A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio ) is a major entertainment company that makes films . Today, they are mostly financing and distribution entities. Additionally, they may also have their own privately owned studio facility or facilities; however, most firms in the entertainment industry have never owned their own studios, but have rented space from other companies. The day-to-day filming operations are generally handled by their production company subsidiary.
150-694: The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC ) was an American independent film studio , founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America as well as in the United States. However, the firing of Harvey Weinstein following allegations of sexual harassment and rape against him , as well as financial troubles that followed, led to
300-511: A Noah Hawley -written film titled The Alibi , and an adaptation of Liz Jensen 's novel The 9th Life of Louis Drax , that late filmmakers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack intended to make. Miramax would put up the financing and handle international sales while The Weinstein Company would develop the projects and distribute the titles domestically. On May 7, 2014, TWC announced a multi-year, multi-picture co-financing deal with Worldview Entertainment . However, Worldview co-financed only
450-456: A pay-per-view distributor of special event programming. In 1990, Showtime ventured into acquiring and premiering independent films exclusively for the channel as part of the 30-Minute Movie short film anthology series . One of its first premieres, 12:01 PM , was nominated for an Academy Award ;1992's Session Man won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film . In the years that followed, Showtime expanded its acquisitions into
600-404: A security guard . The sound stage is the central component of a studio lot. Most studios have several; small studios may have as few as one, and large studios have as many as 20 to 30. Movie studios also provide office space for studio executives and production companies, and makeup rooms and rehearsal rooms for talent. If space allows, a studio may have an outside backlot . Finally, there
750-489: A video on demand service (Paramount+ with Showtime On Demand). Paramount+ with Showtime broadcasts its primary and multiplex channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. The respective coastal feeds of each channel are usually packaged together (though most cable providers only offer the east and west coast feeds of the main Paramount+ with Showtime channel), resulting in the difference in local airtimes for
900-610: A $ 400 million credit facility into TWC. On August 18, 2017, TWC launched Mizchief, a film label dedicated to producing animated films. When Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of TWC, was explaining the origin of the name of Mizchief, he said that it was based on how one of his kids pronounced the word, "Mischief". The only film to be released under the label was the French-Canadian animated film Leap! , released on August 25, 2017. On October 5, 2017, The New York Times reported that dozens of women, including more than 60 women in
1050-578: A 18.9% equity stake in Spyglass and signed a first-look TV deal with the studio. Radius-TWC (or simply Radius ; stylized as RADiUS-TWC ) is a dormant film label to TWC's division for distribution of multi-platform video-on-demand and theatrical productions. It was launched in 2012, and specialized in niche and independent films rather than those aimed at mainstream audiences. As of 2018, Radius had released about 35 films, including: A successor of Miramax Books founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2001,
1200-667: A 20% stake of Spyglass Media Group in July 2021 including The Weinstein Company films), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (the former U.S theatrical distributor of TWC), A&E Networks , Administrator of the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet , Killer Content, Shamrock Holdings , Vine Alternative Investments , Anchorage Capital Group , MSD Capital , beIN Media Group (the current owner of Miramax), Sony Pictures Television , and Versa. Contreras-Sweet had proposed turning TWC into
1350-530: A 22.58% stake in the two networks, with American Express owning a 9.68% minority interest. In addition, the consortium would appoint a management team separate from those employed by the two channels–which continued to operate as separate services–to operate the joint venture. However the deal ran into regulatory hurdles because Warner, Universal, and Paramount received 50% of their respective total revenue from film releases and licensing fees from premium services. Also Showtime and TMC combined would control about 30% of
1500-458: A bundle offer with the service. In August 2022, the Paramount+ apps were updated with the ability to upgrade a subscription to the "Paramount+ with Showtime" bundle, and for subscribers to the bundle to access Showtime content from within the Paramount+ apps. Showtime would continue to be offered as a standalone service and application. However, in September, the company was in talks of moving
1650-675: A clause in the agreement that allowed either company the option of buying out their partner's stake in Warner-Amex), Warner Communications exercised an option to acquire American Express' 50% share of Warner-Amex Cable Communications for $ 450 million. Among the options, barring that it chose to sell Viacom a 50% interest in the company for $ 450 million, the deal originally excluded Warner-Amex's 19% interest in Showtime-The Movie Channel, Inc.; that interest would have reverted to Warner, which intended to operate Warner-Amex as
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#17328009843851800-476: A controlling 75% interest in the service (with each holding a 25% ownership stake) from Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment. The deal was spurred by the studios wanting to increase their share of revenue for licensing rights to their films to premium television services, as well as concerns that HBO's dominance of that market and its pre-buying of pay cable rights to films prior to their theatrical release would result in that service holding undue negotiating power for
1950-455: A counter-suit on February 20 against the company and remaining board members, stating that no reasons other than "for cause" were given for the firing, which was described as "nothing more than a desperate attempt to deflect attention away from the very people who were empowered to halt Harvey Weinstein's abusive behavior". Following the sale of all assets to Lantern Capital subsidiary, Lantern Entertainment, on July 16, 2018, The Weinstein Company
2100-528: A distinct programming imprint. On May 20, 2023, Paramount Global announced that the merger of both services would take place on June 27, with the standalone Showtime app being shut down on April 30, 2024. The primary Showtime channel was rebranded as Paramount+ with Showtime on January 8, 2024, although the former name remains in use as a standalone brand for its multiplex channels. Paramount+ with Showtime's programming schedule currently consists largely of theatrically released feature films—which occupy much of
2250-604: A distribution deal with Lionsgate for The Weinstein Company's library. On March 13, 2019, Gary Barber and Lantern Entertainment revived Spyglass Media Group with other investors, including WarnerMedia / AT&T 's Warner Bros. ; Lantern made a majority investment, including licensing their film library, to Spyglass. On March 20, 2020, a federal judge ruled that Spyglass was not responsible for any of TWC's outgoing royalties. On July 15, 2021, Spyglass sold most of TWC's catalogue and distribution rights to Lionsgate , as part of an acquisition deal in which Lionsgate also purchased
2400-483: A distribution fee for booking theatres. On June 5, 2009, TWC announced the hiring of a financial adviser to restructure the finances of the company. After July 2009, many layoffs occurred at TWC, and the release dates of some films were pushed back. On September 14, 2009, TWC sold its stake in Genius Products , which served as TWC's home video distributor from 2006 to 2009. Genius, however, had announced to exit
2550-582: A distribution pact with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). MGM distributed the product domestically in theatres, while TWC retained long-term ownership of their product. On July 13, 2006, the Weinsteins and Robert L. Johnson announced the creation of a joint venture studio titled Our Stories Films , which distributed African-American -oriented films. On November 17, 2006, TWC announced a three-year deal with Blockbuster Video to give Blockbuster exclusive rights for rentals starting on January 1, 2007. However, under
2700-497: A distributor called Third Rail Releasing that released films aimed mainly at the home video market. On September 25, 2008, TWC ended its three-year distribution pact with MGM three months before the December 31 end date. This happened in part because TWC had struck a television output deal with Showtime , though not through MGM's output deal with them. During the span of their pact, TWC paid for marketing and prints, while MGM received
2850-613: A faster recovery, contributing to the increasing dominance of Hollywood over New York City. The Big 5 By the mid-1920s, the evolution of a handful of American production companies into wealthy motion picture industry conglomerates that owned their own studios, distribution divisions , and theaters , and contracted with performers and other filmmaking personnel led to the sometimes confusing equation of studio with production company in industry slang. Five large companies: RKO Radio Pictures , 20th Century Fox , Paramount Pictures , Warner Bros. , and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer came to be known as
3000-400: A graphical upgrade to the network's presentation to include computer-generated graphics. On August 10, 1985, after Time Inc. and cable provider Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) jointly submitted a bid to buy the company for $ 900 million and the assumption of $ 500 million in debt as well as an earlier offer by American Express the previous month to buy out Warner's share of the company (under
3150-656: A growing proportion of Hollywood movie revenue, with approximately 70% of total movie revenue coming from international ticket sales; and the Chinese domestic box-office revenue is projected to outpace those of US in 2020. The growth of film studios and filmmaking outside of Hollywood and the US has produced popular international film studio locations such as Hollywood North ( Vancouver and Toronto in Canada ), Bollywood ( Mumbai , India ), and Nollywood ( Lagos , Nigeria ). As
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#17328009843853300-507: A later July interview, however, Weinstein said that he was still interested in merging TWC with Miramax and combining the two companies' libraries in order to build a larger film library, even after the BeIN acquisition. On June 21, 2016, James L. Dolan exited TWC's board of directors and was replaced by hedge fund billionaire and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry . Later, on August 1, Opus Bank's media and entertainment banking division funded
3450-568: A majority were women. However, after an additional $ 50 million in debt was revealed, the deal collapsed again. In order to raise funds, TWC has sold the rights to three of its films, Paddington 2 , In the Heights , and The Six Billion Dollar Man , to Warner Bros. Pictures . On January 19, 2018, TWC indefinitely postponed the releases of some of their films and upcoming projects (e.g. The War with Grandpa , The Upside , Mary Magdalene , and Scream ). STX Entertainment later acquired
3600-473: A man with an infamous temper. We did not know we were working for a serial sexual predator." They asked the company to lift their NDAs so they could "speak openly, and get to the origins of what happened here, and how." On February 11, 2018, Schneiderman filed a civil rights lawsuit against the company, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, just shortly before an anticipated announcement that the company would be purchased by an investor group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet . In
3750-602: A morning block of shows aimed at younger children (such as OWL/TV , A Bunch of Munsch and The Busy World of Richard Scarry ) during the early and mid-1990s, and a weekday mid-afternoon and Sunday morning film block called "Showtime Familytime" that ran during the 1980s and 1990s. The main Showtime network also carried, unusually for a premium channel, news programming; the now-defunct All News Channel (partially owned by Viacom) produced 90-second long news updates that aired during Showtime's primetime promotional breaks in
3900-534: A motion picture of their own because they are not entertainment companies or motion picture companies; they are companies who sell only studio space. In 1893, Thomas Edison built the first movie studio in the United States when he constructed the Black Maria , a tarpaper-covered structure near his laboratories in West Orange , New Jersey , and asked circus, vaudeville, and dramatic actors to perform for
4050-587: A new holding company , Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc., which was majority owned by Viacom (controlling 50% of the venture's common stock as well as investing $ 40 million in cash), with Warner Communications (which owned 31%), and Warner-Amex (which owned the remaining 19% interest) as minority partners. As the consolidation of its operations with The Movie Channel was ongoing, in 1983, Showtime increased its national distribution on cable providers when competing premium service Spotlight ceased operations, effectively absorbing that channel's subscriber base. In 1984
4200-418: A particular movie or program between two geographic locations being three hours at most. Subscribers to the separate premium film service The Movie Channel, which is also owned by Paramount, do not necessarily have to subscribe to the linear Paramount+ with Showtime service in order to receive TMC; both The Movie Channel and co-owned fellow movie service Flix are typically sold together in a package (although in
4350-480: A pay television licensing agreement for its other releases with Showtime rivals HBO and Cinemax, and Participant ), A24 , and Bleecker Street . Despite being corporately reunited with Paramount Pictures in 2019 as a result of the ViacomCBS merger, that film studio maintains an existing output deal with MGM+ (formerly Epix, which Paramount co-owned with Lionsgate and MGM from its 2009 launch until 2018) until
4500-682: A result, Disney handed over its 50% stake in Project Runway , and reduced its share in four jointly owned films, including Scary Movie and Spy Kids , from 50% to 5%. On February 27, 2011, TWC-distributed film The King's Speech brought to the company their first Academy Award for Best Picture at the 83rd Academy Awards , after the brothers' last Best Picture Oscar winner Chicago had won in 2002 when Bob and Harvey Weinstein were at Miramax Films, controlled by then corporate owner Disney. Their previous Best Picture nominees for TWC were 2008's The Reader and 2009's Inglourious Basterds ,
4650-442: A sales price of below $ 500 million. The studio's owners would not receive any cash from the sale. As of November 8, 2017, The Weinstein Company had a debt load of $ 520 million, including $ 220 million from its film and television credit facilities, $ 150 million from production loans, $ 50 million in corporate debt and $ 100 million owed to performers. The studio expected to find a buyer without declaring for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, against
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4800-420: A service featuring comedy films and series called Showtime Comedy Television; and an all-movie channel called Showtime Film Festival. This planned extension to the multiplex did not come to fruition–although a third multiplex service, Showtime 3, would make its debut in 1996. The multiplex would eventually expand over time with the launch of the action film channel Showtime Extreme on March 10, 1998, followed by
4950-531: A service that provided DVD -style interaction of its entertainment offerings. The following year in 2001, Showtime became one of the first cable networks to launch a high definition simulcast feed (with Star Trek: Insurrection becoming the first film on the network to be broadcast in HD); Showtime also began to provide Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound on select programs. On June 14, 2005, Viacom decided to separate itself into two companies (only five years after
5100-466: A similar attempt by MCA, Gulf+Western, 20th Century Fox , and Columbia Pictures to create a competing pay service, Premiere, in an antitrust case ruling two years earlier in January 1981. On January 7, 1983, Viacom International (adding itself as a partner) drafted an amendment to the proposal to consolidate The Movie Channel with Showtime. Under the revised proposal, the four studios would each own
5250-619: A standalone offering without the requirement of having an existing television subscription to use (in the manner of competitor HBO's OTT offering, HBO Now ). The service, which used the same branding as the linear television channel, was officially launched on July 7, 2015 (coinciding with the season premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex on July 12). The service was initially available for purchase through Apple Inc. (to Apple TV and iOS devices), Hulu , Roku , PlayStation Vue , and Amazon Prime as well as through Showtime's website (SHO.com). The Showtime streaming service
5400-582: A statement that it would declare bankruptcy following the collapse of a buyout deal with an investor group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet . However, the TWC board and the investor group confirmed on March 1, 2018, that they had reached a deal in which TWC would sell all of its assets for US$ 500 million. On March 6, 2018, the acquisition deal collapsed again after the studio had an extra debt of US$ 50 million revealed. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 19, 2018. On May 1, 2018, Lantern Capital emerged as
5550-511: A studio run by women, while Killer Content would donate the studio's profits to assault victims. If anyone acquired The Weinstein Company, the studio would change its name, and Bob Weinstein agreed to leave the company; he was expected to retain the Dimension Films label. All the interested parties had to submit their first-round bids by December 20, 2017. On January 4, 2018, The Weinstein Company narrowed its bids down to six parties, with
5700-565: A sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global . Paramount+ with Showtime's programming includes original television series produced exclusively for the linear network and developed for the co-owned Paramount+ streaming service, theatrically released and independent motion pictures , documentaries , and occasional stand-up comedy specials , made-for-TV movies , and softcore adult programming. Headquartered at Paramount Plaza in
5850-654: A tram tour of the backlot where films such as Psycho and Back to the Future were once shot. In fall 2019, movie mogul Tyler Perry opened Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta . The studio lot is claimed to be larger than any movie-studio lot in Hollywood. In the 1980s and 1990s, as the cost of professional 16mm film equipment decreased, along with the emergence of non-film innovations such as S-VHS and Mini-DV cameras, many young filmmakers began to make films outside
6000-698: A wholly owned subsidiary. Two weeks later on August 26, Viacom acquired Warner Communications and Warner-Amex's combined 50% ownership interest in Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. as well as full ownership of the Warner-Amex and public shareholder interests in MTV Networks for $ 671.7 million, giving Viacom exclusive ownership of both networks and once again making it the sole owner of Showtime through its $ 500 million cash payment and acquisition of 1.625 million shares from Warner for
6150-541: Is a high definition simulcast feed of Showtime that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format . In addition to its main channel, all of Showtime's multiplex channels also broadcast in the format, though availability of all of the HD feeds varies by provider. Showtime HD is available through virtually all providers which carry Showtime, along with Showtime's streaming services. Films shown on Showtime's HD simulcast feeds are broadcast in their domestic aspect ratio if that version
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6300-407: Is a secure compound enclosed by a tall perimeter wall. This is necessary to protect filmmaking operations from unwanted interference from paparazzi and crazed fans of leading movie stars . Movement in and out of the studio lot is normally limited to specific gates (often capped with grand decorative arches), where visitors must stop at a boom barrier and explain the purpose of their visit to
6450-733: Is a studio "commissary", which is the traditional term in the movie industry for what other industries call a company cafeteria . In addition to these basic components, the largest film studios are full-service enterprises offering the entire range of production and post-production services necessary to create a motion picture, including costumes, props, cameras, sound recording, crafts, sets, lighting, special effects , cutting, editing, mixing, scoring, automated dialogue replacement (ADR), re-recording, and foley . Independent suppliers of all these services and more (e.g., photographic processing labs) are often found in clusters in close proximity to film studios. Nitrate film , manufactured until 1951,
6600-514: Is also sold a la carte through Apple TV Channels , Prime Video Channels , The Roku Channel and YouTube Primetime Channels . (Subscribers of Paramount+'s Prime Video add-on also receive access to the East Coast feeds of Paramount+ with Showtime's seven multiplex channels.) In addition, the Showtime brand has been licensed for use by a number of channels and platforms worldwide including Showtime Arabia (it has been merged into OSN ) in
6750-537: Is provided by the studios that maintain pay television distribution rights with the channel. Showtime operates a subscription video-on-demand television service called Showtime on Demand , which is available at no additional charge to Showtime subscribers. Showtime on Demand offers feature films, episodes of Showtime's original series, adult programming and sports events. Showtime on Demand's rotating program selection incorporates select new titles that are added each Friday, alongside existing program titles held over from
6900-582: Is untrue that the company or board is exploring a sale or shutdown of the company" and that "business is continuing as usual as the company moves ahead." This was contradicted by TWC president and COO David Glasser and a spokesman for company investor Goldman Sachs. Glasser and the other two remaining members of the company's board of directors also did not join Bob in signing this statement either. On October 17, The Mist producer Amanda Segel accused Bob Weinstein of sexual harassment. His lawyer Bert Fields has denied
7050-647: The First Sale Doctrine of United States copyright law, other rental companies are able to rent copies of the company's movies purchased at retail. TWC is the co-producer, along with Miramax, of the Lifetime reality series Project Runway , which for its first five seasons aired on Bravo . The series won a Peabody Award in 2007. On May 23, 2007, TWC announced the launch of three new direct-to-video labels: The Miriam Collection, Kaleidoscope TWC, and Dimension Extreme. On February 8, 2008, TWC launched
7200-542: The Viacom name took Paramount Pictures , the MTV Networks and BET Networks cable divisions, and Famous Music (the latter of which was sold to Sony-ATV Music Publishing (CBS once owned its sister company ) in May 2007). On August 13, 2019, the announcement was made that CBS and Viacom would merge into a new entity known as ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Global). Viacom CEO Bob Bakish would be president and CEO of
7350-494: The joint venture in September, due to disagreements over creative control and financial obligations. In 1982 Showtime broadcast its first made-for-cable movie Falcon's Gold and its first original series and children's program Faerie Tale Theatre . In August 1982, MCA Inc. (then the owner of Universal Pictures ), Gulf+Western (then the owner of Paramount Pictures ) and Warner Communications agreed to acquire The Movie Channel (TMC). The three companies combined acquired
7500-459: The patents relevant to movie production at the time. Early movie producers relocated to Southern California to escape patent enforcement, thanks to more lenient local courts and physical distance from company detectives and mob allies. (Edison's patents expired in 1913.) The first movie studio in the Hollywood area was Nestor Studios , opened in 1911 by Al Christie for David Horsley . In
7650-407: The vertically integrated structure of the movie industry constituted an illegal monopoly . This decision, reached after twelve years of litigation, hastened the end of the studio system and Hollywood's "Golden Age". By the 1950s, the physical components of a typical movie studio had become standardized. Since then, a movie studio has usually been housed on a "studio lot." Physically, a studio lot
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#17328009843857800-419: The "After Hours" block, though adult films have been absent from Showtime's primary channel since the mid-2000s; the network began broadcasting a limited amount of original erotica series (such as Beach Heat: Miami ) on its main channel in 2010, after having been removed for most of the previous decade. The network's multiplex channels Showtime 2 and Showtime Extreme also occasionally feature adult films during
7950-640: The Big Five, the majors, or the Studios in trade publications such as Variety , and their management structures and practices collectively came to be known as the studio system . The Little 3 Although they owned few or no theaters to guarantee sales of their films, Universal Pictures , Columbia Pictures , and United Artists also fell under these rubrics, making a total of eight generally recognized major studios. United Artists, although its controlling partners owned not one but two production studios during
8100-629: The British drama series Peaky Blinders from Endemol . On December 16, 2013, Miramax and TWC entered a 20-year joint-venture agreement to develop and produce films, television series, and stage shows. The deal would allow the Weinsteins to exploit the 700-film Miramax library. Sequels to Rounders and Shakespeare in Love were among the films being developed under this new deal, and series based on Good Will Hunting and Flirting with Disaster were being planned as well. Other developments included
8250-589: The DVDs through Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group . Bob and Harvey Weinstein attempted to buy back Miramax Films from Disney in 2010, but the attempt was unsuccessful. An ownership interest in TWC's library, at that point consisting of 200 titles, was sold off to Goldman Sachs and Assured Guaranty in 2010. The sale freed TWC from bankruptcy, and Goldman Sachs' stake in the library was purchased by AMC Networks in 2015. According to Deadline Hollywood : "The library will revert to The Weinstein Company itself when
8400-539: The East and West Coast television feeds of the linear Showtime channel (live streams of Showtime's multiplex services, and sister networks The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel Xtra, and Flix were not available on the service; live streams of Showtime's multiplex channels were available for Amazon Prime users as part of the Showtime add-on subscription). The Showtime streaming service co-existed with Paramount Global's flagship streaming service Paramount+ , and became part of
8550-568: The Golden Age, had an often-tenuous hold on the title of major and operated mainly as a backer and distributor of independently produced films. Smaller studios operated simultaneously with the majors. These included operations such as Republic Pictures , active from 1935, which produced films that occasionally matched the scale and ambition of the larger studio, and Monogram Pictures , which specialized in series and genre releases. Together with smaller outfits such as PRC TKO and Grand National,
8700-527: The Lambs in 1991. TWC distributed films on multiple formats (including video-on-demand ) through its Radius-TWC brand. On September 13, 2013, Bob and Harvey Weinstein launched the TWC-Dimension label to distribute projects of mutual interest They first released the TWC-Dimension label on Paddington on January 16, 2015. On November 4, 2013, TWC announced they had picked up U.S. distribution rights to
8850-648: The Middle East and North Africa , and the now-defunct Showtime Movie Channels in Australia . As of September 2018 , Showtime's programming was available to approximately 28.567 million U.S. households which subscribed to a multichannel television provider (28.318 million of which receive Showtime's primary channel at a minimum). Showtime was launched on July 1, 1976, on Times-Mirror Cable systems in Escondido , Long Beach , and Palos Verdes, California through
9000-631: The Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy ) for the remainder of its run); Dead Like Me ; Californication ; Gigolos ; Nurse Jackie ; The Tudors ; Brotherhood ; Soul Food ; Queer as Folk ; The L Word ; The Big C ; Penn & Teller: Bullshit! ; and United States of Tara . In mid-2017, the channel aired the critically acclaimed third season of David Lynch 's TV series Twin Peaks . From 2007 to 2013, multiplex service Showtime 2 broadcast an original program exclusive to that channel,
9150-468: The Secret Service who could solve problems for him". In filing the lawsuit, Schneiderman sought to force the company to address several points: to give up non-disclosure agreements with past employees, provide better protection for employees "who would be reporting to some of the same managers" since most of the existing senior managers would remain in place, including David Glasser, current COO of
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#17328009843859300-519: The Showtime direct-to-consumer service (which was sold directly to streaming-only consumers) with the premium tier of the Paramount+ streaming service; the combined service would be branded as Paramount+ with Showtime , replacing a streaming bundle of the same name that launched in August 2022. The merger commenced on June 27, 2023, with the cable-specific Showtime Anytime TV Everywhere app (which
9450-501: The United States, which won the prestigious Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for Jean Dujardin , The Artist won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This was the second consecutive Oscar for Best Picture awarded to The Weinstein Company. The last independent mini-major to win back-to-back Oscars for Best Picture was Orion Pictures for their films Dances with Wolves in 1990 and The Silence of
9600-444: The accusations. Bert Fields and colleague Charles Shephard petitioned a court to leave a rights dispute in which Greenberg Glusker Fields was representing The Weinstein Company due to unpaid bills on December 14, 2017. The firm underscored that it is not involved in the ongoing sexual scandals. "TWC has failed to pay Greenberg Glusker for its legal services in this matter and has stated that it will be unable to pay for its services as
9750-583: The advisory ratings featured in program guides distributed by the major premium cable services—was in response to concerns from parents and advocacy groups about violent content on television, allowing Showtime Networks and other premium services discretionary authority to assign individual ratings corresponding to the objectionable content depicted in specific programs (and categorized based on violence, profanity, sexuality or miscellaneous mature material). A revised system—centered around ten content codes of two to three letters in length—was implemented by Showtime and
9900-498: The ages of 18 and 34 years old) and Showtime Women (a channel featuring movies, specials, and Showtime original programs that appeal toward a female audience). The programming format of Showtime 3 was overhauled five months later on July 1, 2001, to focus on theatrical movie releases and Showtime's original made-for-cable films, that under the new name Showcase. Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women do not have distribution by most pay television providers as extensive as
10050-493: The air, Showtime had 55,000 subscribers nationwide. On March 7, 1978, Showtime became a nationally distributed service when it was uplinked to satellite , becoming a competitor with Time Inc. 's HBO and other pay cable networks. In 1979, Viacom sold a 50% of Showtime to the TelePrompTer Corporation . On July 4, 1981, Showtime began a 24-hour programming schedule (rival HBO followed suit in December of
10200-608: The app utilizes Automated Content Recognition technology to generate interactive content regardless of whether it is being watched live, on-demand or by DVR ; the app also displays heat maps depicting viewer reactions throughout the duration of an episode at the conclusion of the program. The app–which was renamed SHO Sync on September 13, 2012–was originally released for Apple iOS devices (iPad and iPhone), with an app for LG -manufactured Smart TVs being released on August 15, 2013. On July 9, 2015, Showtime announced it would discontinue SHO Sync, immediately discontinuing support of
10350-765: The block. Programs that aired under the Showtime After Hours banner carried either a TV-MA or R rating (usually the former), primarily for strong sexual content and nudity . The block had often been the subject of both scrutiny in the media and a source of humor in popular culture , with references to Showtime's late night programming being featured in various films and television shows. As of 2024 , Showtime–and sister channels The Movie Channel and Flix –maintains exclusive first-run film licensing agreements with Amblin Partners (including releases produced in conjunction with DreamWorks Pictures , which maintains
10500-402: The boundaries of programming without censorship, as well as offer the type of exciting programming that appealed to subscribers), and a bold red-and-black color scheme was instituted, with promotions and bumpers feature surrealistic imagery; the campaign was created by the newly formed in-house marketing and advertising agency, "Red Group". In 2000, Showtime launched "Showtime Interactive 24.7",
10650-629: The camera. He distributed these movies at vaudeville theaters, penny arcades, wax museums, and fairgrounds. The first film serial , What Happened to Mary , was released by the Edison company in 1912. The pioneering Thanhouser movie studio was founded in New Rochelle, New York in 1909 by American theatrical impresario Edwin Thanhouser . The company produced and released 1,086 movies between 1910 and 1917, successfully distributing them around
10800-620: The case of Flix, this depends on the channel's provider availability), though DirecTV and Dish Network alternately sell TMC through a separate film tier. For unexplained reasons, live feeds of The Movie Channel and Flix have not been included alongside the other Showtime multiplex channels on its proprietary streaming services (including the Paramount+ premium tier) or its add-on tiers that are sold through live-TV streaming providers (such as Hulu , YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream ), restricting their distribution to traditional cable, satellite and telco/ fiber optic television providers. From 1999 to 2005,
10950-495: The case. The Department's decision–citing concerns, including some expressed by HBO management, that combining the assets of Showtime and TMC would stifle competition in the sale of their programming and that of other pay cable services to cable providers–was despite the fact that under the original proposal, MCA, Gulf+Western and Warner had each agreed to continue licensing films released by their respective movie studios to competing pay television networks. The partners involved in
11100-541: The cases [sic] progresses," writes Shephard in a Wednesday filing. The attorneys also note that TWC has been a Greenberg Glusker client for a long time. So, when the firm was asked to handle this matter, it agreed – even though, at that time, TWC already owed the firm substantial money for prior services. "Because of the manner in which plaintiff was pursuing the case, because of the size of Greenberg Glusker's receivable, and because of some new and significant issues unrelated to this litigation which had arisen and with which TWC
11250-479: The channel discontinued producing television films in 2007. Showtime is also one of only two premium cable services (alongside Disney Channel during its existence as a premium channel prior to 1997) that has produced original movies aimed at family audiences; these films were originally broadcast under the separate banner "Showtime Original Pictures for Kids" from 1995 to 1997 and "Showtime Original Pictures for All Ages" from 1997 to 2005. A signature feature of Showtime
11400-453: The co-presidents hire an experienced film CEO. As of July 11, 2018, Netflix terminated its output contract with The Weinstein Company and will no longer accept deliveries or make payments to the studio. This affected the release schedule for the third season of the MTV series Scream (produced by Dimension Television , and billed as a Netflix Original internationally). On June 24, 2019, it
11550-525: The company a subpoena seeking a long list of documents, including any documents and communications related to private out-of-court settlements struck with accusers. A group of Weinstein Company employees published a public statement in The New Yorker asking to be released from their signed nondisclosure agreements, which prohibit them from speaking out about their time at the company. In their statement, they wrote, "We all knew that we were working for
11700-448: The company's acquisition of CBS ), both of which would be controlled by Viacom parent National Amusements , amid stagnation of the company's stock price. When the split was completed on December 31, 2005, the original Viacom was restructured as CBS Corporation and kept Showtime Networks along with the original Viacom's broadcasting assets (which included the CBS television network, UPN and
11850-471: The company's broadcast group, which became CBS Television Stations ), Paramount Television (now the separate arms CBS Studios for network and cable production, and CBS Media Ventures for production of first-run syndicated programs and off-network series distribution), advertising firm Viacom Outdoor (renamed CBS Outdoor ), Simon & Schuster , and Paramount Parks (which was later sold to Cedar Fair, L.P. on June 30, 2006). A new company that assumed
12000-641: The company's decline. The studio eventually declared bankruptcy in February 2018, with independent studio Lantern Entertainment acquiring a majority of its film library and assets. Co-founder and chief executive Bob Weinstein previously owned a small stake in the company. The company dismissed joint founder and chief executive Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, after over 100 women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment , abuse , assault , and rape . On February 26, 2018, The Weinstein Company announced in
12150-527: The company, and insufficient funds to compensate alleged victims that would file suits. The investment group has allocated $ 50 million in the deal for compensation, which is in addition to the company's insurance policies. Other non-disclosure agreements were in effect between the company and the investment group, which prevented members of the group from talking to the Attorney General until February 10, though Bob Weinstein denied this. People "close to
12300-518: The company. On October 12, board of directors member Richard Koenigsberg, who was one of the four signatories of a board of directors statement defending Weinstein, resigned from the company as well. Bob Weinstein stated on October 13 that media reports that his brother's sexual misconduct scandal had forced the company to explore either a sale or shutting down operations were inaccurate. Bob released an emailed statement claiming "our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of our company and it
12450-452: The conversion of 10,000 subscribers of the previous Channel One franchise. Exactly a week later Showtime launched on Viacom Cablevision's system in Dublin, California ; the channel was originally owned by Viacom . The first program to be broadcast on Showtime was Celebration , a concert special featuring performances by Rod Stewart , Pink Floyd , and ABBA . By the end of its first year on
12600-512: The creditors who are still owed money by the studio. On July 16, 2018, TWC's assets were sold to the Dallas-based equity firm Lantern Capital Partners for $ 289 million. A newly formed studio, Lantern Entertainment , assumed the rights to TWC's 277-film library. Co-presidents Andy Mitchell and Milos Brajovic took charge of a company that dropped to 50 employees from 170 due to departures and layoffs. A trio of film experts were expected to help
12750-526: The debut of the science fiction channel Showtime Beyond in September 1999; the Showtime Unlimited name for the Showtime multiplex, TMC and Flix came into use around this time. Three additional themed channels made their debut in March 2001: Showtime Family Zone (which carries films intended for family audiences), Showtime Next (a channel featuring films and series that appeal toward adults between
12900-401: The distribution rights to The Upside , while Scream was sold to Paramount Pictures and Mary Magdalene was sold to IFC Films . As of February 2018, several companies had sued TWC, including American Express ($ 1.4 million), chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli ($ 133,333), and Canadian film distributor Entertainment One ($ 7.2 million for Paddington 2 ), On March 20, 2018, shortly after
13050-495: The dramatic thriller Derailed (starring Jennifer Aniston , Vincent Cassel and Clive Owen ), the offbeat comedy-drama Transamerica (starring Felicity Huffman ) the animated family film Hoodwinked , the World War II–era comedy-drama Mrs Henderson Presents (starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins ), and the caper comedy The Matador (starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear ). In February 2006, TWC announced
13200-472: The early 1980s, Showtime has run an adult-oriented late night programming block on its main channel called "Showtime After Hours" (which was briefly branded as "Showtime Late Night" during the mid-1990s) each night after 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time; programs featured within the block include feature films, series produced specifically for broadcast during the block and occasional stand-up comedy specials. Softcore erotica programming has previously aired during
13350-553: The early 1990s (ANC also produced news updates for fellow Viacom network VH1), in part as a response to the first Gulf War . Showtime has become known in recent years for the network's original television programs, the most popular of which include the crime drama Dexter , the dark comedy drama Weeds , family dramas Ray Donovan and Shameless and the drama/thriller series Homeland . Other notable past and present original series include Stargate SG-1 (which ran on Showtime for its first five seasons, before moving to
13500-889: The end of 2025. New films from Paramount Pictures will not be able to air on Showtime until 2026 unless further negotiations are made. Showtime also shows sub-runs – runs of films that have already received broadcast or syndicated television airings – of theatrical films distributed by IFC Films , Sony Pictures (including content from Columbia Pictures , TriStar Pictures , Screen Gems , Revolution Studios and Morgan Creek Productions ), Warner Bros. Pictures (including content from New Line Cinema ), Universal Pictures (including content from subsidiary Focus Features ), Open Road Films , Screen Media , Oscilloscope (select films), Summit Entertainment (for films released prior to 2013), Paramount Pictures (for films released prior to 2020), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (including content from subsidiary United Artists ), Lionsgate (sub-run rights with
13650-528: The entire Showtime content within Paramount+. By December 2022, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said that it "didn't make sense to run Showtime as a 100% stand-alone organization". On January 30, 2023, Paramount Global confirmed the two services would be fully merged in the near future in the United States, with both the Showtime service and the current Paramount+ Premium tier to be rebranded "Paramount+ with Showtime", echoing similar integrations in other international markets. The "Showtime" brand will remain active as
13800-432: The expectations of most of the interested parties. After it appeared that talks collapsed, the company announced it would file for bankruptcy. However, after continued negotiations in which New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman played a role, the TWC board reached a deal in which TWC sold all of its assets for $ 500 million; after the sales were finalized, the company was renamed and got a new board of directors of which
13950-766: The filing, and TWC executive vice president Sarah Sobel later told the firm TWC wouldn't be able to pay. Bert Fields and several other attorneys at the Greenberg Glusker Fields law firm represented The Weinstein Company from 2005 to December 2017. Reuters reported on October 16, 2017 that TWC had entered talks with private equity firm Colony Capital for the sale of its assets. On November 7, 2017, Colony Capital pulled out of acquiring The Weinstein Company. Other persons and companies that had expressed interest in acquiring TWC included rapper Jay-Z , Yucaipa Companies , Viacom , Lionsgate (the current home video distributor of TWC and Miramax which ended up buying
14100-534: The film and television libraries of both companies when the latter went up for sale in July. On February 23, 2016, TWC decided to put its film library of 520 titles as well as a majority stake in its television division up for sale, and later signed investment banks Moelis & Company and Thomas Dey's ACF Investment Bank to handle the television sale (which was resumed nine months after the failed talks with ITV) by looking for strategic investors. Meanwhile, in March, Miramax had been acquired by BeIN Media Group , but in
14250-729: The film industry had once hoped—movie studios were increasingly being used to produce programming for the burgeoning medium. Some midsize film companies, such as Republic Pictures , eventually sold their studios to TV production concerns , which were eventually bought by larger studios, such as the American Broadcasting Company which was purchased by Disney in 1996. With the growing diversification of studios into such fields as video games , television stations , broadcast syndication , television , theme parks , home video and publishing , they have become multi-national corporations. International markets account for
14400-619: The film industry, had accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape . On October 6, three of the company's nine members of the board of directors (including Lasry) resigned after the allegations were published. Harvey Weinstein also announced that he would take an indefinite leave of absence. On October 7, Paul Tudor Jones became the fourth member of the company's board of directors to resign. On October 8, TWC announced that Weinstein had been fired. Soon after, TWC executives announced that Harvey Weinstein will not receive credit on upcoming releases, and it may consider renaming
14550-415: The first premium television multiplex service in the United States, Showtime followed with the testing of its own secondary service–Showtime 2–on October 1 of that year. In April 1994, Showtime announced the creation of a new themed multiplex service, consisting of five channels: Spanish service Showtime En Espanol; family-oriented Showtime Family Television; action-oriented service Showtime Action Television;
14700-490: The home video distribution business and the DVD rights that were distributed by Genius were sold to Vivendi Entertainment . TWC also struck a deal with Vivendi. The same year, it won a Peabody Award for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency . On January 13, 2010, TWC announced more layoffs at the company after the box office failure of Nine . On February 21, 2010, TWC made a deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releasing
14850-477: The iPad app with the iPhone and LG apps to be discontinued at a later date. However, the channel hinted that the core interactive functions of SHO Sync may be restored in a different form, with the possibility of being incorporated into Showtime Anytime and the Showtime over-the-top streaming service. On June 3, 2015, then-Showtime parent CBS Corporation announced that it would launch an over-the-top subscription video on demand service that would be distributed as
15000-918: The imprint was founded in 2009 as Weinstein Books, a joint publishing venture between The Weinstein Company and the Perseus Books Group , published a range of general interest fiction, both literary and commercial, along with media-driven non-fiction and young adult titles. Since 2012, Weinstein Books was under the creative management of Publishing Director Georgina Levitt and Editorial Director Amanda Murray. Publicity Director Kathleen Schmidt joined Weinstein Books in 2013. Weinstein Books worked in collaboration with The Weinstein Company to create book tie-ins to films such as My Week With Marilyn , Bully by Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Lee and One Chance by Paul Potts. Film studio There are also independently owned studio facilities, who have never produced
15150-428: The latter film a co-production with Universal Pictures and A Band Apart . On March 25, 2011, the company formed a video game division named TWC Games. TWC Games formed a strategic consultancy with Beefy Media, a video game production company, to foster relationships with publishers and create high-quality games. On February 26, 2012, after TWC's purchase of the rights to release Michel Hazanavicius ' The Artist in
15300-425: The latter two studios are for films released prior to 2015), and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (including content from Pixar , 20th Century Studios , Walt Disney Animation Studios , Walt Disney Pictures , and Marvel Studios ). The window between a film's initial release in theaters and its initial screening on Showtime and sister channels The Movie Channel and Flix is wider than the grace period leading to
15450-519: The latter's 31% stake in Showtime/The Movie Channel and Warner-Amex's 19% interest in the unit and its 60% interest in MTV Networks (Viacom owned Showtime alone or jointly with other companies– TelePrompTer Corporation , and later briefly, its successor Group W Cable–from the time it launched in July 1976). The buyout, part of an option given by Warner in its purchase of American Express' interest in MTV,
15600-558: The lawsuit includes information that the company's Chief Operating Officer communicated with the Human Resources Director about complaints where settlements and non-disclosure agreements were needed, with the H.R. Director not being involved in any investigation or resolution process "on more than one occasion", and details on verbal abuse and threats by Harvey Weinstein that he would (in substance) kill employees, directly or indirectly via claims that he "had connections to
15750-471: The lawsuit, the company and both Weinsteins were accused of violating civil rights and gender discrimination laws, stating that it had "repeatedly and persistently treated female employees less well than male-employees through gender-based hostile workplace harassment, quid pro quo harassment, and discrimination" by maintaining "a group of female employees whose primary job it was to accompany HW (sic) to events and to facilitate HW's sexual conquests". In addition,
15900-676: The merger would also set standard prices for films that were acquired for broadcast on The Movie Channel and Showtime, either those produced by the studio partners or by unassociated film studios. To address the Justice Department's concerns over the deal, the four partners submitted a revised proposal for consideration on July 19 which included guarantees of conduct agreeing that Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros. would not receive higher residual licensing payments for films acquired by Showtime and The Movie Channel than those paid by other studios, and that all four partners would not permit
16050-417: The merger, by allowing other premium services to enter the market should the venture significantly raise licensing fee prices for films–led the Justice Department to drop its challenge to the merger agreement on August 12; the department formally approved the deal the following day on August 13. When the deal was completed on September 6, 1983, the operations of The Movie Channel and Showtime were folded into
16200-475: The minor studios filled the demand for B movies and are sometimes collectively referred to as Poverty Row . The Big Five's ownership of movie theaters was eventually opposed by eight independent producers, including Samuel Goldwyn , David O. Selznick , Walt Disney , Hal Roach , and Walter Wanger . In 1948, the federal government won a case against Paramount in the Supreme Court , which ruled that
16350-480: The network's first major promotional campaign, "We Make Excitement" (also referred to, particularly in bumpers and program introductions, as "Showtime Excitement") was created by the J. Walter Thompson company and utilizing an adapted version of the Pointer Sisters song " I'm So Excited ". The campaign lasted into 1986 and coincided with both the exclusivity deal signed with Paramount for films (see below) and
16500-657: The new company, while Ianniello would become chairman and CEO of CBS and oversee CBS-branded assets. Shari Redstone would also serve as chairperson of ViacomCBS. On October 29, 2019, National Amusements approved the re-merger deal. It closed on December 4, 2019. As part of the new structure the Showtime Networks unit and its assets—Showtime, The Movie Channel and Flix —became part of the Premium Network Group division of ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks , along with BET and temporarily Pop TV (which
16650-437: The normal 18 films per year; instead, the company would release 8–10 films per year and would make fewer acquisitions at film festivals. On July 31, 2015, TWC COO and president David Glasser briefly left the company amid a string of company exits, but then in September, he rejoined the company and planned to stay as its COO and president until 2018. Harvey Weinstein also openly expressed interest in reacquiring Miramax and merging
16800-406: The northern part of New York City 's Broadway district, Paramount+ with Showtime operates eight 24-hour, linear multiplex channels and formerly a standalone traditional subscription video on demand service; the channel's programming catalog and livestreams of its primary linear East and West Coast feeds are also available via an ad-free subscription tier of Paramount+ of the same name, which
16950-504: The other Showtime multiplex channels. The availability of either of the three channels on cable providers varies depending on the market; Dish Network only carries Showtime Family Zone, and DirecTV carries Showtime Next and Showtime Family Zone, but not Showtime Women. Depending on the service provider, Paramount+ with Showtime provides up to sixteen multiplex channels –eight 24-hour multiplex channels, all of which are simulcast in both standard definition and high definition –as well as
17100-428: The other participating premium services on June 10, 1994. In 1997, the channel's first major rebrand since the 1980s was introduced, with a new logo emphasizing the "SHO" part of the network's name within a circle (intended to be a spotlight), playing into the channel's common acronym in listings services like TV Guide . A new slogan, "No Limits" (in reference to the fact that as a premium channel, Showtime could push
17250-440: The overnight hours, though this has become less commonplace since late 2011. Until the formation of Showtime Family Zone in 2001, Showtime heavily incorporated programming (both American and foreign) aimed at children and teenagers as part of its daytime schedule; in particular, the main channel ran a late afternoon block of teen-oriented series on Sundays (such as Ready or Not , Chris Cross and Degrassi High ), as well as
17400-695: The package encompassing Showtime and its sister networks was marketed as "Showtime Unlimited"; the broader tier sometimes included the Sundance Channel (now SundanceTV ) during this period, by way of the stake Showtime Networks held in the network from its 1996 inception until Sundance's 2008 purchase by Rainbow Media (now AMC Networks). SHO×BET now focuses on programming aimed at African American audiences and incorporating original scripted content targeted at that demographic from Showtime and BET's respective libraries, in addition to BET+ programming to drive viewers to that streaming service. Showtime HD
17550-523: The pay cable marketplace, creating an oligopoly with HBO (which in conjunction with Cinemax controlled 60% of the market). After a four-month investigation resulted in the Department of Justice filing a civil antitrust lawsuit against the five parties to block the Showtime-TMC merger on June 10, 1983, the Department asked Warner and American Express to restructure the deal during hearings for
17700-471: The period drama Tulip Fever due to the departure of CEO Christopher Woodrow . In April 2015, The Weinstein Company was closing in on a deal to sell its television division to British network ITV for $ 950 million, but the deal was grounded in May. That same year, the company announced that around 40–50 layoffs would occur due to the box office failure of the comedy-drama Burnt among other factors. Shortly after, TWC announced they would no longer release
17850-414: The previous one to two weeks. The service began to be test marketed in 2001 and was officially launched in July 2002. On October 27, 2010, Showtime launched Showtime Anytime , a website that featured around 400 hours of streaming program content available in standard or high definition that was accessible to subscribers of the Showtime television service with TV Everywhere login. Content available on
18000-466: The realm of feature-length fare, including the Adrian Lyne -directed 1997 remake of Lolita . On March 1, 1994, Showtime and The Movie Channel in conjunction with rivals HBO and Cinemax implemented a cooperative content advisory system to provide to parents specific information about pay-cable programming content that may be unsuitable for their children; the development of the system—inspired by
18150-482: The remaining debt has been paid off by the films in question." On January 4, 2011, TWC agreed to acquire a 25% stake in Starz Media . Because of this, Starz Media subsidiary Anchor Bay Entertainment became the home video distributor for all TWC films. On February 3, 2011, the Weinsteins extracted a $ 75 million consolation prize from their former parent company, Disney, thus improving their filmmaking careers. As
18300-523: The sale" derided the timing of the filing "as an effort to score political points and grab media attention", and could lead to the sale falling through, forcing the company into bankruptcy and delaying compensation for victims. The investment group is said to meet with the Attorney General's office within a few days, with the decision whether to continue or abandon the bid for the company on hold until then. On February 16, 2018, The Weinstein Company fired President and COO David Glasser "for cause". Glasser filed
18450-441: The same year). In 1982, Group W Cable, a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Corporation (which acquired TelePrompTer the previous year), sold its 50% stake in Showtime back to Viacom for $ 75 million. The sale of Group W's stake in the channel happened shortly after the company began a partnership with Walt Disney Productions (now The Walt Disney Company ) to develop a competing premium service, The Disney Channel . Group W left
18600-555: The same year, another 15 independents settled in Hollywood. Other production companies eventually settled in the Los Angeles area in places such as Culver City , Burbank , and what would soon become known as Studio City in the San Fernando Valley . The stronger early public health response to the 1918 flu epidemic by Los Angeles compared to other American cities reduced the number of cases there and resulted in
18750-533: The seasonal late night reality series Big Brother After Dark , a companion to sister broadcast network CBS ' American adaptation of Big Brother ; the program moved to TVGN (which has since been renamed Pop ) starting with the June 26, 2013, premiere of Big Brother ' s 15th season . Showtime formerly produced its own original made-for-cable movies , originally branded as "Showtime Original Movies" until 1994 and "Showtime Original Pictures" thereafter until
18900-427: The service included Showtime original programming, feature films, comedy specials, documentaries and sports programming. It was available nationally to Showtime subscribers of satellite provider AT&T DirecTV , and regionally by Comcast Xfinity; Spectrum ; Optimum; Cox Communications; CenturyLink Prism ; Grande Communications ; Mediacom ; AT&T U-verse ; and Verizon FIOS . The Showtime Anytime app (which
19050-750: The service's daily schedule, varying in quantity depending on channel—and original series targeted at adult audiences (including, as of June 2020 , dramas like Shameless , Homeland , Yellowjackets , Billions , The Chi , The L Word: Generation Q , and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels ; comedies such as Black Monday , Our Cartoon President and Kidding ; and docuseries including The Circus and Vice ). In addition, Showtime has documentary films, boxing matches, sports-centric magazine series, occasional original stand-up comedy specials, and short-form behind-the-scenes specials centered mainly on theatrical films (either running in their initial theatrical or Showtime Networks broadcast window). Since
19200-631: The studio filed for Chapter 11 protection, the Bankruptcy Court in Delaware published a 394-page list of creditors owed money from TWC; including the estate of rock musician David Bowie , film director Michael Bay , and former First Daughter of the United States Malia Obama . Several Russian studios, including Central Partnership , Paradiz and Volga, and Timur Bekmambetov 's Bazelevs Company , were also owed money from
19350-578: The studio system. Filmmakers and producers such as Mike Judge , Adam Sandler , Jim Jarmusch , Robert Rodriguez , Steven Soderbergh , Quentin Tarantino , Kevin Smith and Richard Linklater made films that pushed boundaries in ways the studios were then reluctant to do. In response to these films, many distributed by mini-studios like Miramax , the majors created their own in-house mini-studios meant to focus on edgier, independent content. Focus Features
19500-419: The studio. On April 27, Miramax and Lantern emerged as the frontrunners in the company's bankruptcy sale. On June 22, 2018, Lantern lowered its acquisition price to $ 287 million. On July 9, 2018, several actors, directors, producers and writers protested Lantern's acquisition, asking a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge not to approve the purchase price for TWC's assets without first extracting a guarantee of payment to
19650-406: The studio. On January 7, 2019, Lantern Entertainment said that it was not responsible for TWC's unpaid debts. On March 19, 2018, The Weinstein Company announced that it had declared bankruptcy, and is considering a $ 310 million stalking horse offer with Lantern Capital . The company's bankruptcy auction began on May 4, 2018. Twenty-three bidders had expressed interest in buying certain assets from
19800-601: The studios increased in size they began to rely on production companies like J. J. Abrams ' Bad Robot to handle many of the creative and physical production details of their feature films. Instead, the studios transformed into financing and distribution entities for their films (generally made by their affiliated production companies). With the decreasing cost of CGI and visual effects , many studios sold large chunks of their once-massive studio spaces or backlots to private real-estate developers. Century City in Los Angeles
19950-448: The television rights, resulting in a lower than suitable licensing fee rate the studios would be paid for individual films. The three companies announced an agreement in to acquire interests in TMC on November 11, 1982. In late December of the same year, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a routine preliminary inquiry into the proposed partnership. The Department of Justice had blocked
20100-493: The television series Scream and the film Sin City 2 (which Lantern did not acquire). On October 23, 2017, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched a civil rights investigation into whether The Weinstein Company violated state civil rights and New York City human rights laws in its handling of sexual harassment complaints and other types of discrimination against employees. The attorney general's Civil Rights Bureau sent
20250-508: The two channels in the venture to pay lower fees for films produced by three studio partners than those paid by smaller pay television services for the same films. After the revised proposal was rejected on July 28, Warner Communications and American Express restructured the purchase to include only Viacom as a partner, bowing Gulf+Western and MCA out from the partnership. The changes – which Justice Department officials acknowledged would "prevent any anti-competitive effect from arising" following
20400-412: The winner of the studio's bankruptcy auction. The Weinstein Company was founded on March 10, 2005, and officially launched that October. following the departure of Harvey and Bob Weinstein from Miramax Films , which they had co-founded in 1979, and sold to The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993. The Weinsteins retained ownership of the Dimension Films label. Their first releases in 2005 included
20550-584: The world. In the early 1900s, companies started moving to Los Angeles, California . Although electric lights were by then widely available, none were yet powerful enough to adequately expose film; the best source of illumination for motion picture production was natural sunlight. Some movies were shot on the roofs of buildings in Downtown Los Angeles . Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company , based in New York City, controlled almost all
20700-421: Was a late-night block known as Showtime After Hours , which featured softcore pornographic films and original series. Showtime did not have set start or end times for the block, as they varied depending on the mainstream feature films–and original series on certain nights–that aired prior to and following it, and also depended on the number of programs and programs in particular that were scheduled to air within
20850-577: Was announced that the rebooted Scream series would be moving to VH1 ahead of the premiere of the third season. The third season premiered on July 8, 2019. Two other Weinstein series; Peaky Blinders and Spy Kids: Mission Critical ; remained available for streaming. In February 2019, Lantern was reported to be reaching a settlement with The Walt Disney Company , regarding several films that Lantern that did not acquire (including Scream 4 and The Matador ). On July 15, 2019, Spyglass settled two major claims, including $ 11 million for Viacom regarding
21000-424: Was completely shut down along with its website; its last film was the historical drama The Current War on October 25, 2019 in the United States. On November 13, 2018, Lantern acquired full control of three Quentin Tarantino films, Inglourious Basterds , Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight , originally released by The Weinstein Company, for $ 6.1 million. On July 31, 2018, Lantern Entertainment signed
21150-441: Was created by Universal Pictures and Fox Searchlight was created by 20th Century Fox for this purpose. Showtime (TV network) Showtime , also known as Paramount+ with Showtime (with "Showtime" being the former name of its main channel from 1976 to 2024, but still used for certain marketing and channel branding contexts), is an American premium television network and the flagship property of Showtime Networks ,
21300-465: Was exercised in part to finance much of the buyout of Showtime/The Movie Channel without borrowing any money (ironically, Warner Communications would eventually acquire rivals HBO and Cinemax , when the company merged with Time Inc. in 1990 to form Time Warner , which is now known as Warner Bros. Discovery ). The subsidiary was renamed Showtime Networks, Inc. in 1988. Also in 1988, the company formed Showtime Event Television (now Showtime PPV) as
21450-435: Was highly flammable, and sets and backlots were and still are very flammable, which is why film studios built in the early-to-mid 20th century have water towers to facilitate firefighting . Water towers "somewhat inexplicably" evolved into "a most potent symbol ... of movie studios in general." Halfway through the 1950s, with television proving to be a lucrative enterprise not destined to disappear any time soon—as many in
21600-555: Was identical to Showtime Anytime; it offered a back catalog of episodes of various past and present Showtime original series (with new episodes of Showtime original series being made available for streaming the same day as their original broadcast on the main linear Showtime channel), feature films and documentaries, and sports events and analysis programs. Subscriptions were also available over Amazon Prime (Amazon Channels), Hulu, The Roku Channel, and Apple TV (Apple TV Channels) as add-ons. Unlike HBO Now, Showtime also provided live streams of
21750-621: Was offered as a free download) was initially released on the iOS App Store for the iPad and iPhone on October 3, 2011. On October 1, 2012, an Android app became available through the Google Play platform for Android devices. In September 2017, it was discovered that the Showtime Anytime website was injected with code that mined the cryptocurrency Monero using the viewer's CPU, which would potentially cause degraded performance for other websites and applications. The code
21900-457: Was offered to subscribers of the linear Showtime television service) ceasing operations on December 14, and the standalone Showtime app being discontinued on April 30, 2024; the primary Showtime channel was rebranded as Paramount+ with Showtime on January 8, 2024, although the former name remains in use as a standalone brand for its multiplex channels and for marketing of the network's original programs. In 1991, after HBO and Cinemax debuted
22050-399: Was once part of the 20th Century Fox backlot, which was among the largest and most famous of the studio lots. In most cases, portions of the backlots were retained and are available for rental by various film and television productions. Some studios offer tours of their backlots , while Universal Pictures allows visitors to its adjacent Universal Studios Hollywood theme park to take
22200-426: Was removed as soon as it was discovered. The Anytime app and website viewing were shut down in December 2023. On September 22, 2011, Showtime launched Showtime Social , a second screen interactive app providing interactivity with Showtime programs including viewer-participant polls and trivia questions as well as real-time aggregation of Twitter , Facebook and blog comments about particular Showtime programs;
22350-406: Was required to deal (issues that have received a lot of national press and issues which do not involve Greenberg Glusker in any way, and in which Greenberg Glusker played no role whatsoever), Greenberg Glusker became concerned about being paid for its services," states the filing. Bob Weinstein told Greenberg Glusker TWC would make a substantial payment on November 20, but it never came, according to
22500-451: Was transferred to the Youth & Entertainment Group division the following month, later named MTV Entertainment Group), to be overseen by SNI CEO David Nevins . ViacomCBS renamed itself as Paramount Global on February 16, 2022; the company's domestic networks division became Paramount Media Networks on the same day. On January 30, 2023, Paramount Global announced plans to fully integrate
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