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 Logo used since 2013 | |
 The headquarters at10 Universal City Plaza inUniversal City, California | |
| Universal Studios | |
| Formerly | Universal Studios Inc. (1996–2013) |
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Predecessor | MCA |
| Founded | 1996; 29 years ago (1996) |
| Headquarters | 10 Universal City Plaza,, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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| Revenue |  US$11.622 billion (2022) |
| Parent | Seagram (1996–2000) Vivendi Universal (2000–2004) NBCUniversal (2004–present) |
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| Website | |
Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Inc. (UFEG), doing business asUniversal Studios and formerly known asUniversal Studios Inc., is an American entertainment company and business unit withinNBCUniversal, a subsidiary ofComcast, that oversees and manages its film and television businesses, including its flagship division,Universal Pictures.
The company was formed in 1996 following the acquisition ofMCA bySeagram, and its subsequent rebranding to Universal Studios Inc., which would later take on its current name in 2013. Since its formation, the company became a major force in the film and entertainment industry. Itsstudios are located inUniversal City, California, and its corporate offices are located inNew York City.
On December 9, 1996, a year after its acquisition bySeagram,MCA was rebranded to Universal Studios Inc.[1][2] and MCA's music division, MCA Music Entertainment Group, was renamedUniversal Music Group.MCA Records continued to live on as a label within the Universal Music Group. The following year,G. P. Putnam's Sons was sold to thePenguin Group subsidiary ofPearson PLC.
In 1996, Universal Studios filed a lawsuit againstViacom over Viacom's launch of theTV Land cable network. Viacom had purchased Paramount in 1994, and the contract for USA Network prohibited either of their owners from owning cable channels outside the joint venture.[3] Viacom had ownedMTV Networks (the parent of TV Land) since 1985. The suit was settled when Viacom sold MCA its half of the joint venture. TV Land eventually added shows from the MCA/Universal library in 1999.
To raise money, Seagram headEdgar Bronfman Jr. sold Universal's television holdings, including cable networkUSA, toBarry Diller (these same properties would be bought back later at greatly inflated prices). In June 2000, Seagram was sold toFrench water utility and media companyVivendi, which ownedStudioCanal; the conglomerate then became known as Vivendi Universal.
In the spring of 2003, MCA Records was folded intoGeffen Records.[citation needed] Itscountry music label,MCA Nashville Records, is still in operation. MCA's classical music catalog is managed byDeutsche Grammophon.[citation needed]
Burdened with debt, in 2004, Vivendi Universal sold 80% of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (including the studio and theme parks) toGeneral Electric (GE), parent ofNBC.[4] However, the sale of Universal to NBC and GE did not includeUniversal Music Group, which had been a part of the film company since 1962. UMG was placed under separate management through Vivendi.[5] The resulting company was namedNBCUniversal, while Universal Studios Inc. remained the name of the production subsidiary. After that deal, GE owned 80% of NBC Universal; Vivendi held the remaining 20%, with an option to sell its share in 2006.
In late 2005, Viacom'sParamount Pictures acquiredDreamWorks SKG after acquisition talks between GE and DreamWorks stalled. Universal's long-time chairperson, Stacey Snider, left the company in early 2006 to head up DreamWorks. Snider was replaced by then-Vice chairmanMarc Shmuger andFocus Features headDavid Linde. On October 5, 2009, Marc Shmuger and David Linde were ousted, and their co-chairperson jobs were consolidated under former president of worldwide marketing and distribution Adam Fogelson, becoming the single chairperson. Donna Langley was also upped to co-chairperson.[6] In May 2009, Universal Studios merged its Consumer Products Group division with its fellow division Universal Studios Partnerships division to form one consumer products & licensing division that all of the studio’s consumer product licensing, film and home entertainment promotions and corporate alliances for Universal's theatrical, home entertainment, theme parks and stage productions alongside licensing consumer products within the group entitled Universal Partnerships and Licensing. Universal Studios Partnership headerStephanie Sperber assumed the title role of the merged consumer products division as executive VP, whilst senior VP Amy Taylor would oversee Universal Partnerships & Licensing's North American promotions, worldwide licensing and retail development; it would rebrand themselves to Universal Brand Development by 2016.[7] Five years later in June 2014, Universal Partnerships & Licensing had interrogated consumers products from its fellow NBCUniversal units NBC Entertainment and the children's channelSprout as the unit had oversume consumer products of NBC's productions such asThe Tonight Show and Sprout's famous iconic brandChica.[8] GE purchased Vivendi's share in NBCUniversal in 2011.[9]
GE sold 51% of the company to cable providerComcast in 2011, including Universal Studios. Comcast merged the former GE subsidiary with its own cable-television programming assets, creating the current NBCUniversal. FollowingFederal Communications Commission (FCC) approval, the Comcast-GE deal was closed on January 29, 2011.[10] In March 2013, Comcast bought the remaining 49% of NBCUniversal for $16.7 billion.[11]
In September 2013, Universal Studios was renamed Universal Filmed Entertainment Group to oversee the film group's worldwide activities, including the global theatrical and home entertainment businesses.Jeff Shell became the chairman of the new Universal Studios, while the company's former chairman,Ron Meyer, was named as the vice chairman ofNBCUniversal.[12] In January 2019, it was announced thatDonna Langley would also take over as head of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.[13]
In September 2022, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group announced that its parentNBCUniversal had moved the former's consumer products division Universal Brand Development to fellow NBCUniversal theme park & resorts division Universal Parks & Resorts and had it merged with the latter's merchandise unit Universal Parks & Resorts Merchandise Group to form a single unified global consumer products business & focused on theme park experiences division for NBCUniversal's franchises renamed the former to Universal Products & Experiences, with Universal Brand Development president Vince Klaseus had lead the rebranded division.[14]
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Universal Filmed Entertainment Group holds the rights to the film library through its divisions and subsidiaries such asUniversal Pictures,Universal Animation Studios,Focus Features,Illumination, andDreamWorks Animation.
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