Big Ticket Television

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 produces half-hour sitcoms and reality shows. Founder Larry Lyttle wanted to name the company Blockbuster Television, 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 iconic 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 later on in 2014 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 ViacomCBS's CBS Studios.

1st Logo (September 16, 1995-October 18, 1999)
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Nicknames: "Smiley TV", "Atom TV", "Now THIS Is Feel-Good TV!"

Logo: Against a gray background, we see a TV tube rotate out with a cyan streak flying across it. The streak wedges into the tube and turns into a white happy smile. Then, we see the company name: BIG TICKET

TELEVISION in Futura Condensed Extra Bold font and with "TELEVISION" in rainbow colors coming out of the bottom of the TV tube, then the Spelling Entertainment byline appears below.

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.
 * There is a more common "short" version, where the logo seems to be slightly sped-up.
 * "A Unit of Spelling Entertainment Group. Inc" Byline was spotted on early Season 1 episodes of Judge Judy on Pluto TV.

FX/SFX: The objects flying.

Music/Sounds: A hip-hop beat with a whoosh, an "Mmmm!"-like sound when the smile appears, and a female chorus whispering "Yeah!".

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * A long version exists.
 * On season 3 of Judge Judy, and season 1 of Judge Joe Brown, it's the end theme of the show.

Availability: Uncommon.
 * This appears on seasons 1-4 of Moesha, the first 7 episodes of The Parkers, and pre-1999 episodes of Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown.
 * The long version was seen on Night Stand with Dick Dietrick and 1996-1998 episodes of Judge Judy.
 * All five had this followed by the Worldvision logo, which is plastered by the 1995 or 2003 Paramount Domestic Television or CBS Television Distribution logos in reruns, though Pluto TV retains the Worldvision logo on Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown reruns.

Editor's Note: This logo is a reference to the then-ownership of Spelling Entertainment by Blockbuster Entertainment. The logo depicts a TV tube like object, though, which makes it misleading. It is however a fun logo.

2nd Logo (August 23, 1999-)
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Nicknames: "Smiley TV II", "More Feel-Good TV"

Logo: Against a white background, we see the green words "BIG TICKET" in Bank Gothic MD BT font flying across from left to the center. We also see 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. We later see the happy smile being drawn on the tube and below the word "TELEVISION", the byline "A PARAMOUNT/VIACOM COMPANY" appears in the same animation used on the Spelling Television logo in the Viacom "Wigga-Wigga" font in a green code-out box. For a second, the logo tilts then goes back to is original position.

Variants:
 * On non-fiction shows like Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown, the logo doesn't 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 2009-10 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.
 * In late 2011, the logo was slightly enhanced to feature a slight purple-white gradient, and the words are flying more smoothly than the standard version. Also, the font for the Big Ticket text is different.

FX/SFX: The letters flying in, and the happy smile drawing.

Music/Sounds: Generally the closing theme of the show, but on Moesha, The Parkers and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, the previous logo's theme is heard.

Music/Sounds Variant: On Wolf Lake and Hack, it's silent. CBS airings use a generic theme.

Availability: Common.
 * This is seen on seasons 5 and 6 of Moesha, The Parkers starting with the episode "Quarantine", and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.
 * The current version is seen on Judge Judy and on Bounce TV's airings of Judge Joe Brown, as well as Swift Justice with Jackie Glass, and currently on Hot Bench and The Drew Barrymore Show in syndication.

Editor's Note: It's more simplistic and not as impactful than the previous logo, but it does the job well enough.

[Category:CBS]]