Rysher Entertainment

Rysher Entertainment was an American film and television production and distribution company established by Keith Samples in April 1991. It began as an independent syndication business whose initial assignment was the distribution of Saved by the Bell, a program that could not at the time be distributed in syndication by NBC under the Federal Communications Commission's financial-interest and syndication rules. The success of that arrangement gave Rysher a foothold in the television marketplace and encouraged the company to broaden its activities beyond a single syndicated series. The company soon handled additional television properties, including the syndicated animated program Captain N and the Video Game Masters, derived from DIC Entertainment's Captain N: The Game Master. Rysher also explored corporate combinations during its first year, including an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to merge with The Kushner-Locke Company. In 1993, Cox Enterprises acquired Rysher and combined it with Television Program Enterprises, the production and distribution company associated with Al Masini. The resulting operation was known as Rysher TPE for a period between 1993 and 1994, although Samples continued to lead the business. During the middle of the 1990s, Rysher TPE became involved in both production and distribution. Its television activities included programs such as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, later reworked as Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte for its final season, Star Search, California Dreams, and George & Alana. The company also entered feature-film production and distribution, releasing or producing more than two dozen films over approximately three years. Its film-related activities included titles such as Big Night and The Opposite of Sex, while its broader library came to include material associated with Hogan's Heroes, Ben Casey, Walking Tall, Nash Bridges, Highlander: The Series, and Kingpin. Rysher pursued outside partnerships to expand its content pipeline and distribution reach. In late 1993, Gabrielle Carteris's GABCO Productions entered into a production and distribution arrangement with the company. In May 1995, Rysher signed a five-film domestic distribution arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company later closed its film unit in July 1997 after disappointing box-office performance. Television development continued through arrangements such as the 1997 deal with Papazian-Hirsch Entertainment. In 1998, Rysher worked with HBO on distribution outside the United States for series including Arli$$, Oz, and Sex and the City. That year, Rysher and CBS Productions also jointly acquired the CBS drama Four Corners from Columbia TriStar Television. Rysher ceased operations in 1999. Cox Enterprises entered into an agreement with Viacom under which Paramount Pictures and Viacom's television operations assumed distribution responsibilities for the Rysher library. The company's former assets subsequently changed ownership several times. 2929 Entertainment acquired the assets in 2001, followed by Qualia Capital in 2006. The assets were combined with libraries associated with Gaylord Films and Pandora Entertainment in Qualia Libraries Co. In 2011, affiliates of Vine Alternative Investments acquired Qualia Libraries Co. The Rysher name is therefore primarily encountered today in connection with library ownership, trademarks, and legacy distribution rather than as an operating production company. CBS Media Ventures handles television distribution associated with the library, while Paramount Pictures handles film distribution, with Trifecta Entertainment involved in North American broadcast-television rights. The film The Opposite of Sex is an identified exception to the Paramount film-library arrangement.

Rysher Entertainment was founded in April 1991 by Keith Samples as an independent television distribution company. Its initial business centered on Saved by the Bell. Because NBC could not distribute the program in syndication under the financial-interest and syndication rules then in force, Rysher served as the distributor. The early success of the series established the company as a new participant in the American syndication market. Rysher expanded quickly. Its second major project was Captain N and the Video Game Masters, an off-network syndicated version of the DIC Entertainment animated series Captain N: The Game Master. The company also considered a merger with The Kushner-Locke Company, but that proposed transaction was abandoned. In 1993, Cox Enterprises acquired Rysher and combined it with Al Masini's Television Program Enterprises. The combined business used the name Rysher TPE from 1993 to 1994, with Samples remaining in charge. The company developed a broad television portfolio. It produced and distributed Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, later retitled Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte for its final season, as well as Star Search, California Dreams, and George & Alana. Rysher also became involved in feature films and over a period of roughly three years produced more than two dozen films. It established external production and distribution relationships, including a late-1993 agreement with Gabrielle Carteris's GABCO Productions and a 1995 five-film domestic distribution arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film strategy did not continue indefinitely. Rysher closed its film unit in July 1997 following weak box-office performance. The company nevertheless continued to pursue television opportunities, including a development arrangement with Papazian-Hirsch Entertainment. In 1998 it collaborated with HBO to distribute selected programs internationally, including Arli$$, Oz, and Sex and the City. Rysher and CBS Productions also jointly purchased Four Corners from Columbia TriStar Television. Rysher closed in 1999. Viacom reached an agreement with Cox Enterprises under which Paramount Pictures and Viacom's television division took over distribution of the company's library. The assets were subsequently separated from the former operating business and transferred through several owners. 2929 Entertainment acquired them in 2001. Qualia Capital acquired them in 2006 and combined them with the Gaylord Films and Pandora Entertainment libraries under Qualia Libraries Co. Vine Alternative Investments affiliates acquired Qualia Libraries in 2011. The Rysher brand now survives mainly as a legacy-library and rights-management identity. CBS Media Ventures distributes the television library, while Paramount Pictures handles the film library, except for The Opposite of Sex, and Trifecta Entertainment handles North American broadcast-television rights. The library includes or has included properties such as Hogan's Heroes, Ben Casey, Walking Tall, Nash Bridges, Highlander: The Series, Kingpin, Big Night, and other Rysher-associated productions and distribution titles.

• 2011

  Library assets move to Vine Alternative Investments

  [1]Rysher Entertainmenten.wikipedia.org

  Affiliates of Vine Alternative Investments acquired Qualia Libraries Co., which held the combined library assets.

• 1999

  Operating company closes

  [1]Rysher Entertainmenten.wikipedia.org

  Rysher ceased operations as Viacom assumed distribution responsibilities for its library under an agreement with Cox.

• 1997

  Film unit closes

  [1]Rysher Entertainmenten.wikipedia.org

  Rysher shut its film division after disappointing box-office performance.

• 1995

  MGM distribution agreement

  [1]Rysher Entertainmenten.wikipedia.org

  Rysher entered a five-film domestic distribution arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

• 1993

  Cox acquisition and Rysher TPE combination

  [1]Rysher Entertainmenten.wikipedia.org

  Cox Enterprises acquired Rysher and combined it with Television Program Enterprises.

• 1991

  Rysher Entertainment is established

  [1]Rysher Entertainmenten.wikipedia.org

  Keith Samples founded Rysher in April as an independent television distribution company, beginning with Saved by the Bell.

Rysher positioned itself as an independent producer and distributor able to acquire, package, produce, and syndicate television and film content outside the traditional network-studio structure. Its identity was especially tied to syndicated television, library exploitation, and partnerships with larger distributors.

• Television syndication · 1991

  Saved by the Bell

  Rysher's initial and defining distribution property. The company syndicated the series at a time when NBC was unable to distribute it itself under the financial-interest and syndication rules then applicable to network television.

• Syndicated television series

  Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

  A long-running celebrity and lifestyle program associated with Rysher's television production and distribution operations. Its final season was presented under the title Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte.

• Talent competition television

  Star Search

  A nationally syndicated talent-search format that formed part of Rysher's portfolio of high-profile television programs.

• Television series

  Nash Bridges

  A police drama included among Rysher's television properties. Later distribution relationships connected the series with Paramount's television operations.

• Television series

  Highlander: The Series

  An internationally circulated action-adventure television series associated with Rysher's production and distribution library.

• Feature film

  Big Night

  A feature film included among the company's film-related productions and distribution titles.

• Feature film

  The Opposite of Sex

  A Rysher-associated film that is specifically treated as an exception to the broader Paramount Pictures film-library distribution arrangement.

• 1999

  Transfer of library distribution to ViacomM&A

  Background

  Rysher was closing as an operating company, while Cox Enterprises retained an interest in arranging exploitation of its content library.

  Action taken

  Cox entered an agreement with Viacom for distribution rights, with Paramount Pictures and Viacom's television unit handling the relevant film and television activity.

  Aftermath

  The library passed through later ownership changes and is now distributed principally through Paramount Pictures and CBS Media Ventures, with Trifecta Entertainment handling specified North American broadcast rights.

  Source

• 1997

  Closure of the film unitStrategy

  Background

  The company's feature-film activities had produced disappointing box-office performance.

  Action taken

  Rysher shut its film unit while continuing to pursue television development and distribution.

  Aftermath

  The company remained active in television until its overall closure in 1999.

  Source

• 1995

  Five-film domestic arrangement with MGMStrategy

  Background

  Rysher was expanding from syndicated television into feature-film production and distribution.

  Action taken

  The company entered a five-film domestic distribution arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

  Aftermath

  Rysher later closed its film unit in 1997 after underperforming box-office results.

  Source

1. 1Rysher Entertainmenten.wikipedia.org