COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 512110

Motion Picture, Video Tape Production

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

70companies1835–2001founding years70still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBertelsmann AG
1835
FoundedGeneral Electric Company
1892
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedColumbia TriStar Motion Pictures Companies
1924
FoundedCisneros Group of Companies
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedBouygues S.A.
1952
FoundedHanna-Barbera Cartoons Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedThe Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc.
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedScitex Corporation Ltd.
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedGrupo Televisa, S.A.
1972
FoundedExpand SA
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedAardman Animations Ltd.
1976
FoundedESPN, Inc.
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedCarlton Communications PLC
1983
FoundedFilm Roman, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedHarpo Inc.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
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.
FoundedMartha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
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

Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
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.
Gaumont SA →
Active · founded 1895 · France
With one of the most illustrious names in motion picture history, Gaumont SA has developed into one of Europe's leading…
Lefrak Organization Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
Lefrak Organization Inc.
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation →
Active · founded 1915
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is a subsidiary of Fox Inc., which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News…
Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Companies →
Active · founded 1924
Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Companies is part of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Hasbro, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Truly successful toy companies do not just make toys; they manufacture popular culture.
Victor Company of Japan, Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · Japan
Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) is one of several Japanese companies that has evolved to dominate the…
The Seagram Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1928 · Canada
The Seagram Company Ltd., which is 32-percent owned by the Bronfman family, is a major international liquor giant…
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…
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…
The Atlantic Group →
Active · founded 1947
The Atlantic Group consistently ranks among the most successful recording companies in the United States.
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…
Bouygues S.A. →
Active · founded 1952 · France
Bouygues S.A.
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!
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Inc., founded by the animation team of Joseph Barbera and William Hanna in 1957, rose to…
The Jim Henson Company →
Active · founded 1958
The Jim Henson Company is a leading producer of films, stage shows, television specials, and series for family…
International Management Group →
Active · founded 1960
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, International Management Group is the world's largest and most influential sports…
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.
Univision Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
Univision Communications Inc.
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1962
While Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
New Line Cinema, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
New Line Cinema, Inc.
Scitex Corporation Ltd. →
Active · founded 1968 · Israel
Herzlia, Israel-based Scitex Corporation Ltd.
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. →
Active · 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.
Home Box Office Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Home Box Office Inc.
PolyGram N.V. →
Active · founded 1972
Netherlands-based PolyGram N.V.
CanWest Global Communications Corporation →
Active · 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…
Dorling Kindersley Holdings plc →
Active · founded 1974 · United Kingdom
For nearly a quarter-century, Dorling Kindersley Holdings plc (DK) has focused on creating an enduring catalog of over…
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.
Larry Flynt Publishing Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Larry Flynt Publishing Inc.
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.
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 →
Active · 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…
Amblin Entertainment →
Active · founded 1984
Nested in a back lot at Universal Studios, Amblin Entertainment is producer/director Steven Spielberg's movie…
Artisan Entertainment Inc. →
Active · 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. →
Active · 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.
National Media Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
National Media Corporation is the world's largest publicly held direct response (infomercial) television company and a…
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.
The Kushner-Locke Company →
Active · founded 1988
The Kushner-Locke Company is an independent entertainment company based in Los Angeles.
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…
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
All American Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
All American Communications Inc.
Big Idea Productions, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Big Idea Productions, Inc.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1997
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
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. →
Active · founded 2001
Global media powerhouse AOL Time Warner Inc.
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