 | |
| Formerly | Litton Syndications (1988–2005) Litton Entertainment (2005–2022) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | 1988; 38 years ago (1988) inBaltimore, Maryland |
| Founder | Dave Morgan |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 4 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Frank Biancuzzo (president) |
| Products | Television programming Educational entertainment |
| Services | Distribution Media sales |
| Parent | Hearst Television (2017–present) |
| Website | hmpg |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
TheHearst Media Production Group, formerlyLitton Syndications andLitton Entertainment, is an Americanmediaproduction andsyndication based inNew York City,New York[2] and a subsidiary of theHearst Television division ofHearst Communications, with three additional offices inBoston,Washington, D.C. andBurbank, California. Many of HMPG's programs comply with federally mandatededucational and informational requirements.[3]
The company was founded in 1988 as Litton Syndications (no relation toLitton Industries) by Dave Morgan inBaltimore.[4] Its first syndicated productions were a series of one-off, sports-related specials.[1] The programs were bought from other companies.[4]
In the 1990s, seeing a growing market for educational programs due to the enactment of theChildren's Television Act, requiring television stations to air a weekly quota of educational programs, Litton began to syndicateJack Hanna's Animal Adventures.[1] In 1993, the company was moved toCharleston, South Carolina, while maintaining a production base inBurbank, California.[4] Litton has maintained a long-time business relationship withColumbus Zoo and Aquarium director emeritusJack Hanna and his family with three more later series throughout the 2000s and 2010s, only ending actively in 2021 with Hanna's retirement after a diagnosis ofAlzheimer's; HMPG will continue to distribute his shows indefinitely.
In 2005, the company changed its name from Litton Syndications to Litton Entertainment. Adding to its outside syndication library that includedBaywatch in May 2007, Litton purchased from Peace Arch Entertainment Group syndication rights to 85 movies in the Castle Hill library. The low budget films were bundled into 4 groups and was the company's first move into syndicating movies.[5] By 2008, LE had syndicated rights to three off-MTV shows,Cribs,Pimp My Ride andDate My Mom, while adding that year,Storm Stories fromThe Weather Channel. In 2009–10, Litton offered thenontraditional court showStreet Court.[1]
In January 2011, Litton distributed the hip-hop newsmagazineDirect Access (hosted byDarian "Big Tigger" Morgan) fromWDCW/Washington, D.C. to fellowTribune Broadcasting stations andWeigel Broadcasting'sWCIU-TV/Chicago.[6]
In May 2011, following the announcement of plans to discontinue theABC KidsSaturday morning block, Litton reached a deal withABC's affiliate board to syndicate a block of live-action,E/I (educational and informative) compliant programming, known asLitton's Weekend Adventure. The block premiered on September 3, 2011.[7][8]
On September 28, 2013, Litton introduced its second Saturday morning network television block,CBS Dream Team, forCBS; focusing on teenagers 13 to 16 years old. The block succeeded CBS' previous block,Cookie Jar TV.[9]Recipe Rehab was one preexisting program Litton moved over from its ABC block.[10]
The company planned to double its productions by adding production facilities in South Carolina. Litton began renting and renovation aNorth Charleston studio used with its first-ever scripted production,The Inspectors, also being its first series produced there.[4] LE's first film produced in that studio was the independent filmThe Ivy League Farmer, which began filming in September. Additionally, Litton planned to build its own studio complex with multiple stages somewhere in the state. Production of most of Litton's productions should move there also.[11]
In 2014,Ocean Mysteries With Jeff Corwin won twoDaytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Travel Program and Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel Program.[4] On October 4, 2014, Litton introduced its third Saturday morning block,One Magnificent Morning, forThe CW, succeedingSaban Brands'Vortexx block.[12]
For the 2016–17 season, Litton launched two additional E/I programming blocks. On April 27, 2015, Litton announcedGo Time, a syndicated block of E/I programming drawn largely from reruns of programming from its other network blocks, which launched on October 1, 2016.[13] On February 24, 2016, Litton andNBC announcedThe More You Know, which launched on October 8, 2016, succeedingNBC Kids.[14]
On January 6, 2017,Hearst Television, a division ofHearst Communications and a former employer of company founder Dave Morgan, announced that it had acquired a majority stake in Litton for an undisclosed amount, a deal closed on February 1, 2017.[15][16] On January 25, 2017, Litton andTribune Media announced a deal for the 2017–18 season where they will provide E/I content for Tribune'sAntenna TV network.[17] In the 2017–18 season, NBC's The More You Know block also began to be carried on NBC's classic television subchannel network,Cozi TV. On January 6, 2018,Telemundo's block,MiTelemundo, was relaunched to carry programs from NBC'sThe More You Know block, in Spanish. The block, however, kept its original name.[18][19]
On September 7, 2021, after fully acquiring Litton's balance that year, Hearst Television announced that the former would be moved under a new unified banner for the latter's outside productions, includingMatter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien.[3] The combined unit was officially renamed Hearst Media Production Group on January 28, 2022.[20]
On March 3, 2022, HMPG made an agreement with Toonz Media Group in which the former will co-produce animated productions with the latter, includingPaddypaws,Sunnyside Billy,Kingdom of None andAliens in My Backpack, and distribute them in the United States.[21]
Litton formerly had three operating divisions:[22]
| Programming block | Network | Launch | Replaced | Former programmer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC Weekend Adventure | ABC[8] | September 3, 2011 | ABC Kids | The Walt Disney Company |
| CBS WKND | CBS[9] | September 28, 2013 | Cookie Jar TV | DHX Media |
| One Magnificent Morning | The CW The CW Plus | October 4, 2014 | Vortexx | Saban Brands |
| Go Time | Syndication | October 1, 2016 | – | – |
| The More You Know MiTelemundo | NBC Cozi TV[14] Telemundo[19] | October 8, 2016 | NBC Kids MiTelemundo | NBCUniversal |
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