Sony Pictures Television

Background

On September 2002, Sony Pictures Entertainment decided to retire the Columbia TriStar Television name and logo from its television division, renaming it "Sony Pictures Television". For the first time since 1974, the Torch Lady or anything resembling Columbia's symbol is nowhere to be seen; instead, the corporate logo for Sony Pictures was introduced to television viewers for the first time as Wheel of Fortune.

Logos

1st logo (September 7, 2002-)

Against a lined background, the words "SONY PICTURES TELEVISION" (all in the Sony typeface and stacked word-by-word with "SONY" being largest) emerge and zoom away downwards from the screen. The three words aren't directly stacked at first, but as the animation progresses, they slide into place. A horizontal line is drawn between the "PICTURES" and "TELEVISION". While this happens, a flash of light appears on the left side of the screen., and the lines in the background themselves back away as well, eventually moving back to the upper part of the screen and into a diagonal pattern to form the logo. The flash dissipates and we see a oblong orange-white glare surrounding the logo and words, which shrinks into the bars to give it a shine. The finished logo appears against a shaded navy blue background. The logo is a striped parallelogram as it appears on at the end of Chain Reaction & The Newlywed Game From (2006-2009-Present) on August 1 2006 - April 6 2009 as Jeopardy as Jep Wheel 2000 as Wheel of Fortune 2000 Tic Tac Dough The Joker,s Wild & More Barry & Enright Productions or Others

Variants

• A rare filmed variant of the logo exists.
• There is a longer version of this logo featuring an extreme close-up of the "stacked" names at the beginning of the animation. It starts off with a bright white light and later reveals the names as the light dies down. While the logo finishes, it shows a longer shot of the logo.
• In July 2003, There is an even shorter version of this logo that starts from where the 3rd-to-last note of the theme plays.
• In 2004, the phrase "DISTRIBUTED BY" appeared above the logo, it was still until it faded in above the logo on the 2006 version of Chain Reaction and season 4 of The Newlywed Game both on GSN, but the font is in Times New Roman on those said game shows. Early shorts on Crackle's C-Spot has the phrase above the name rather than the logo. for the rest, the phrase was placed on a black screen, which later fades to the SPT logo.
• In 2005, an updated widescreen version was introduced. It consists of just a solid blue lighting effect in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, where the reflection of the Bars would usually be. Sometimes this version was squashed to fit a 4x3 TV, and has been featured on several movies, first-run production, and classic series on television and DVD.
• There is also a black & white variant for classic shows by Screen Gems.
• In 2008, there is a black screen that reads "DISTRIBUTED BY" before the SPT logo. This only appears on web shows on websites like Crackle, MySpace, YouTube, and Hulu, among others such as C-Spot or Penn Says.
• Another variant has "DISTRIBUTED BY" in a small font above the SPT name rather than above the SPT logo. This appeared on early shows on Crackle.
• On pre-2011 episodes of Watch What Happens: Live, the logo is a still shot on a gray-like background.
• In 2010 on The Three Stooges short "The Sitter Downers", the 2005 logo is in black & white.
• Starting on the 4th season of The Newlywed Game, the text reads as "DISTRIBUTED THROUGH" above the logo.
• Sometimes the logo can appear a little up-close.
• There is also a version with extra brightness on both 2002 and 2005 versions in color.
• On Robot Chicken since season 6, there is a still version of the logo.
• A superimposed in-credit variant exists. This can be found on international shows like Niñas Mal.
• Starting with the second season of Masters of Sex and newer episodes of The Queen Latifah Show, the Sony logo is seen first. Then, the light flashes to reveal the short SPT logo. Some shows, such as The Young and the Restless, syndicated reruns of Seinfeld, and shows co-produced by SPT subsidiary Embassy Row still do not use this variant.
• On a PAL release of The Real Ghostbusters, the long version is used but the normal music is heard.
• On a April 16, 2017 HBO Signature Carribean airing of Pixels, the logo was silent with the music playing 5-6 seconds after the logo cut to black.
• On CBS airings of S.W.A.T, the logo is in the 21:9 aspect ratio.
• There are two G-Major variants, one of it is orange-tinted and one of it is red-tinted.
• In the 3 minutes modified versions of P-head and Pals, the logo is much confused and more blue, so more black.

2nd logo (2019-)

On a blue gradient background, a purple flash appears onscreen, covering it. When the flash dies down, the print version of the Sony Pictures Television logo appears. The logo zooms back for a few seconds before stopping completely.

3rd logo (2020-)

Just white text reading "SONY PICTURES TELEVISION STUDIOS" against a black background. "STUDIOS" is sandwiched in between white lines.

Music/Sounds

1st logo

A majestic 5-note orchestral theme composed by David Kurtz, which sounds vaguely similar to the Habanera section of Bizet's opera Carmen.

Music/Sounds Variants

• The long version has a descending piano tune before the main fanfare, and the last note is held much longer.
• Another music variation has only the last three notes of the theme re-arranged. This version began in July 2003.
• In 2005, there is another short version with the last half of the animation of the standard animation of the logo. Used on the ultra short-lived series Sit Down, Shut Up and several final season episodes of Jackie Chan Adventures.
• Sometimes, when used along a co-production or co-distributor ID, the first few notes of the music for this logo will play over the last few seconds of said ID before going into this visual logo. This has happened on such syndicated shows as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, back when King World Productions (now "CBS Television Distribution") was still in operation. But now until October 2007, the CTD music plays on the CTD logo, and the SPT theme plays on the SPT logo.
• Sometimes the logo uses the Columbia TriStar Television theme.
• Two more versions exist by having a high and low tone starting in 2003.
• Another version exists having a bell-type twinkle mixed into the standard theme.
• A very high tone version of the music was used on some S4 episodes of Married... With Children on its DVD Release.
• On some shows like The King of Queens (2004-2007 episodes) and other shows, the end theme plays over this logo.
• Middle season local reruns of Good Times and Sanford and Son would have the first four notes of the standard theme playing first, followed by the finishing of the final notes from the SPT long version theme.
• The Sony Pictures Television International sounder is sometimes used, particularly on the Nickelodeon original movie The Last Day Of Summer, DVD releases of shows like Married... With Children and on Antenna TV's print of the Sanford and Son episode "Sanford and Gong."
• There is also a silent version (sometimes on movie networks like Starz and Encore).
• Another variation would have the 1993 CPT theme. This happened on several reruns of Just Shoot Me! on TV Land. R2 DVDs of T.J. Hooker and the 2nd season of Party of Five have also this variation if you select the French audio track.
• A variant exists that has the 1993 CPT theme overlapping the SPT theme. This was spotted on an Antenna TV airing of the show Good Times S4 episode "Michael's Great Romance".
• A few episodes of The Jeffersons from the 1980-1981 season on TV One has the SPT and short CTTD themes playing at the same time.
• On The Three Stooges short "Cash and Carry", there is a 2005 low tone version.
• On Antenna TV's print of the All in the Family episode "The Jeffersons Move Up," the short Columbia TriStar Television theme is heard.
• One S1 episode of That's My Mama! on DVD called "Clifton's Con", it has the 1982 CPT music over this logo.
• This logo is silent sometimes on movie networks like Starz and Encore.
• On the CTHE DVD print of the S3 Married... with Children episode "The Gypsy Cried", it has the first note of the 1988 CPT theme before going into the SPTI theme.
• On several international prints of May-June 2013 episodes of Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless, the 1994 TriStar Television theme is heard.
• On the Mill Creek S4 release of Married... with Children, one episode has the 1988 CPT theme.
• One 4:3 airing of the TV movie Breakaway have the Columbia TriStar Domestic Television music played over the logo.
• On the Me-TV print of The Facts of Life S5 episode "Brave New World Part 2", a sloppy plaster job results in the logo theme playing before the logo itself appears.
• On the NTSC DVD print of the mini-series, "Comanche Moon", the CBS Paramount Television logo from 2006-2009's music, due to an editing error. The 2006 CBS Paramount Television logo had the normal music for the SPT logo instead.
• On current prints of the 1931 film Arizona, the movie's score finishes over the logo after the end title fades out (the music originally ended over a black screen).

2nd logo

None so far.

3rd logo

The same "ding" sound in G major used in the Sony logo or none. The ending theme may also play over it.

Music/Sounds Variant

Starting with a December 28, 2020 rerun of the November 23, 2009 episode of Jeopardy! and the same day's episode of Wheel of Fortune, a swish followed by a dreamy synth fanfare after the ding sound is heard. There is also a longer version.

Scare Factor

1st logo

None. The animation is clean and nice, if a bit boring, but it's not a favorite of most logo fans due to its very excessive appearance and omnipresence. In fact, it plasters even more than the Columbia TriStar Television logo did! (though the long version isn't nearly as hated as it is not as common). Arguably one of the most disliked logos of all-time, due to Sony's apparent unwillingness to give credit where credit is due regarding the predecessor companies (particularly Screen Gems, TAT Communications Company and Embassy Television) whose shows the SPT logo now plasters over their own logos. Minimal to low for the Sony variant.

2nd logo

None.

3rd logo

None. It's boring.

Disponibility

Common.

1. It appeared in almost every TV show, such as Jeopardy! and The Wheel Of Fortune.

2. It appears in almost every program replacing the Screen Gems and Columbia Pictures Television logos. This appeared in every TV Program and the reruns channel of movies. Sometimes, is just followed by CBS Logo.

3. Seen the last time in the U.S when PBN reran “P-head and Pals.

4. The Sony Variant appear from 2014 in Jeopardy, The Wheel of fortune, following the CBS logo. He appeared in every reruns such a movie. He appeared in the most episodes of P-head and Pals.

5. The Long Version, is rare, and seen in early programs, and used in Sony airings from the reruns of P-head and Pals.

6. The destroyed version appeared in the early episodes, so also from the 3 minutes modified of P-head and Pals from PBN, replacing the Columbia Tristar Television, this version is PAL but not the episode.

7. The Short version appear in many programs such as Jeopardy!

8. The PAL version appeared in every reruns programs.

1. This logo is so rare… and we know only he appeared in only a movie.
2. The last logo he appeared in every episode and TV. Rarely appeared in the movies.
3. The music variant is hear from a rerun of Jeopardy! used on Wheel of Fortune, seen the last time in the U.S when PBN, reran the last episodes.

Videos

Sony Pictures Television (2002-A)

Sony Pictures Television Netflix (2019)

Eleventh Hour Films Sony Pictures Television Studios Sony Pictures Television (2020)