COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 512110

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (pt)

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

56companies1861–2001founding years49still active7no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedTribune Company
1861
FoundedPathé SA
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1927
TechnologyThe Jazz Singer ushers in the era of sound films.
FoundedCisneros Group of Companies
1929
1933
EconomyThe first drive-in movie theater opens in New Jersey.
FoundedThe Walt Disney Company
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedCJ Corporation
1953
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedSanrio Company, Ltd.
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedKing World Productions, Inc.
1964
FoundedLucasfilm Ltd.
1971
FoundedCanWest Global Communications Corporation
1973
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedAardman Animations Ltd.
1976
FoundedESPN, Inc.
1978
FoundedThe Carsey-Werner Company, L.L.C.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedA & E Television NetworksFoundedLifetime Entertainment Services
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedHarpo Inc.
1986
FoundedGaiam, Inc.
1988
FoundedHIT Entertainment PLC
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedLions Gate Entertainment Corporation
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

GoodTimes Entertainment Ltd. →
Active
Operating out of New York, GoodTimes Entertainment Ltd.
Tribune Company →
Active · founded 1861
Tribune Company is one of the largest media companies in the United States.
National Geographic Society →
Active · founded 1888
Founded as a club of distinguished gentlemen devoted to promoting the study of geography, the National Geographic…
General Electric Company →
Active · founded 1892
The history of General Electric Company is a significant part of the history of technology in the United States.
Pathé SA →
Active · founded 1896 · France
One of the most illustrious names in motion picture history, Pathé remains one of France's leading forces in film…
Universal Studios, Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
Universal Studios, Inc.
Kodansha Ltd. →
Active · founded 1925 · Japan
Kodansha Ltd.
Cisneros Group of Companies →
Active · founded 1929 · Venezuela
With more than 70 companies located in 39 countries, Cisneros Group of Companies is a privately held business based in…
Zondervan Corporation →
Active · founded 1931
Zondervan Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers, is one of the largest Christian…
Toho Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1932 · Japan
Toho Co., Ltd.
The Walt Disney Company →
Active · founded 1938
A colossal force in the entertainment industry, The Walt Disney Company (Disney) is best known for bringing decades of…
Pioneer Electronic Corporation →
Active · founded 1947 · Japan
Pioneer Electronic Corporation is one of the leading electronics firms in the world.
PPB Group Berhad →
Active · founded 1948 · Malaysia
One of Malaysia's largest companies, and one of the largest conglomerates in the ASEAN market region, PPB Group Berhad…
CJ Corporation →
Active · founded 1953 · South Korea
South Korea's largest food manufacturer, CJ Corporation, is also one of the world's leading producers of such food…
Village Roadshow Ltd. →
Active · founded 1954 · Australia
Village Roadshow Ltd.
ChartHouse International Learning Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
ChartHouse International Learning Corporation's series of Fish!
Sanrio Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1960 · Japan
Japan's Sanrio Company, Ltd.
The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc.
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1962
While Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
King World Productions, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1964
King World Productions, Inc.
New Line Cinema, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
New Line Cinema, Inc.
4Kids Entertainment Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
As Kahn envisioned, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Lucasfilm Ltd. →
Active · founded 1971
The 16th largest motion picture producer in the United States, ranked by revenues, Lucasfilm Ltd.
Viacom Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1971
One of the largest media companies in the world, Viacom Inc.
Grupo Televisa, S.A. →
Active · founded 1972 · Mexico
Grupo Televisa, S.A.
CanWest Global Communications Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1973 · Canada
CanWest Global Communications Corporation is Canada's largest private sector television broadcaster.
Expand SA →
Active · founded 1973 · France
Expand SA has carved a place for itself as France's leading television programming production company and has become…
Vinton Studios →
Active · founded 1975
Vinton Studios is one of the largest producers of animated commercials in the world and one of the only producers of…
Aardman Animations Ltd. →
Active · founded 1976 · United Kingdom
Aardman Animations Ltd.
The Sanctuary Group PLC →
Active · founded 1976 · United Kingdom
The Sanctuary Group PLC is the largest independent music company in the world, with rights to more than 150,000…
Rhino Entertainment Company →
Active · founded 1977
Rhino Entertainment Company produces novelty records, archival reissues, definitive musical anthologies, and various…
ESPN, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
ESPN, Inc.
Miramax Film Corporation →
Active · founded 1979
Miramax Film Corporation is one of the top independent motion picture studios in the world, with a long list of hits…
Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1981 · Canada
Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc.
The Carsey-Werner Company, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1981
Founded in 1981 by programming veterans Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, Carsey-Werner Company, L.L.C.
USA Interactive, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
The history of USA Interactive, Inc., formerly USA Networks, Inc., involves some of the media's biggest names,…
Carlton Communications PLC →
Defunct · founded 1983 · United Kingdom
Carlton Communications PLC has thrived for more than a decade in the cramped, highly regulated waters of the British…
A & E Television Networks →
Active · founded 1984
A & E Television Networks began modestly in 1984 with one cable channel, The Arts & Entertainment Network, which…
Artisan Entertainment Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1984
Artisan Entertainment Inc.
Film Roman, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Film Roman, Inc., is one of the largest independent animation studios in the United States.
Lifetime Entertainment Services →
Active · founded 1984
Lifetime Entertainment Services is a joint venture owned by The Walt Disney Company and The Hearst Corporation.
Ragdoll Productions Ltd. →
Active · founded 1984 · www.ragdoll.co.uk
Ragdoll Productions Ltd., is a United Kingdom-based children's media company, best known as the creators of the…
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1985 · Canada
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.
Harpo Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Based in Chicago, and with additional offices in Los Angeles, Harpo Inc.
Métropole Télévision →
Active · founded 1986 · France
Métropole Télévision is one of France's leading television broadcasters and programming producers.
Pixar Animation Studios →
Active · founded 1986
Pixar Animation Studios burst onto the big screen with the release of Toy Story, the first ever feature-length animated…
Gaiam, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Gaiam, Inc.
Tiger Aspect Productions Ltd. →
Active · founded 1988 · United Kingdom
Tiger Aspect Productions Ltd.
ABC Family Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
ABC Family Worldwide, Inc.
HIT Entertainment PLC →
Active · founded 1989 · United Kingdom
Up and comer HIT Entertainment PLC (the HIT originally stood for Henson International Television) wants to be the…
Crown Media Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Crown Media Holdings, Inc.
Big Idea Productions, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Big Idea Productions, Inc.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation →
Active · founded 1997 · Canada
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a leading independent film and television production company based in Canada.
Grupo Clarín S.A. →
Active · founded 1999 · Argentina
Grupo Clarín S.A., a privately owned Argentine holding company, is the leading media group in the Spanish-speaking…
ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG →
Active · founded 2000 · Germany
ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is the largest television company in Germany.
AOL Time Warner Inc. →
Defunct · founded 2001
Global media powerhouse AOL Time Warner Inc.
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