Universal Media Studios

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

On June 14, 2007, NBC Universal Television Studio was renamed to Universal Media Studios amid expanded presence on digital. In 2008, the cable production unit was split off into Universal Cable Productions. On September 12, 2011, Universal Media Studios was renamed back to its original name, "Universal Television".

Logo (November 1, 2007-October 19, 2011)


Visuals: The logo starts on a black background with a golden burst of light (very likely intended to be a sun). Then a half-globe motif figure with the features of Earth in the upside-down space zooms back and "UNIVERSAL MEDIA STUDIOS" with "UNIVERSAL" in the Copperplate Gothic Bold typeface and "MEDIA STUDIOS" in the Akzidenz-Grotesk Extended Medium typeface and underneath "UNIVERSAL", is below it. While that happens the golden burst of light gets brighter and expands, ala the 1988 ABC Productions logo.

Bylines:

  • Early 2009-April 21, 2011: "A DIVISION OF NBC UNIVERSAL" (in Copperplate Gothic)
  • Late 2009-October 19, 2011: "A Division of NBC Universal" (in Akzidenz-Grotesk Extended Medium)

Variants:

  • Long, short and still versions exist for this logo.
  • The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Last Call with Carson Daly have the NBC Studios, Inc. (later NBC Studios, LLC) copyright stamp. The version on Fallon's show also has an added zoom out effect, while on O'Brien's show has the same copyright stamp below the NBC Universal byline.
  • The 2010 edition of NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center has the NBC Universal, Inc. copyright stamp below the NBC Universal byline.
  • On Crusoe, the logo shares the screen with the Power Television logo.
  • A prototype version exists, where the earth is more realistic.
  • A variant without the earth also exists.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A five-note rock jingle composed by 5 Alarm Music.

Audio Variants:

  • A short version exists with only the first three notes. Used most of the time.
  • Sometimes, the ending theme of the programme plays over the logo.
  • Some series such as House have the low tone variant of the 1999 NBC Studios theme on some early episodes.
  • On the second season of The Marriage Reef, the fanfare is high-pitched and sped-up.
  • On the pilot episode of The Event, the 2009 Universal Cable Productions theme is used.

Availability:

  • Seen on Friday Night Lights, House, Law & Order, The Office, Community, The Event, Life, the final season of Heroes, Parenthood, among others on DVD, Blu-ray, and Peacock.
  • It was also surprisingly seen on syndicated episodes of Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos replacing the 2004 NBC Universal Television Distribution logo for a while.
    • However on later rebroadcasts of Springer and Wilkos, they would use the 2011 NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo.
  • Starting in November 2008, cable-produced shows (such as Monk) cut this logo out as those got their own logo for Universal Cable Productions (now Universal Content Productions).
  • It is also preserved on on-demand prints (and current DVD, Blu-ray, and Peacock prints) of some new NBC shows in the 2011-2012 season including Up All Night, Whitney and Free Agents.

Copyright Stamps

Here is some information about the copyright stamps on the Universal Media Studios series and TV movies:

  • 2007-2011: Copyright © [YEAR] Universal Network Television LLC. All Rights Reserved.
  • 2007-2011: Copyright © [YEAR] NBC Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  • 2009-2011: Copyright © [YEAR] Open 4 Business Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.
  • 2011: Copyright © [YEAR] NBC Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.
NBC Universal Television Studio
Universal Media Studios
Universal Cable Productions
Universal Television
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