Sony Wonder
| Subsidiary of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| Industry | Children and family's music and home video arm |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Products | Nickelodeon videos (1993-1996) Kidsongs videos (1997-1998) Random House videos (1997-2005) Sesame Street videos (1995-2007) Classic Media videos (1998-2006) Sony Pictures Entertainment family films (2007-present) |
| Owner | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| Parent | Sony Music Entertainment (1991-2007) Sony Pictures Entertainment (2007-present) |
| Website | http://www.sonywonder.com/ |
Sony Wonder (founded as Sony Kids’ Music) is the kids and family entertainment arm of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
History
It was founded in 1991 by Sony Music Entertainment as its children and family music and home video division. The division once distributed material from Sesame Workshop and Classic Media (now known as DreamWorks Classics). They also distributed releases from Random House's home video division from 1995 to 2007.
On July 6, 1993, Sony Wonder acquired video distribution rights to Nickelodeon's series.[1][2]
On July 21, 1995, Sony Wonder and Sony Pictures Entertainment joined forces with the Jim Henson Company by releasing new movies with Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures through the joint venture Jim Henson Pictures[3][4] and new sing-along-songs on videocassette and DVD. The next day, Nickelodeon and Sony Wonder launched Nick Jr. Video.[5] In 1996, two years after Viacom's merger with Paramount, Sony Wonder's deal expired with Nickelodeon, which left Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. videos distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (and CIC Video internationally until 1999).[6]
On May 4, 1998, Sony Wonder bought Sunbow Productions[7] and it was later bought by TV-Loonland on October 3, 2000 as well as Sony Wonder's television business assets.[8][9][10]
On March 13, 2007, Sony BMG announced that it was shutting down Sony Wonder to focus on its core music business.[11][12][13] However on June 20, 2007, it was announced that SW became a division of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as its kids’- and family-entertainment label.[14][15] CM's, Sesame Workshop's and Random House's video deals were sold to Genius Products for an undisclosed amount, and later to Vivendi Entertainment.[15] Sesame Workshop properties are currently distributed by Warner Home Video. m4e AG currently holds the television rights of the series by Sony Wonder (including—with certain exceptions—the Sunbow catalog) which they bought from TV-Loonland in 2011 following the said company's bankruptcy.
Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not directly related to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, a four-story interactive technology and entertainment museum for all ages located in midtown Manhattan, although they are both owned by Sony.
Notes and references
- ↑ "The Free Library" SONY WONDER ANNOUNCES EAGERLY AWAITED DEBUT OF NICKELODEON'S PREMIER PROGRAMMING ON HOME VIDEO & AUDIO WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE NICK COLLECTION thefreelibrary.com, Retrieved on August 29, 2013
- ↑ "Variety" Sony Wonder to issue Nick fare on vid/audio variety.com, Retrieved on August 29, 2013
- ↑ Brian Henson and Stephanie Allain to Chat on Entertainment Tonight Online thefreelibrary.com, Retrieved on August 28, 2013
- ↑ CLAUDIA ELLER The Los Angeles Times July 21, 1995 Company Town : Muppets Cut Deal With Sony Pictures articles.latimes.com, Retrieved on August 28, 2013
- ↑ "EBSCO Host" 7/22/95 Sony Wonder, Nickelodeon launch Nick Junior video connection.ebscohost.com, Retrieved on August 29, 2013
- ↑ Matzer, Marla "EBSCO Host" 6/03/96 Sony, Nick are quits connection.ebscohost.com, Retrieved on August 29, 2013
- ↑ Schneider, Michael "EBSCO Host" 05/04/98 Sony Wonder gets animated connection.ebscohost.com, Reetrieved on August 29, 2013
- ↑ "Screen Daily" MIPCOM: TV-Loonland acquires Sony Wonder screendaily.com "Retrieved on May 22, 2012"
- ↑ "Variety" OCTOBER 3, 2000 TV Loonland buys up Sony Wonder units variety.com, Retrieved on August 29, 2013
- ↑ "Broadcast" 6 October 2000 TV-Loonland takes on Sony's Sunbow broadcastnow.co.uk, Retrieved on August 30, 2013
- ↑ Thomas K. Arnold "Reuters" Kids label Sony Wonder going under: sources reuters.com, Retrieved on August 30, 2013
- ↑ Thomas K. Arnold "The Hollywood Reporter" 3/14/2007 Sony ceases Wonder label hollywoodreporter.com, Retrieved on August 30, 2013
- ↑ Ryan Ball "Animation Magazine" Mar 15th, 2007 Sony Wonder Closing Shop? animationmagazine.net, Retrieved on August 30, 2013
- ↑ "Variety" absorbs Wonder label variety.com, Retrieved on December 8, 2013
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Sony Home Ent. Takes Over Sony Wonder Rick DeMott awn.com, Retrieved on August 28, 2013
