STT Video Partners

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STT Video Partners, L.P. (Sega Time Warner Tele-Communications Video Partners) doing business as Sega Channel[4][5] was an American joint venture between Sega Channel Management, Time Warner, and Tele-Communications Inc.[6][7] which oversaw operation of the Sega Channel as well as acting as registered owners of its trademarks.[8] Headquartered in New York City and headed by CFO Kevin Sheeran,[9][10], the company appears to have handled much of the service's marketing in the United States. It was also responsible for licensing out the Sega Channel's foreign broadcast rights to the Canadian Shaw Communications.[2]

Company

Establishment

Sega Channel logo trademark

According to Sega of America key executive Joe Miller, online capabilities in the world of console gaming had been something the company had been contemplating for some time. By 1993 he felt technology had progressed to the point where such an idea would finally be viable, and fought to see it happen. Other executives, eager from the apparent success of the technological capabilities of the Sega CD, felt the same, with Doug Glen reaching out to both Time Warner and Tele-Communications Inc. in the hopes of establishing a possible joint venture to this end. These two companies had the existing consumer base, market reach, and distribution networks to make a system of television-broadcast games a reality. Thankfully, Sega found that they all shared a desire to bring games on demand to customers with home consoles.[11]

Doug Glen, alongside Ellen Beth Van Buskirk Knapp, spent months flying back and forth between Sega of America's Redwood Shores, Time Warner's New York, and TCI's Colorado, negotiating the details of the service. Their progress was reported to the Japanese Sega Enterprises, Ltd. on a regular basis. Time Warner was the first to sign onto the deal, and smoothly so. However, TCI would not be brought onboard so easily. Tom Kalinske recalls a meeting in which TCI's John Malone - an intimidating man known for his bullish tactics - surprised the executive with a next-day meeting with a TCI representative to negotiate a contract. Thankfully, Kalinske was aware TCI was in dire financial straits when going into the meeting, and although the details were undisclosed, all three companies eventually signed on to joining the deal.[12]

Sometime in late 1993, STT Video Partners - doing business under the name Sega Channel - was officially established by Sega Enterprises as a separate entity from Sega of America, instead operating under the Japanese side of Sega. Despite this, much of its personnel were inherited from Sega of America, including Senior Product Manager Christopher Bergstresser and Vice President of Programming Michael Shorrock. Time Warner's Stanley Thomas, Jr. was also brought onboard to serve as president and CEO. Thomas had a slightly more reserved view of games on demand services, as not only were they unable to be as ad-supported as traditional television content was. In particular, he embraced the popularity of video games, but specifically as a vehicle for expanding the influence of cable television. Regardless, he was reportedly a strongly idealistic president, mentioning to the press at Summer CES 1993 his eagerness to expand the service outside the United States before it had even launched.[13]

Launching the Sega Channel

STT Video Partners contracted Alan Brooks Design to create the Sega Channel's famous logo.[14][15]

Press releases

References

  1. ↑ K Horowitz (2016). Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Press Release: 1996-05-31: Shaw Launches Sega Channel in Ontario
  3. ↑ https://www.trademarkia.com/logomark-74526517
  4. ↑ https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/750004/000075000418000011/sgms1231201710k.htm (Wayback Machine: 2023-03-07 19:05)
  5. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenorewashingtongraham1/details/experience/
  6. ↑ https://transition.fcc.gov/transaction/aol-tw/exparte/tw_response071800.pdf (Wayback Machine: 2024-10-08 16:15)
  7. ↑ https://avisbudgetgroup.gcs-web.com/static-files/faf7412d-81bc-467f-b1dc-ffa281bda811
  8. ↑ File:SegaChannel US Flyer 1997-08-15 1997-09-11.pdf, page 2
  9. ↑ http://www.f-cca.com/downloads/2008-highlights.pdf (Wayback Machine: 2013-05-24 18:54)
  10. ↑ https://www.pgridigitallibrary.com/uploads/4/3/1/5/43157305/sheehan_kevin_september-october_2016.pdf (Wayback Machine: 2024-07-05 00:01)
  11. ↑ K Horowitz (2016). Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games
  12. ↑ K Horowitz (2016). Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games
  13. ↑ K Horowitz (2016). Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games
  14. ↑ https://archive.org/details/us16249800unse/page/50/mode/2up?q=%22sega+channel%22
  15. ↑ http://www.alanbrooks.com:80/sega.html (Wayback Machine: 1999-11-28 13:17)
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