The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #103698 Message #2118509
Posted By: Don Firth
03-Aug-07 - 03:31 PM
Thread Name: BS: Spy Network in U.S.
Subject: RE: BS: Spy Network in U.S.
The Sci-Fi Channel is owned by Prince Philip?
Quelle surprise!!
The Sci-Fi Channel was launched on September 24, 1992 as a sister cable channel to USA Network by then-owners Paramount Pictures (which was later acquired by Viacom in 1994) and MCA (then part of Japanese electronic giant Matsushita), the owner of Universal Studios, each with a 50% stake in the venture.
The channel was seen as a natural fit with classic film and television series that both studios had in their vaults, including Rod Serling's Night Gallery (from Universal TV) and Paramount's Star Trek and classic Universal horror films such as Dracula and Frankenstein. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and author Isaac Asimov were among those on the advisory board.
In 1997, Seagram, which bought MCA in 1995, purchased Viacom's interest in USA and Sci-Fi, and sold the networks to Barry Diller in 1998 to form USA Networks, Inc. Diller later sold USA's non-shopping (film and TV) assets, including Sci-Fi, to Universal's then-parent Vivendi Universal in 2002. Vivendi's film, television, and cable TV assets were then merged with General Electric's NBC to form NBC Universal in 2004.
Now, if you're referring to the British Sci-Fi Channel, note the following:
The British Sci-Fi Channel (Sci-Fi UK) is a United Kingdom satellite television channel service specialising in science fiction, fantasy and horror shows and movies. The channel launched in 1995 as a British sister channel to the US Sci-Fi Channel, with a similar programming line-up. Sci-Fi UK currently operates as a channel service of NBC Universal Global Networks, a division of NBC Universal.