Buddy Television

Buddy Television is a South Australian-American television 2D/3D CGI animation production studio based in South Australia. It was founded on January 1, 2001 as Buddy Television Studios by Cal Brunker, Bob Barlen, Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein. Its first television program, Mario, aired on March 10, 2001.

In 2016, The Australian Television Production Facility Pty. Ltd. merged with Buddy Television Studios, which was acquired by ToonBox Entertainment in 2015, to form Buddy Television

The studio is known for making television programs, both in traditional 2D, and in 3D CGI, and the company sometimes produces live-action/CG hybrid programs. is the television division of Buddy Studios, which was owned by ToonBox Entertainment in 2016.

2001-2009: Founding and development on television
The television division of Buddy Studios was founded on January 1, 2001 in Elizabeth Park, South Australia by Cal Brunker, Bob Barlen, Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein, the founders of Buddy Studios, under the name "Buddy Television Studios". Its headquarters are located in Elizabeth Park, South Australia, with an additional office in Adelaide, and an American office in Manhattan, New York, United States.

Its development in television did not start until March 10, when the company would collaborate with the Japanese video game publishing company, Nintendo, to produce Mario, an American CG-animated adventure comedy television series based on the video game and media franchise of the same name.

Critical response was mixed to positive, with critics calling it a "mixed up chaos adventure with Mario and Luigi, and isn't as fun as the games". Rotten Tomatoes, however, gave it a positive review, calling it an "adventurous and hilariously funny series on the two plumbers".

2010-2015: Continued success; The Adventures of Hammy, Donkey Kong's Crazy Quest, etc. and acquisition by ToonBox Entertainment
On January 1, 2010, Buddy Television Studios would produce Purple Squirrel: The Series, in collaboration with ToonBox Entertainment, and was distributed onto television by Boomerang. The series received critical acclaim, with critics from Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic calling it a "stunning series based on Surly the Purple Squirrel and his friends, and captures Will Arnett's enthusiasm perfectly", and calling it "fun, enjoyable and downright hilarious for young kids and adults". On Valentines Day of 2010, The V-Team was aired on television by Boomerang. Critical response was very positive, with Common Sense Media calling it a "fun and fast paced series".

The Adventures of Hammy, a television series spinoff of the 2009 American CG-animated slapstick comedy film Hammy, premiered on September 11, 2011. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation Television, with animation services provided by Bardel Entertainment, and was aired by Netflix. Critical response for The Adventures of Hammy were positive, with critics calling it a "series that improvises greatly on source material from Hammy, and is great for kids and adults".

A year later, Nintendo collaborated with Buddy Television Studios again and produced Donkey Kong's Crazy Quest, an American CG-animated adventure television series based on Donkey Kong. Its animation services was provided by Animal Logic and was distributed by Cartoon Network.

In September 2015, ToonBox bought Buddy Television Studios for AU$800 million, and the company became a subsidiary of ToonBox from December 2015 until July 2016.

2016-2021: ToonBox Entertainment's acquisition of Buddy Studios
The acquisition of Buddy Studios by ToonBox Entertainment was declared on January 15, 2016 and ToonBox was planning to acquire the South Australian studio for AU$39.8 billion. The merger was soon approved on May 25 by Buddy Studios and ToonBox, and the merger was completed on July 16.

2020 was a dark period for the company. Other production companies, such as Sony Pictures Animation, 20th Century Animation and Warner Bros. Animation, were seeking distribution from other television studios, such as FX, HBO and ABC, causing Buddy Television to cease operations on television programs, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, until April 2021.

In April 2021, production for television programs resumed.

2022-present: Resurgence, other deals of acquisition (Technicolor, Paramount Global)
As of June 28, 2022, Buddy Television's estimated revenue has decreased, and is now at AU$26.8 billion, to which it was originally AU$27.1 billion the day before. The company's total assets were increased from AU$72.6 billion to AU$74.4 billion, as listed on the ASX.

In February 2022, Technicolor SA approached Buddy Television's namesake holder, Buddy Studios, for an acquisition of AU$70 billion. ToonBox Entertainment, who owned the company, declined the offer. Paramount Global soon approached the company in May, also asking to acquire the company, this time for USD$125 billion. Like with Technicolor, the deal was declined. However, both deals are to be in talks on August 1.

Trivia
TBA