Disney–ABC Domestic Television (also referred to asABC Syndication,doing business asDisney–ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution, and formerly namedBuena Vista Television) is the in-home sales and content distribution firm ofDisney Entertainment, which is a division ofThe Walt Disney Company. Content distribution responsibilities include domestictelevisionsyndication, domestic pay television, Internet and cable video-on-demand (VOD), and pay-per-view outlets.[1]
ABC's first syndication arm, ABC Films (established in July 1953), was spun off asWorldvision Enterprises (nowCBS Media Ventures) in March 1973 due tofin-syn laws (which have since been repealed).
Despite having some television shows and feature films, Disney only had two syndicated shows,The Mickey Mouse Club andThe Mouse Factory, prior to the formation of this unit.[2]
Disney established a television syndication unit in 1985, with Robert Jacquemin as senior vice president of domestic television distribution, after the company convincedChicagofilm criticsGene Siskel andRoger Ebert to move their showAt the Movies fromTribune Entertainment/WGN-TV at the end of the 1985–86 television season. None of its animated feature films were planned to enter syndication at the time.[2] The division was incorporated asBuena Vista Television, Inc. on November 5, 1985,[3] and on September 20, 1986, the second iteration ofAt the Movies, later re-titledSiskel & Ebert, premiered as the company's first production.[4] The company produced the business-oriented morning show,Today's Business, in August 1986, a program that only lasted eight months due to advertising issues.[5] In 1990, the company offered its first game show,The Challengers, into first-run syndication.[4]
In late 1986, Buena Vista was shoppingDuckTales for a 1987 debut, with a 4–6 p.m. placement and a 2.5/3.5 syndicator/station ad split.[6] In late 1990 and early 1991, after launchingThe Disney Afternoon syndicated block, Buena Vista had considered starting a new one-hour morning block to start in 1992.[7]
On August 24, 1994, a reorganization of Disney took place in whichRichard H. Frank became head of a newly formed Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications, which was split fromWalt Disney Studios and included Buena Vista Television.[8] The company had absorbed the original iteration ofDebmar Studios after Mort Marcus became the company's president in 1994.[9][10]
In April 1996, due to the ongoing post Disney–Capital Cities/ABC Inc. merger realignment and the retirement of its president, Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications' divisions were reassigned to other groups. Therefore, Buena Vista Television, as a part of Walt Disney Television International, was transferred toDisney–ABC Television Group.[11]
In February 1997, Buena Vista began development on theComedy Central original daytime game showWin Ben Stein's Money, presided over by actor, financial planner, motivator and author Ben Stein. The series debuted July 27, 1997 on Comedy Central; and Jimmy Kimmel was named co-host and quizmaster opposite Stein himself.
In March 2007,Starz Inc. sued Buena Vista Television for breaching their agreement by allowing films to be available online throughApple Inc.'siTunes Store and other outlets. The introduction of theApple TV device forced Starz to file suit, which hinged on the "contractual definition of 'television'" and whether complete television exclusivity was granted, as Starz then had a secondary distribution deal withNetflix.[12]
In May 2007, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to semi-retire the use of theBuena Vista brand in favor of focusing on the three core brands ofDisney,ABC, andESPN instead.[13] As a result, Buena Vista Television was rebranded as Disney–ABC Domestic Television (DADT).[12] Buena Vista Television converted to a limited liability business form on April 10, 2009.[3][14]
By July 2008, Disney–ABC Domestic Television signed additional carriage agreements withVudu andCinemaNow, which was then added to the Starz lawsuit. On December 2, 2008, Disney–ABC Domestic Television and Starz Entertainment settled their online distribution lawsuit with the terms undisclosed.[12]
