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King World Productions (aka King World Entertainment or simply King World) is the leading syndicator of U.S. television programming.
The company was initiated in the 1950s expressly as a company handling television distribution of the classic Hal Roach Our Gang shorts. As Roach had lost the rights to the name Our Gang (it was retained by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who bought the series from Roach in 1938), the shorts package was retitled The Little Rascals. It was through this acquisition that the comedy shorts from 1929 through 1938 were introduced to a wider audience.
Later, in 1983, company chairmen Michael and Roger King, desperate to expand the company further, decided to acquire the syndication rights to Merv Griffin's blockbuster game show Wheel of Fortune when no other studio would step in. The acquisition paid off, and Wheel became the most popular show in the history of syndication.
One year later, King World bought the syndication rights to another Griffin hit show, Jeopardy!, and the latest version of the series (with Alex Trebek) has since become the number two show in syndication. And shortly after, King World helped to launch its successful Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil franchises.
King World later turned its attention to in-house productions, producing telemovies starring singer Kenny Rogers, newsmagazines including American Journal, Martha Stewart Living, and Inside Edition, and game shows including the recent revival of Hollywood Squares (King World bought the format rights from former rights holder MGM for the latest incarnation).
King World has been responsible for the highest rated shows in syndication for over two decades. They also have the television rights to a large library of theatrical films, as well as currently distributing a number of recent CBS series for syndication (such as Touched by an Angel, Everybody Loves Raymond, and CSI).
Television stations nationwide that carry King World programming are loyal to the company, as they have first choice on any series King World offers to distribute.
Since 2000, King World has run as a separate entity of CBS Enterprises, a unit of Viacom.
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