MTM Enterprises, Inc. (also known as MTM Productions, Inc.) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce The Mary Tyler Moore Show for CBS. The name for the production company was drawn from Moore's initials.
With MTM, Moore would become one of the first women to own a television production company. MTM became very successful, producing a number of successful television programs during the 1970s and 1980s. Since 2019, The Walt Disney Company has owned all of the company's programs through its subsidiary 20th Television.
History In 1969, MTM Enterprises was organized by both Mary Tyler Moore and Grant Tinker, and hired James L. Brooks and Allan Burns to create her sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Brooks' show Room 222 has even been credited by the Television Academy Foundation for breaking the "new narrative ground" which developed MTM Enterprises' "major sitcom factories of the 1970s."
In 1971, co-founder Grant Tinker was forced to quit 20th Century Fox Television due to conflicts with how to run MTM, in order to maintain a full-time job at the company.
In 1976, MTM teamed up with Metromedia Producers Corporation to start a variety show, a first for first-run syndication. Earlier that year, the company had hired Bud Rifkin to launch a syndicated division.
In 1977, Ed. Weinberger, James L. Brooks, David Davis, Allan Burns, and Stan Daniels left MTM Enterprises for Paramount Pictures and started the John Charles Walters Company.
Tinker oversaw MTM's operation until leaving the company.
In 1981, Tinker became the chairman of NBC. Lawyers backing NBC's then-owner RCA convinced Tinker to sell his remaining shares of MTM. Moore and Arthur Price, her business manager and company vice president, bought Tinker's shares;Schwartz, Tony (July 1, 1981). "Silverman Quits At NBC; Tinker to Succeed Him". The New York Times. Price subsequently was elevated to president. Tinker later regretted leaving MTM, believing that the company started to decline without him.
Most of MTM's programs aired on CBS. For many years, MTM and CBS co-owned the CBS Studio Center in Studio City California, where a majority of their programs were filmed and videotaped.
In 1986, MTM launched its own syndicated arm MTM Television Distribution, to handle off-net syndication of the MTM shows, and subsequently courted to continue its relations with syndicator Jim Victory to sell off-network rights to MTM's shows like Hill Street Blues and WKRP in Cincinnati, all the way up until the late 1980s as part of a contract settlement. In 1988, MTM was sold to UK broadcaster and independent station for the South and South East of England TVS Entertainment for $320 million.Carter, Bill (November 27, 1989). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Tinker Looks Beyond 'USA Today on TV'". The New York Times. A year afterwards, MTM Television Distribution began producing its own programming for the first-run syndication market.
MTM performed poorly after TVS acquired it. The latter put the former up for sale, but could not find a buyer willing to pay more than $70 million. After TVS lost its franchise to broadcast on the ITV network to Meridian Broadcasting, a number of American companies (and to a lesser extent, Meridian) were interested in acquiring MTM, with Pat Robertson's International Family Entertainment making the first offer."COMPANY NEWS; Pat Robertson Buys Parent Of MTM for $68.5 Million". The New York Times. (September 23, 1992). A small number of shareholders, including Julian Tregar, rejected the offer from IFE. In November, TCW Capital made a bid,Second potential bidder for TVS. The Times. (London). November 4, 1992. but withdrew it a few weeks later after reviewing the accounts of TVS.Evangelist may be sole runner for TVS. Martin Waller. The Times. November 26, 1992. IFE increased its offer to £45.3 million, but continued to be opposed by Julian Tregar, who blocked the deal on technical grounds, alleging that the offer was too low.TVS bid opposed. The Times. December 11, 1992. IFE finally increased the offer to appease the remaining shareholders,Evangelist to lift TVS offer. The Times. January 9, 1993.TVS dissidents try for a better offer. Martin Waller, The Times. (London). Wednesday, 6 January 1993 and on January 23, 1993, their offer of £56.5 million was finally accepted.Robertson wins TVS. The Times. January 23, 1993. The deal went into effect on February 1, 1993 (the month after Meridian began its first broadcast).
In 1995, Michael Ogiens, formerly running CBS, as well as his production company Ogiens/Kane Company, joined MTM to serve as president of the company in hopes that MTM would be restored to its independent production glory. The following year, Josh Kane, fellow partner of the Ogiens/Kane Company joined MTM as vice president for the East Coast offices. In 1997, MTM hit layoffs at the syndication unit after the cancellation of the show The Cape.
In 1997, International Family Entertainment was sold to News Corporation, and folded into its subsidiary Fox Kids Worldwide, eventually renamed to Fox Family Worldwide (a joint venture between Fox and Saban Entertainment). MTM's library assets however, were transferred over to 20th Television who retained them, even after Fox Family Worldwide was sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2001. Until then, The Pretender and Good News were the last surviving shows to be produced by MTM, as 20th Century Fox Television inherited both shows in 1997 (when News Corporation purchased MTM) and 1998 (when MTM ceased operations) respectively. MTM's library became property of Disney following its acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. Disney holds the rights of most of MTM's shows.
MTM Enterprises also included a record label, MTM Records — distributed by Capitol Records — which was in existence from 1984 to 1988.
Filmography Television series Title Genre First air date Last air date Number of Seasons Network Co-production company(s) Note(s) The Mary Tyler Moore Show Sitcom 7 CBS The Bob Newhart Show 6 Rhoda 5 First spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Texas Wheelers 1 ABC Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers CBS The Bob Crane Show NBC Doc 2 CBS Phyllis Second spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show Three for the Road Adventure 1 The Lorenzo & Henrietta Music Show Musical-variety Syndicated The Tony Randall Show Sitcom 2 ABC CBS The Betty White Show 1 CBS Lou Grant Journalism drama 5 Third spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show We've Got Each Other Sitcom 1 WKRP in Cincinnati 4 Mary Variety 1 The White Shadow Sports drama 3 The Mary Tyler Moore Hour Variety 1 The Last Resort Sitcom Paris Police drama Hill Street Blues 7 NBC Remington Steele Private eye drama 5 Newhart Sitcom 8 CBS St. Elsewhere Medical drama 6 NBC Bay City Blues Sports drama 1 The Duck Factory Sitcom Mary CBS Fresno Comedy miniseries The Popcorn Kid Sitcom Beverly Hills Buntz NBC Spin-off of Hill Street Blues Eisenhower and Lutz CBS Annie McGuire Tattingers Dramedy NBC FM Sitcom Rescue 911 Reality 8 CBS Arnold Shapiro Productions American distribution only, produced by CBS Entertainment Productions America's Funniest Home Videos Clip Present 32 ABC distribution for pre-2001 episodes only; currently distributed by sister company Disney Entertainment Distribution City Sitcom 1 CBS CBS Entertainment Productions No longer distributed by 20th Television Capital News Journalism drama ABC The Trials of Rosie O'Neill Legal drama 2 CBS The Rosenzweig Company Evening Shade Sitcom 4 CBS Entertainment Productions, Bloodworth-Thomason Mozark Productions and Burt Reynolds Productions distributed outside of American television by Paramount Global Content Distribution You Take the Kids 1 CBS Entertainment Productions and Paul Haggis Productions The New WKRP in Cincinnati 2 Syndicated The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys Sitcom 1 CBS Terry's Creations and Some Assembly Required Productions Graham Kerr's Kitchen Cooking 3 Syndicated West 175th Enterprises distribution only Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Western 6 CBS The Sullivan Company American TV distribution only; produced by CBS Productions Xuxa Educational 1 Syndicated Lynch Entertainment Christy Drama 2 CBS The Rosenzweig Company Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Adventure 4 The Family Channel aired on Nine Network in Australia Boogies Diner Sitcom 1 Syndicated Franklin/Waterman and King Street Entertainment Family Challenge Game show 2 The Family Channel Woody Fraser Enterprises and Maple Palm Productions Sparks Sitcom 2 UPN The Weinberger Company The Cape Adventure 1 Syndicated Zaloom-Mayfield Productions The Pretender Science fiction 4 NBC NBC Studios season 1 only; distributed outside the United States by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Bailey Kipper's P.O.V. Sitcom 1 CBS Kipper Productions and Victoria Productions Shopping Spree Game show 2 The Family Channel Jay Wolpert Enterprises Wait 'Til You Have Kids 1 It Takes Two Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision Good News Sitcom UPN The Weinberger Company
Television specials Title Genre Original air date Network Co-production company(s) Note(s) Carlton Your Doorman Animated comedy CBS Murakami-Wolf-Swenson Pilot for proposed spin-off of RhodaOh, No! Not THEM!Sitcom1990 (cancelled)FOXN/APilot for American version of The Young Ones. Originally set to air in 1990, but ultimately went unreleased until November 2025.Cyborg 009Anime1993 (cancelled)SyndicationToei Animation Inc.Pilot for English version of Cyborg 009. Originally set to air in 1993, but ultimately went unreleased until November 2025.My HeroReality1995 (cancelled)The Family ChannelCINARPilot for television version of The My Hero Project. Originally set to air in 1995, but ultimately went unreleased until June 2026.
Film Title Genre Release date Distributed A Little Sex Comedy April 2, 1982 Universal Pictures Just Between Friends Drama March 21, 1986 Orion Pictures Clara's Heart Drama October 7, 1988 Warner Brothers
References
External links MTM Enterprises records — at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.