Big Ticket Television

Credits

Descriptions by
boomersmamaw, Mr.Logo, and Shadeed A. Kelly

Captures by
Shadeed A. Kelly, Eric S., EnormousRat, ClosingLogosHD, Operaghost, Cld90 (ClosingLogosDude90), TVNetwork Dude Media,

Editions by
V of Doom and Shadeed A. Kelly

Video captures courtesy of
Eric S., youngleader610 (Mr.Logo), LogicSmash, ClosingLogosDude90, Broken Saw and Plasma Storm

Background

Big Ticket Television (also known as "Big Ticket Entertainment" and "Big Ticket Pictures, Inc.") was created by the Spelling Entertainment Group in 1994 as a low-budget unit that produced half-hour sitcoms and reality shows. Founder Larry Lyttle wanted to name the company Blockbuster Television after Blockbuster, who at the time owned the Spelling group and was owned by Viacom; however, Viacom vetoed the idea, so Lyttle went with "Big Ticket" instead, after Blockbuster's logo. They produced Moesha and its spin-off The Parkers for UPN (now The CW) as well as the daily syndicated court shows Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown and Hot Bench. When Viacom acquired Spelling in 1999, Big Ticket Television became a label of the Paramount Television Group. Today, Big Ticket Television is an in-name-only unit of Paramount Global's CBS Studios.

1st Logo (September 16, 1995-November 8, 1999)

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Visuals: Against a gray background with white spotlights, a dark grayish TV tube flips in and zooms out with a cyan streak flying across it. The streak wedges into the tube and turns into a white happy smile. The company name "BIG TICKET TELEVISION" comes out of the bottom of the TV tube, then the byline appears below. Sometimes the visuals make the text disappear and reappear.

Bylines:

• 1995-1996: "A UNIT OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC."
• Late 1995-1999: "A SUBSIDIARY OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC."

Trivia: The logo was created by Rod Dyer Design.

Variants:

• In 1998, the registered trademark symbol "®" appears on the bottom-right side of the company name.
• A short version exists, where the logo seems to be slightly sped-up.
• An early version where the byline says "A UNIT OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC." also exists, which was spotted on early Season 1 episodes of Judge Judy on Pluto TV.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A hip-hop beat with a whoosh, an "Mmmm!"-like sound when the smile appears, and a female chorus whispering "Yeah!" Composed by Giorgio Bertuccelli and Michael Skloff.

Audio Variants:

• A long version exists.
• On late season 2 episodes to early season 4 episodes of Judge Judy and season 1 and early season 2 episodes of Judge Joe Brown, it's the end theme of the show (the 1995-2004 Judge Judy theme, in the former case).

Availability:

• This appears on seasons 1-4 along with the first 8 episodes of season 5 of Moesha, the first 7 episodes of The Parkers, and season 1-early season 4 episodes of Judge Judy and season 1-early season 2 episodes of Judge Joe Brown.
• The long version was seen on Night Stand with Dick Dietrick and the first two seasons of Judge Judy.
• With the exception of The Parkers, all of the shows with this logo had it followed by the Worldvision logo, which is plastered by the 1995 or 2003 Paramount Domestic Television or the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logos in reruns (and on Pluto TV prints of Moesha), though Pluto TV retains the Worldvision logo on Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown reruns.
• This was also seen on the TV movie Dark Angel which hasn't been since CBS Action (now CBS Justice) in the UK aired it in the early 2010s.

2nd Logo (November 1, 1999-)

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  Wolf Lake variant

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  Enhanced variant

Visuals: Against a white background, the green words "BIG TICKET" in the Bank Gothic MD BT font fly from the left side of the screen to the center. There is also the word "TELEVISION" with a registered trademark symbol next to it in purple and in the same font underneath with the same TV tube screen from the last logo fading in above. The happy smile is drawn on the tube and the byline "A PARAMOUNT/VIACOM COMPANY" appearing below "TELEVISION" in the same animation used on the Spelling Television logo in the Viacom "Wigga-Wigga" font and in a green code-out box. For a second, the tube tilts and goes back to its original position.

Variants:

• Like the previous logo, a short version exists where the logo is sped-up.
• On non-fiction shows like Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown, the tube does not tilt.
• On the first episode of Wolf Lake, the logo is on a black background. The TV tube is also already on-screen, and it tilts as the text flies in.
• Some 2008-2012 episodes of Judge Joe Brown feature a copyright notice under the logo.
• This logo became bylineless in fall 2006 under the ownership of CBS Corporation.
• Starting in September 2012, the logo was slightly enhanced to feature a slight purple-white gradient, and the words fly in more smoothly than the standard version. Also, the font for the name is different.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Generally the closing theme of the show.

Audio Variants:

• Sometimes, the previous logo's theme is heard.
• On Wolf Lake and Hack, it's silent.
• CBS and The WB airings use a generic theme.

Availability:

• This was seen on later season 5 and 6 of Moesha, The Parkers starting with the episode "Quarantine", and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.
• It also appears on the UPN sales pitch of Gary & Mike and Greetings from Tucson.
• The current enhanced version is seen on Judge Judy (the non enhanced version is kept on 2 episodes which air on Pluto TV and international reruns of older episodes), Hot Bench (including the Pluto TV airings), and the 15th and final season of Judge Joe Brown on the Roku Channel.
• The non enhanced version was also seen on Swift Justice with Jackie Glass and can be seen on the Roku Channel's prints of Judge Joe Brown.