TIS Productions

TIS Productions, commonly known as just TIS (abbreviation for The Independent Studios)[1] and formerly known as Estudios TeleMéxico, Fox TeleColombia and TeleColombia, is a Colombian television production company owned by the Paramount Networks Americas division of Paramount Skydance. Founded in 1996 by Samuel Duque, René Gómez[2] and Bernardo Romero Pereiro as a production company owned by the latter, who is also a claimed librettist of Colombian dramatizations and soap operas, the company is known for supplying programming to Telemundo, Telefutura, RCN Televisión and the channels of the defunct former national broadcaster, Inravisión.

In 2007, the Fox International Channels (later the Fox Networks Group) division of the Fox Entertainment Group bought a 51% share in the company, thus renaming it as Fox Telecolombia.[3][4][5]

In 2009, Fox produced filmed Mental, the first television series produced in Latin America for its eponymous American and international channels,[6] at the Fox Telecolombia complex in Bogotá,[7] but it only lasted for a season.[8]

Following the completed acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company on 20 March 2019, Fox TeleColombia was placed under the direct supervision of The Walt Disney Company Latin America alongside Disney Channel. On 18 January 2021, Disney dropped the "Fox" word from the company's name, hence renaming it to just TeleColombia, in line with the acquisition terms which required phasing out the "Fox" brand to avoid confusion with the spun-out Fox Corporation.

On 28 October 2021, ViacomCBS (later Paramount Global) announced its acquisition of a majority stake in the company from Disney, which closed on 23 November that year,[9][10][11][12] thus changing sister stations to Nickelodeon, while keeping the company's founders on board with their roles from a creative and advisory point of view.[13][14] Paramount then merged Estudios TeleMexico and TeleColombia under the name TIS on 22 October 2022.[1]

References

  1. TIS: Nuevo nombre de Telecolombia y Estudios Teleméxico PRODU, 23 October 2022, retrieved 28 September 2025^
  2. Edison Monroy. Falleció René Gómez socio fundador de Telecolombia PRODU, 5 September 2022, retrieved 5 September 2023^
  3. John Hecht. Fox Int'l Channels acquires Telecolombia 27 June 2007, retrieved 15 February 2019^
  4. Anna Marie de la Fuente. Fox Intl. picks up Telecolombia Variety, 26 June 2007, retrieved 1 July 2021^
  5. Fox International Channels compra Telecolombia S.A. Dinero, 26 June 2007, retrieved 15 February 2019^
  6. WorldScreen.com - Articles WorldScreen, 12 March 2009, retrieved 1 July 2011^
  7. Nellie Andreeva. Fox TV Studios takes production abroad with "Mental" 13 May 2008, retrieved 1 November 2022^
  8. Trevor Kimball. Mental cancelled, no season two TV Series Finale, 29 March 2010, retrieved 1 November 2022^
  9. ViacomCBS to Acquire Majority Interest in Fox Telecolombia & Estudios Telemexico Paramount Global, 28 October 2021, retrieved 28 October 2021^
  10. ViacomCBS Completes Acquisition Of Majority Interest In Fox TeleColombia & Estudios TeleMexico Paramount Global, 28 October 2021, retrieved 23 November 2021^
  11. Georg Szalai. ViacomCBS to Acquire Fox TeleColombia & Estudios TeleMexico The Hollywood Reporter, 28 October 2021, retrieved 5 January 2022^
  12. ViacomCBS to pick up majority stake in Fox TeleColombia and Estudios TeleMexico Reuters, 28 October 2021, retrieved 1 November 2021^
  13. Elsa Keslassy. ViacomCBS Networks Intl. Acquires Majority Stake in Fox TeleColombia Variety, 28 October 2021, retrieved 1 November 2021^
  14. Jill Goldsmith. ViacomCBS Buys Majority Of Fox TeleColombia & Estudios TeleMexico Deadline Hollywood, 28 October 2021, retrieved 1 November 2021^