24 Facts About NBC Universal

NBC Universal is named for its two most significant divisions, the National Broadcasting Company – one of the United States' Big Three television networks – and the major Hollywood film studio Universal Pictures.

NBC and Universal Television had a partnership dating back to 1950, when Universal Television's earliest ancestor, Revue Studios, produced a number of shows for NBC, although Revue would have hits on other networks as well.

NBC Universal Television has its modern roots in a series of expansions undertaken by NBC.

NBC Universal had partial ownership of several regional sports channels and other cable channels such as American Movie Classics and Court TV.

In 1995, NBC Universal began operating NBC Universal Desktop Video, a financial news service that delivered live video to personal computers.

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The following year, NBC Universal announced an agreement with Microsoft to create an all-news cable television channel, MSNBC Universal.

Five years later, NBC Universal decided to sell its interest in PAX TV and end its relationship with PAX owner, Paxson Communications.

In 2001, NBC Universal acquired the US Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo, that includes the bilingual Mun2 Television for $1.

Formation of NBC Universal saw the establishment of NBC Universal Cable, which oversees the distribution, marketing, and advertisement sales for thirteen channels, Chiller, CNBC, CNBC World, MSNBC, NBC Universo, Syfy, ShopNBC (which became ShopHQ after NBCUniversal sold its stake in the network), Telemundo, Cloo, USA Network, and the Olympic Games on cable).

NBC Universal Cable manages the company's investments in The Weather Channel and TiVo.

NBC Universal Europe helped to develop the Leipzig-based Games Convention, the largest European video game exposition with more than 100, 000 visitors each year.

In 2005, NBC Universal joined HANA, the High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance to help establish standards in consumer electronics interoperability.

Later that year, NBC Universal announced a partnership with Apple Computer to offer shows from all the NBC Universal TV networks on Apple's iTunes Store.

One year later after Sleuth's debut, NBC Universal announced that the company would launch a horror-themed cable channel, Chiller, on March 1, 2007.

NBC Universal stated that, aside from the content in their own vaults, Chiller will feature content from other studios as well.

NBC Universal explained that the reason for the name change was because "the new name fully describes the company's mission to be the premier content provider for television and digital platforms, spanning all television dayparts and creative genres.

Shortly after the acquisition completed, NBC Universal announced that their existing TV weather network, NBC Universal Weather Plus, would be shut down by December 31, 2008.

On March 16, 2009, NBC Universal-owned cable channel Sci Fi announced that it would be changing its name to Syfy, replacing a generic term with a proprietary brand name that was able to be trademarked.

Comcast would have to give up NBC control over online video site Hulu and ensure NBC Universal programming is available to competing cable operators.

NBC Universal unveiled a new logo designed by Wolff Olins, which replaced a logo featuring the NBC peacock and an invocation of the Universal Pictures globe, with a wordmark.

NBC Universal began to stylize its name in CamelCase as "NBCUniversal" rather than "NBC Universal", to reflect the unity of its two main divisions.

Comcast and GE formed the joint venture holding company NBCUniversal, LLC NBC Universal, Inc became a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company and adopted the name, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, on January 29, 2011.

NBC Universal Pictures took over the distribution for DreamWorks Animation films after their deal with 20th Century Fox expired.

On February 15, 2017, NBC Universal Studios acquired a minority stake in Amblin Partners, strengthening the relationship between NBC Universal and Amblin, and reuniting a minority percentage of the DreamWorks Pictures label with DreamWorks Animation.