Pictures Independent, 1912–1946 (founded by Carl Laemmle, Pat Powers, Adam Kessel, Charles Baumann, Mark Dintenfass, William Swanson, David Horsley, and Jules Brulatour) Universal-International, 1946–1952 (merged with International Pictures) Decca, 1952–1962 (purchased by Decca) MCA Inc., 1962–1996 (MCA purchased Decca) Matsushita Electric, 1990–1995 (Matsushita purchased MCA) Universal Studios Entertainment, 1996–2004 (MCA renames and reincorporates its company) Seagram, 1995–2000 (purchased by Seagram from Matsushita) Vivendi Universal, 2000–2004 (Vivendi purchased entertainment assets of Seagram and formed Vivendi Universal Entertainment) NBCUniversal, 2004–present (NBC merges with the company) General Electric/Vivendi, 2004–2011 (jointly owned by GE (80%) and Vivendi, S.A. (20%) and merged NBC with Vivendi Universal Entertainment to form NBC Universal) Comcast/General Electric, 2011–2013 (Comcast purchased 51% of redubbed NBCUniversal) Comcast, 2013–present (Comcast bought the remaining 49% from GE) Paramount Pictures Independent as Famous Players Film Company, 1912–1916 (founded by Adolph Zukor and W. W. Hodkinson) Independent as Famous Players-Lasky, 1916–1921 (founded by Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky) Independent, 1922–1966 (as Paramount Pictures, the company adopted its distribution division's name and folded into it in 1933) Gulf+Western Industries, 1966–1989 (purchased by Gulf+Western) Paramount Communications, 1989–1994 (Gulf+Western changed the name after selling non-entertainment assets) National Amusements, 1994–present (owner of the three iterations of Viacom; the first includes CBS Corporation, the second involving the split, and the latter being the merger back into two companies) Viacom, 1994–2006 (Viacom purchased Paramount) Viacom, 2006–2019 (Viacom split into two companies: "new" Viacom—with Paramount Pictures, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, VH1, Comedy Central, and other cable channels—and CBS Corporation—which includes CBS Television Studios; both companies are controlled by National Amusements) Paramount Global, 2019–present (re-merger between Viacom and CBS to form ViacomCBS, now known as Paramount Global) United Artists (UA) Independent, 1919–1967 (founded by Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, D. W. Griffith, and Mary Pickford; operational control by Arthur Krim and Robert Benjamin from 1951; fully purchased by Krim and Benjamin in 1956) Transamerica, 1967–1981 (purchased by Transamerica) MGM, 1981–present (purchased by Kirk Kerkorian from Transamerica and merged into MGM) MGM/UA Entertainment Co., 1981–1986 (United Artists purchased by Kerkorian in 1981 and merged into MGM) Turner Broadcasting System, 1986 (purchased by Ted Turner in 1986) MGM Entertainment Co., 1986 MGM/UA Communications Co., 1986–1990 (repurchased by Kerkorian seventy-four days later) MGM-Pathe Communications, 1990–1992 (purchased by Giancarlo Parretti in 1990) Crédit Lyonnais, 1992–1997 (foreclosed upon by bank after Parretti defaulted) Tracinda Corporation, 1997–2005 (repurchased by Kerkorian) MGM Holdings, 2005–present Sony/Comcast/4 private equity firms, 2005–2010 (purchased by