On May 6, 1974,
Screen Gems was reincorporated as "
Columbia Pictures Television". The name change was announced on May 1 and was suggested by David Gerber, who was president of Columbia's television division. On February 21, 1994, Columbia Pictures Television merged with
TriStar Television by becoming "
Columbia TriStar Television (now
Sony Pictures Television)" and Columbia Pictures Television Distribution was renamed to "Columbia TriStar Television Distribution". On January 1, 2001, Columbia Pictures Television was folded into Columbia TriStar Television in a failed attempt to become a network television syndication division, Columbia TriStar Network Television. However, CTNT's formation was blocked due to FCC-related television and syndication laws (also known as the "Fin-Syn" laws) prohibiting network participation in the financial interest of the television programs they aired beyond first-run exhibition and the creation of in-house syndication arms, especially in the domestic market. Another reason why CTNT's formation failed was due to its Japanese ownership (Sony). Ultimately, on October 25, 2001, CTNT was replaced by Columbia TriStar Domestic Television. Currently, the division of what was known as Columbia Pictures Television is known today since September 16, 2002 as
Sony Pictures Television.
