |
Background
Turner Entertainment was established on August 4, 1986 as a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting to oversee its film library after its acquisition of the MGM/UA Entertainment Company (now Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.), which is now owned by Sony Corporation of America and Sony's partners such as Providence Equity Partners and has domestically distributed its films through Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures since 2005. In addition to the studio, Turner got its library, which included nearly all of MGM's films up to that time, the former Associated Artists Productions catalog (the Warner Bros.' pre-1948 releases & the Fleischer/Famous Popeye cartoons), the U.S. rights to a majority of the RKO Radio Pictures library, and some pre-1952 United Artists material. Turner later re-sold the studio, keeping the pre-1986 library. Turner Entertainment Co. also played a huge part in film preservation and restoration, thus such classic films as Casablanca, Citizen Kane, King Kong, Easter Parade, and the original The Jazz Singer, can continue to be seen today via its various cable channels, as well as in revival movie houses and home video. The films are also internationally distributed and shown by many channels around the world. Turner Entertainment also distributes films from RKO Radio Pictures, New Line Cinema (1994-1996) and Nest Entertainment, and shows from TBS, TNT,WCW, Cartoon Network, and PBS (1994-2004) on home video.
The library itself
Today, as part of Time Warner, Turner Entertainment Co. continues to oversee its inherited library, which also includes Gilligan's Island, The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Story, Gone with the Wind, and Tom and Jerry. There are very few exceptions to this library, however. Most of the Hal Roach feature films are now with RHI Entertainment (with Lionsgate handling video rights), while another Roach film, March of the Wooden Soldiers, is now back with original distributor MGM (by virtue of their acquisition of the pre-1996 library of former owners The Samuel Goldwyn Company); the Roach Our Gang shorts released by MGM before the studio took control of the series are now with RHI Entertainment (for theatrical distribution), Lionsgate (for home video distribution under license from RHI), and CBS Television Distribution (for television release); Shanghai Surprise is now owned by Lionsgate; The Beastmaster is now mostly owned by the film's producers (while WB/Turner still holds television rights); and while WB/Turner still owns theatrical and television rights to Pink Floyd The Wall, all other rights (including home video) are now with Sony Music.
As a production company
Turner Entertainment, as a production company, also creates original in-house programming, such as documentaries about the films it owns, recent feature films such as Gettysburg, and new animated material based on Tom & Jerry and other related cartoon properties.
The logo
The longtime logo used for Turner Entertainment was based on the logo used for Ted Turner's billboard company, which he owned prior to acquiring Atlanta's WTCG, which became the genesis of Turner's media empire.
External links
|
|
|
|---|---|
| North American Television | Adult Swim · Boomerang · Cartoon Network (HD) · CNN (HD) · CNN Airport Network · Headline News · Turner Classic Movies · TNT (HD) · TBS (HD) · truTV · WPCH |
| TBS Europe | Boomerang Spain · Boomerang UK & Ire · Cartoon Network UK · Cartoon Network TOO · Cartoonito · TCM UK · TCM 2 · TCM/CN |
| International TV | Boomerang Australia · Boomerang Latin America · Cartoon Network Australia · CETV · CNN en Español · CNN+ · CNN International · CNN Türk · HTV · Pogo · Retro |
| TV Production/Distribution | Cartoon Network Studios · Turner Entertainment · Williams Street |
| Internet Assets | Adult Swim Video · Bamzu · Cartoon Network Video · CNN.com · Crime Library · GameTap · The Smoking Gun · Super Deluxe · Toonami Jetstream (50%) |
4% 
