Subsidiary | |
Industry | Television syndication |
Founded | 1983 |
Headquarters | Burbank, California, U.S. |
Area served
|
North America |
Key people
|
Janice Marinelli (President) |
Parent |
Disney–ABC Television Group (The Walt Disney Company) |
Website | disneyabc |
Disney–ABC Domestic Television, also operating as ABC Syndication (formerly known as Buena Vista Television and also known as Disney Domestic Television and Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution), is the in-home sales and content distribution firm of the Disney–ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company. Content distribution responsibilities include domestic television syndication, domestic pay TV, Internet and cable video-on-demand (VOD), and pay-per-view outlets.
ABC's first syndication arm, ABC Films (established in July 1953), was spun off as Worldvision Enterprises in March 1973 due to fin-syn laws (which have since been repealed).
Disney–ABC Domestic Television was established in 1983 as Walt Disney Domestic Television Distribution. Two years later, the unit was incorporated as Buena Vista Television.
In April 1996, due to ongoing post Disney–Capital Cities/ABC merger realignment and retirement of its president, Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications group's divisions were reassigned to other groups. Hence BVTV, as a part of Walt Disney Television International, was transferred to Capital Cities/ABC. Former employees during 1997 that launched The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show were Mary Kellog, Jeff Kopp, Hayma Washington, Michael Davies, Shauna Garr, and Nahshon Dion Anderson.
In 1999, Buena Vista Television and its subsidiary, Valleycrest Productions, reached an agreement with British company Celador to distribute the U.S. version of the UK game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show premiered in August 1999, with Regis Philbin as host.