It was formed when Tri-Star Pictures joined forces with Stephen J. Cannell Productions and Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions and created a television distribution company called TeleVentures. By December 1987, Coca-Cola owned 80% Columbia Pictures Entertainment until January 1988, when it was reduced down to 49% and Tri-Star Television was combined with Columbia/Embassy Television into the reorganized Columbia Pictures Television in January 1988. Columbia Pictures Entertainment was sold in 1989 to Sony of Japan. On July 11, 1990, both Tri-Star and Cannell dissolved the TeleVentures joint venture and Tri-Star sold its shares to Stephen J. Cannell Productions and TeleVentures became Cannell Distribution Co. Most of the series and the Tri-Star film packages that were distributed by TeleVentures were taken over by Columbia Pictures Television Distribution.
Revival and merger with Columbia Pictures Television
CPT would continue on under Sony Pictures Entertainment, but TriStar Television was reestablished in October 1991 after CPT acquired some of the library of New World Television. Jon Feltheimer, who was president of New World Television became the new president of TriStar Television. On February 21, 1994, TriStar Television merged with Columbia Pictures Television and formed Columbia TriStar Television. When TriStar Television's productions were folded into Columbia TriStar Television in 1999, Early Edition retained the TriStar copyright until 2000. The final season of Malcolm & Eddie was later produced by CTT and TriStar Television operated in-name-only. On October 25, 2001, Columbia TriStar Network Television and Columbia TriStar Television Distribution merged to become Columbia TriStar Domestic Television. On September 16, 2002, SPE retired the Columbia and TriStar names from television, renaming CTDT as Sony Pictures Television.
Second revival
On May 28, 2015, TriStar Television was re-launched as a boutique production label for Sony Pictures Television. Until her death in March 2018, the revived studio was run by Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs after being in-name-only for 15 years. The first new series was Good Girls Revolt and was piloted for Amazon on November 5, 2015.
