19 Entertainment

Credits

Captures by
Eric S., StephenCezar15, GETENT and ENunn

Video captures courtesy of
LogicSmash, Broken Saw and ENunn

Background

19 Entertainment is the production company behind the Idol franchise, as well as So You Think You Can Dance, founded in 1985 by Simon Fuller. 19 Entertainment (with the rights to the shows mentioned above) was sold to CKX, Inc. in 2005 (later renamed to CORE Media Group in 2012, then Industrial Media in 2018) for $210 million. Five years later, the company moved its headquarters from London to Los Angeles; simultaneously, Fuller established a separate company called XIX Entertainment. In March 2022, Sony Pictures Television purchased Industrial Media for $350 million, with 19 Entertainment becoming a subsidiary of its nonfiction division.

1st Logo (October 6, 2001-April 11, 2003)

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Visuals: On a black background, we see an orange outline that contains multiple moving outlines. Each of the outlines is moving towards the outside of the outline containing them. Then, a white flash appears and the outlines are replaced with an orange circle containing a black "19". A white shadow rotates inside the circle. Copyright notice for the company is seen below.

Variants:

• The circle is shown without the copyright notice on Seeing Double. It is also smaller and slightly longer.
• An alternate version of the animated logo exists where the "19" is white and the copyright notice is replaced by the word "productions" in a script font. So far, this was seen on the VHS release of S Club Party Live.
• On the same show, a 2D version of the logo with "PRODUCTIONS" is shown, together with the Done and Dusted logo.
• On the pilot for the Hipster & Jack cartoon, the word "tv" is seen down-located to the right of the circle. A copyright notice is also shown at the left.
• A still version of the alternate logo appeared on Series 1 of Pop Idol, with "Television" underneath in-between two lines. The Thames logo is seen above.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A hypnotic synth tune, which resembles the music that would be used in the following logo.

Availability:

• The original version first appeared on the pilot episode of American Idol. It was also shown on Seeing Double.
• The alternate version appeared on the VHS release of S Club Party Live and Series 1 of Pop Idol.
• The "tv" version was only seen on the Hipster & Jack pilot.

2nd Logo (June 11, 2002-May 23, 2007)

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Visuals: On a background with neon lights going by, we see a red circle outlined with silver, with the number "19" on it. The "19" spins throughout, then "ENTERTAINMENT" flies under "19", which gives it a shine.

Variants:

• The logo usually starts with the circle spinning around, but there is a (.*) version which starts with the circle in the center of the screen, before it starts spinning. The logo also remains on-screen for a bit after it finishes animating.
• At the end of From Justin to Kelly, the logo is still on a black background and lacks the name.
• On the American Idol game, the background is white and the FremantleMedia logo appears below.
• In 2005, the logo got the byline "A CKX Company" (with the "X" in white and drawn with thick, long paint strokes). It was red on So You Think You Can Dance, and white and off-center on American Idol Rewind.
• Another byline variant with all white text was seen on American Idol Presents World's Worst Auditions.
• A semi-widescreen version exists. Here, the 4:3 version of the logo is placed on a stretched and blurred version of the logo.
• A true widescreen version exists.
• An in-credit variant exists.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A remixed version of the previous logo's theme.

Audio Variant: Fox airings of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance has the generic theme and voiceover (except on live shows on the former).

Availability: Seen on American Idol from 2002-2007, Canadian Idol from 2003-2007, and the first two seasons of So You Think You Can Dance. The in-credit version was seen on Series 2 of Pop Idol. The extended variant was seen on American Idol DVDs and The Real Beckhams.

3rd Logo (May 24, 2007-August 6, 2009)

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Visuals: On a gradient teal blue background with squares moving, we see the circle with "19" on it as seen in the last logo, which shines throughout after a zooming black ring reveals it. The byline from the previous logo wipes in underneath.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the previous logo.

Availability: Seen on American Idol from 2007-2009, as well as So You Think You Can Dance.

4th Logo (January 13, 2009-2020)

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Visuals: We see a bunch of pins popping in like camera lenses, and they all form a redesigned number "19". A big flash occurs, turning the 19 into a standard typeface, and the CKX byline appears below.

Variants:

• The logo was originally designed without the flag part of the "1".
• Sometimes, the CKX byline is absent.
• Starting in 2013, the logo turns red without the flag part of the "1". This time, the byline says "A DIVISION OF CORE MEDIA GROUP", with the CORE logo at the right.

Technique: 2D computer animation, done by Zip Design.

Audio: Various popping noises, followed by a synth note, with a ding at the end. Composed by Paul Hardcastle.

Audio Variant: ABC and Fox airings had the generic theme playing (except for live shows of American Idol from 2009-2013).

Availability: Seen on 2009-2019 episodes of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance from the period.

5th Logo (June 3, 2019-)

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Visuals: Starting off against a red background, a white line wipes in from the bottom to top left. The scene cuts back to reveal that it is the "1" from the previous logo. A white dot rises from the bottom to the upper-middle right as the colors invert. The background turns white while the "1" turns red. A red circle appears around the perimeter of where the dot was and forms the "9" from the previous logo. The colors invert once more as the "9" finishes drawing. The scene abruptly jumps back at the tail end of the animation and the colors invert once again. The byline for Industrial Media appears below as the animation finishes.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the Industrial Media byline is absent.
• Starting in 2023, the logo is slightly modified and the Sony byline was added it.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: An "airy" sounding synth chime as the logo forms, ending with an orchestral hit. Sometimes, the closing theme plays over it.

Audio Variant: ABC and Fox airings had the generic theme playing.

Availability: First appeared on So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol episodes from the era.