New World Pictures

Final logo, used from 1984 to 1997
Company type	Public
Predecessor	The Filmgroup
Founded	July 8, 1970; 55 years ago (1970-07-08)
Founders	Roger Corman Gene Corman
Defunct	January 22, 1997; 29 years ago (1997-01-22)
Fate	Acquired byNews Corporation and folded intoFox Entertainment Group
Successors	The Walt Disney Company (through20th Century Studios andBVS Entertainment) (post-1989 films and TV programs only) Shout! Studios (throughNew Concorde) (1970–1984 films only) Shamrock Holdings (throughLakeshore Entertainment) (1984–1989 films and TV programs only) Fox Corporation (corporate assets only)
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia , United States[1]
Key people	Robert Rehme(CEO, 1983–1989) Ronald Perelman(CEO; 1989–1997)
Products	Motion pictures Television production and distribution Television broadcasting
Divisions	New World Television New World Animation

New World Pictures (also known asNew World Entertainment,New World Communications Group, Inc., andNew World International) was an American independentproduction,distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity)multimedia company. It was founded in 1970 byRoger Corman andGene Corman asNew World Pictures, Ltd., a producer and distributor ofmotion pictures, eventually expanding intotelevision production in 1984. New World eventually expanded into broadcasting with the acquisition of seventelevision stations in 1993, with the broadcasting unit expanding through additional purchases made during 1994.

20th Century Fox (then solely owned byNews Corporation), controlled byRupert Murdoch, became a major investor in 1994 and purchased the company outright in 1997; the alliance with Murdoch, specifically through a group affiliation agreement with New World reached between the two companies in May 1994, helped to cement theFox network as thefourth major U.S. television network.

Although effectively defunct, it continues to exist asholding companies within theFox Corporation corporate structure along with various regional subsidiaries (e.g., "New World Communications of Tampa").

New World Pictures' co-founder Gene Corman died at his home inBeverly Hills, California, on September 28, 2020, at the age of 93.^[2] Roger Corman later died at his home inSanta Monica, California, on May 9, 2024, at the age of 98.^[3][4]

Founded on July 8, 1970,New World Pictures, Ltd. was co-founded byB-movie directorRoger Corman and his brotherGene, following their departure fromAmerican International Pictures (AIP).^[5] As the last remaining national low-budget film distributor at the time, New World quickly became one of the most successful independent companies in the nation.^{[citation needed]} Corman hoped to continue AIP's formula at New World, making low-budget films by new talent and distributing them internationally. However, it started with only ten domestic offices, and one each inCanada and theUnited Kingdom; its films were distributed regionally by other companies.^[6]

New World initially madeexploitation films such asThe Student Nurses and other small-scale productions. Corman helped launch the filmmaking careers ofJonathan Demme (Caged Heat,Crazy Mama),Jonathan Kaplan (White Line Fever),Ron Howard (Grand Theft Auto),Paul Bartel (Death Race 2000) andJoe Dante (Piranha), all of whom made some of their early films asinterns for the company.^[6] New World also released foreign films from acclaimed directors such asIngmar Bergman (Cries and Whispers,Autumn Sonata),Federico Fellini (Amarcord) andAkira Kurosawa (Dersu Uzala). Corman conceived the distribution of such films to disassociate New World from being an exhibitor of exploitation films.^[6] New World would also acquire and re-edit foreign films for American audiences, such as 1973'sNihon Chinbotsu, released in 1975 asTidal Wave during the height of thedisaster film era.

In 1983, Corman sold New World to Larry Kupin,Harry E. Sloan andLarry A. Thompson for $16.5 million; the three new owners decided to take the companypublic. Corman retained the film library, while New World acquiredhome video rights to the releases. In 1984,Robert Rehme – who formerly served asCEO ofAvco Embassy Pictures andUniversal Pictures and had previously worked for New World as itsVP of sales in the 1970s – returned to the company as its new CEO. Later that year, Thompson left the company to form his firm.^[7] On February 21, 1984, New World Pictures added 3 new pictures to produce a minimum of 14 releases per year, and had plans to start their regional network.^[8]

In 1984, the company created three new divisions:New World International, which would handle distribution of New World's productions outside theUnited States;New World Television, a production unit focusing on television programs (the first television programs produced by the unit were thesoap operaSanta Barbara and themade-for-TV moviePlaying With Fire); andNew World Video, which would handle home video distribution of films produced mainly by New World Pictures. It would eventually see the success of its video division in its first few months of operation.^[9]

In 1986, New World acquired the post-production facilityLions Gate Studios for $4.4 million, as well as theMarvel Entertainment Group (MEG), the corporate parent ofMarvel Comics from the liquidatedCadence Industries.^[10][11]

In July 1967,William "Bill" Deneen leftEncyclopædia Britannica Films to start up theLearning Corporation of America, a rival company withColumbia Pictures.^[12] It would quickly become one of EBF's biggest rivals in the 16mm field. During his past decade with EBF, William Deneen's specialty was geography films. He was the owner of an independent film company since 1950, which was distributing through EBF until they absorbed his company and made him VP. Among his most famous in-depth looks of everyday life overseas were a series onJapan,Hungary and Communism and a trio shot onSamuel Bronston's sets ofFall of the Roman Empire, includingClaudius: Boy of Ancient Rome. Despite being made very economically, these were undoubtedly the most expensive-looking school films of the era.

In 1987, New World acquired educational film companyLearning Corporation of America and independent film studioHighgate Pictures.^[13] By this time New World Pictures changed its name toNew World Entertainment to better reflect its range of subsidiaries besides the film studio, including its purchase ofMarvel Comics, and partner Harry Sloan said that the name change would have the revised banner "more accurately reflects the business the company is in".^[14] Also that year New World almost purchased two toy companies,Kenner Parker Toys andMattel, but both planned acquisitions never materialized (althoughTonka would acquire Kenner in 1987).

Around this time, New World faced a significant financial slump, and the company began restructuring itself. This began with the sale of Marvel Entertainment Group toAndrews Group (run by financierRonald Perelman) on January 6, 1989;Marvel Productions was excluded from the sale.^[15] After a failed bid byGiancarlo Parretti'sPathé Communications, New World was sold to the Andrews Group in April 1989; Perelman indicated that, while New World's television operations would continue, their motion picture and home video activity would be cut back, if not scrapped entirely.^[16] The bulk of its film and home video holdings were sold in January 1990 to Trans-Atlantic Pictures, a newly formed production company founded by a consortium of former New World executives (Trans-Atlantic was sold toLakeshore Entertainment in 1996).^[17] Highgate Pictures and Learning Corporation of America were shut down in 1990.^{[citation needed]} On October 7, 1991, New World sold much of its "network" television assets toSony Pictures Entertainment, who used these assets to relaunchTriStar Television.^[18][19] Some television programs produced by New World such asSanta Barbara andThe Wonder Years would remain in production by the company until their cancellations in 1993; New World would not return to producing programs for the major broadcasttelevision networks until early 1995.

On February 17, 1993, Perelman purchased a majority stake in SCI Television, taking over control of the company fromGeorge Gillett.^[20] SCI's stations included CBS affiliatesWAGA-TV inAtlanta,WJBK-TV inDetroit,WJW-TV inCleveland,WITI-TV inMilwaukee;NBC affiliateKNSD inSan Diego; andindependentWSBK-TV inBoston.^[21] The core of the group was the former television properties ofStorer Communications, which Gillett bought in 1987 financed throughjunk bonds that soured afterBlack Monday, putting him in a 10:1 debt-to-profit ratio.^[22][23]WTVT inTampa, also affiliated with CBS and owned directly by Gillett, was included.^[24] Perelman folded SCI Television into New World Entertainment, forming New World Communications.^[25][26]

In 1993, New World Entertainment purchased ownership stakes insyndication distributor Genesis Entertainment throughFour Star Television and made a direct purchase of infomercial production company,Guthy-Renker.^[27][28][29]

The company agreed to purchase Argyle Television in May 1994 and its four stations: CBS affiliatesKTBC-TV inAustin, Texas, andKDFW-TV inDallas; NBC affiliateWVTM-TV inBirmingham, Alabama; andABC affiliateKTVI inSt. Louis.^[30] At the same time, New World acquired four stations owned byCiticasters: ABC affiliatesWBRC-TV in Birmingham andWGHP-TV inHigh Point, North Carolina; NBC affiliateWDAF-TV inKansas City, Missouri; and CBS affiliateKSAZ-TV inPhoenix.^[31] Due to WBRC and WVTM being in the same market, New World opted to placed WBRC and WGHP in ablind trust and sought buyers for both.^[32]

The biggest deal involving New World Communications would aid in changing the face of American broadcasting. In the wake ofFox's landmark $1.58-billion deal with theNational Football League (NFL) on December 17, 1993, which awarded it the television rights to theNational Football Conference (NFC) beginning with the league's1994 season,^[33][34] the network began seeking agreements with various station groups such asSF Broadcasting to affiliate withVHF stations that had established histories as affiliates of theBig Three (ABC, CBS and NBC) and therefore had higher value with advertisers (compared to its predominatelyUHF affiliate body, the vast majority of which were independent stations before joining the network), in an effort to bolster the network's newly acquired package of NFL game telecasts.^[35]

Shortly after the Citicasters acquisition announcement, on May 23, 1994, New World Communications and Fox reached a multi-year affiliation agreement in which New World would switch most of its television stations to the network beginning that fall. The deal would include most of the stations that New World was acquiring from Argyle and Citicasters, with all of the affected stations joining Fox after existing affiliation contracts with their then-current network partners concluded. In exchange, Fox parentNews Corporation agreed to purchase a 20% interest in New World for $500 million.^{[1][36][30][37]} New World was approached by Fox in part due to the group's expanding presence in several primary and secondary markets of NFC teams. New World, meanwhile, was concerned about the effect that the network's loss of NFC rights to Fox would have on both CBS, which was near the bottom of thenetwork ratings at the time, and on the group's CBS-affiliated stations.

The stations that became Fox affiliates had to acquire or produce additional programming to fill their broadcast days, as Fox programmed significantly fewer hours of network content (prime time programming for two hours on Monday through Saturdays and three hours on Sundays, the Monday through Saturday children's blockFox Kids, and an hour oflate night programming on Saturdays) than its three established major network competitors; on top of that, most of the New World stations (with KTVI later becoming the lone exception) declined to carry the Fox Kids block. The time vacated by news programs, daytime shows and children's programs from each station's former network was filled by additional syndicated programming, particularly local newscasts. The deal as a whole (as well as a second affiliation agreement that was struck one month after the New World deal through the purchase of four stations by a joint venture withSavoy Pictures) caused adomino effect that resulted in various individual and group affiliation deals involving all four networks (primarily CBS, Fox, and ABC) affecting television stations in more than 70media markets; in most of those areas, New World did not own a station.

Three New World stations were excluded from the Fox affiliation deal. In Boston, where New World owned WSBK-TV, Fox was already affiliated withWFXT (channel 25). WVTM was exempted in Birmingham, as, in the summer of 1995, New World sold WBRC and WGHP toFox Television Stations, with WBRC switching to Fox after its affiliation contract with ABC expired on August 31, 1996. KNSD (also a UHF station) also did not switch as Fox was already affiliated with a VHF station in the San Diego market,Tijuana,Baja California,Mexico-basedXETV-TV (channel 6). KNSD and WVTM retained their NBC affiliations, although in 1995, its contract was renewed for 10 years.^[38] New World planned to sell all 3 stations as well, to comply with the FCC's 12-station ownership limit.^[39] In November 1994, New World sold WSBK-TV to theParamount Stations Group subsidiary ofViacom for $100 million.^[40]

Later that year,Brandon Tartikoff, who helped NBC out of its ratings doldrums in the 1980s in his former role as President of Entertainment at NBC, joined New World Communications in an executive position; concurrently, New World acquired Tartikoff'sproduction company Moving Target Productions.^[41][42] New World also acquired the remaining interest in Genesis Entertainment, which expanded upon New World's production assets into television distribution (Genesis has subsequently renamed New World-Genesis Distribution following the closure of the purchase). After New World took over Moving Target Productions, the production company was renamed to MT2 Services.^[43] In 1995, Stone Stanley Productions was signed an exclusive agreement with New World Entertainment.^[44] 1995 also saw the acquisitions ofCannell Entertainment^[45][46] and entertainment magazinePremiere.

In May 1996, New World sold WVTM and KNSD toNBC Television Stations for $425 million.^[47][48] On July 17, 1996, Fox parent News Corporation announced it would acquire the remainder of New World Communications for $2.48 billion in stock.^{[49][50][51][52][53][54]} When the merger with News Corporation was finalized on January 22, 1997, New World's television production and distribution arms folded into20th Century Fox Television and20th Television, respectively and the former New World television stations were transferred into its Fox Television Stations subsidiary, turning the former group's 12 Fox affiliates into owned-and-operated stations of the network, joining WGHP and WBRC. TheNew World Animation and Marvel Films Animation libraries were acquired bySaban Entertainment andFox Kids Worldwide (in turn acquired by Disney through its 2001 purchase of Fox Family Worldwide) following News Corporation's acquisition of New World.

As part of theacquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company, the New World library was transferred to TFCF America, Inc., a subsidiary ofThe Walt Disney Company, effective March 20, 2019,^[55] while the New World holding companies remained withFox Corporation.^[56]

New World is noted for the number of its cult movies it distributed.Filmink have argued "in the history of Hollywood, few studios are as beloved by fans as Corman era New World."^[57]

• Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state andcity of license.

• Highway to Heaven (1984–1989)
• Sale of the Century (1985–1986)
• The Judge (1986–1993)
• Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996)
• The Grudge Match (1991–1993)
• Emergency Call (1991–1998)
• Infatuation (1992–1994)
• Juvenile Justice (1994–1995)

• The Littlest Hobo (1963–1965)
• It's Your Bet (1971–1973)
• The Hollywood Squares (1971–1981)
• Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (1972–1974)
• High Rollers (1975–1976)
• Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–1977)
• Second City Television (1976–1984)
• Let's Make a Deal (1980–1981)
• Pitfall (1981–1982)
• Break the Bank (1985–1986)
• Divorce Court (1985–1992)
• Strike it Rich (1986–1987)
• Fan Club (1987–1988)
• Dracula: The Series (1990–1991)
• Stuntmasters (1991–1992)

• List of 20th Television programs

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• Fox Television Stations
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• Companies based in Atlanta
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• Lists of 1970s films
• 1970s in American cinema
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• 1980s in American cinema
• Lists of 1990s films
• 1990s in American cinema

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