Jim Henson Television Channel

[The Storyteller]

Did the Jim Henson Company ever own a television channel? I thank they did, was it called Odyssey?

 

[Whatever]

Oddyssey was a Henson and Hallmark channel. I don't think Henson owned it.

 

[Amazing Mumford]

Did the Jim Henson Company ever own a television channel? I thank they did, was it called Odyssey?

Good question. I'm not certain of the dynamics of the relationship, but I believe Henson owned a significant percentage of Odyssey along with Hallmark Entertainment. Back in the late 90s, Odyssey showed classic Henson shows like The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock.

There was also a Kermit Channel in overseas markets (Asia and Latin America?) owned by Henson and Hallmark. If anyone knows more specifics please post.

 

[Aaron]

looks Like a job For...................... phill

 

[Phillip]

Originally Henson owned 50% of the Odyssey Channel. I'm going from memory but I believe JHC originally paid around 125 million or so for 50% ownership of the channel. There are a lot of articles on the site from May 1998 that go into detail about the original purchase.

Henson programming began airing in April 1999 through August 2001 on a regular basis. In September 2001, Odyssey (renamed to Hallmark Chanel that August) had a mini-Muppet Show marathon in honor of the show's 25th anniversary. Telling Stories with Tomie DePaola and Donna's Day ended in October 2001. That was the last time Henson programing was shown on a regular basis.

Some occassional specials like Muppet Family Christmas, Emmet Otter and the Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie have aired on Hallmark the past few years but that's about it Henson wise right now.

 

[The Storyteller]

Did henson sell there stake in the channel or do they still have it? It might be good way, if they still own it, to make a easy buck.

 

[Phillip]

EM.TV sold Henson's stake in the channel. They actually traded it for Crown Media/Hallmark stock that EM.TV eventually sold to pay off debts.

http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2000/072600.shtml

 

[Amazing Mumford]

Thanks for the info, Phil. It's too bad Odyssey didn't take off a few years ago. It was awesome to see some of that stuff back on the air--at least until my cable system replaced Odyssey with the Eternal Word Network.

 

[Super Scooter]

I wrote to the Henson Company about a year and a half ago asking is there was any possibility to see The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and other such programming come onto a different channel seeing as how Hallmark refused to show it. They replied rather quickly saying that the Hallmark Channel was currently the only television station with the rights to air The Muppet Show, etc.

So, Hallmark still has the rights to the shows... at least they did a little while ago. This was long before CTS began showing The Muppet Show for Canadian Television.

 

[The Storyteller]

Didn't Nickeloden and Disney Channel also show The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock?