DLT Entertainment Limited

Background
DLT Entertainment Ltd. (formerly known as "D.L./Don Taffner Syndication  Sales", "D.L. Taffner Entertainment", and "D.L. Taffner  Productions  Ltd." until 1996) is a production and distribution company  which handles  off-network syndicated shows into distribution. The company is best  known for distributing the popular sitcom Three's Company. Also, DLT Entertainment handles other shows such as Too Close for Comfort and Three's a Crowd (a spin-off of Three's Company). Starting in the 1970s, DLT Entertainment made its way around by producing one of United Kingdom's long running sitcoms, As Time Goes By on The BBC among other UK sitcoms, such as Full House  (not to be confused with the US sitcom, which ran on ABC, in which the   UK series was renamed after the US series was getting popular to   audiences, and it was renamed to avoid confusion), The Benny Hill Show, and others. DLT Entertainment owns the international rights to The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin (originally produced by DiC Entertainment and LBS Communications). Taffner also owns a British production unit, named" Theatre of Comedy  Limited (Ltd.)", which that company is known best for producing the As Time Goes By series.

1st Logo (March 15, 1977-April 9, 1985)
Logo: This on-screen text would usually be found at the end of a show’s closing credits. On Three’s Company and The Ropers, the following would read:

A PRODUCTION OF

THE NRW COMPANY

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

T.T.C. PRODUCTIONS,

INC.

However, on Too Close for Comfort, the following would read:

A

PRESENTATION

OF

D.L. TAFFNER

PRODUCTIONS

Except on season 1 of the show, which read:

A Presentation of DON-EL

PRODUCTIONS LTD.

FX/SFX: Scrolls up with the credits. Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show. Availability: Can be seen on shows from the time.

2nd Logo (1979-1994)
Nicknames: “The Zooming Text"

Logo: On a bright gold-orange background, resembling that of kitchen appliances back in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, the following text zooms to the center of the screen:

DISTRIBUTED BY

D.L. TAFFNER

SYNDICATION SALES

The words are in the same font used in the Three’s Company credits, and the zoom-up is a lot like the Viacom “V of Doom” logo, except you can make out sort of a rollercoaster effect (think of it as the Telepictures “Rollercoaster Shadows” logo, but upside-down without the shadows, almost)

Trivia: This never appeared after Three’s Company on its original ABC run. This logo was used for syndication of that show only, like the logo suggested.

Variants:
 * Originally, the logo didn't have the rollercoaster effect. It zoomed in a downward fashion.
 * Depending on the source, the text was placed on an orange background.

FX/SFX: The zoom in.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. It's preserved on old prints of Three’s Company and some episodes of The Ropers on Antenna TV. It is also seen on reruns of Three's a Crowd on that same channel as well, when they are rerun (typically after Three's Company completes its cycle.)

Editor's Note: The color scheme is a huge eyesore, and the zooming text is very cheap.

3rd Logo (As Time Goes By 1st Variant) (January 12, 1992-February 18, 1996)
Logo: On set with a gray background with the BBC logo of the time, and the Theatre of Comedy Ltd. in-credit notice (with theater masks as part of  it's logo) after closing away from the As Time Goes By credits, we see the text reading:

A

THEATRE OF COMEDY PRODUCTION

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

D.L. TAFFNER/U.K. PRODUCTIONS LTD.

FOR BBC TELEVISION

Variant: On some occasions, the BBC logo of the time, is seen under D.L. Taffner's name, replacing the "BBC Television" in-credit text. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: The ending theme of As Time Goes By. Availability: Seen on 1992-1996 episodes of As Time Goes By. It can be seen on PBS affiliates in the United States.

4th Logo (As Time Goes By 2nd Variant) (May 18, 1997-December 30, 2005)
Logo:  Same as the last variant, only with a couple slight changes: the text   D.L. Taffner Productions Ltd. in-credit notice is replaced by a new  logo  for it, reading DLT Entertainment (in the same font as the logo  below),  and the Theatre of Comedy Entertainment, and BBC logos are  above and  below it, respectively. Also, there is a "swoosh" effect for the Theatre  of Comedy logo.

Variant: Along with BBC's then-new, now current logo in 1997, the background was slightly changed as well.

FX/SFX: The formation of the Theatre of Comedy logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the first variant.

Availability: Same as the first variant.

5th Logo (1993-2000s)
Nickname: "DLT" Logo: On a black background, we see the words “DON TAFFNER’S” with a red line  above it first. Those words zoom back, as a white star appears in the  middle of the screen, rotating counter-clockwise while a big red “D” comes in from the lower left corner, a big red “L” comes in from the bottom center, and a big red “T” comes in from near the upper right corner. After the “DLT” is formed,  the star stops rotating, is already in the “D,” and the words   “ENTERTAINMENT LTD.,” this time with the red line BELOW the words, slides in from the left at a fast pace, stopping right below the “DLT”.

Variants:
 * On late '90s cable/syndicated airings of Three's Company, the web address "www.threescompany.com" would appear below the forming logo.
 * A longer version holds the last note of the music longer.

FX/SFX: The production company name appearing, the DLT forming, the spinning star, etc.

Music/Sounds: Starts with a synth drone combined with a single synth note, followed by a five-note piano tune.

Availability: Rare. This is only on TV Land, Logo, and local syndicated versions of Three’s Company, although on Antenna TV the long version did appear on at least one episode.