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The Incorporated Television Company (ITC) was founded by television mogul Lew Grade in 1954. Originally designed to be a contractor for the UK's new ITV under the self-explanatory name Incorporated Television Programme Company, the company failed to win a contract when the Independent Television Authority felt that doing so would give too much control in the entertainment business to the Grade family's companies (which included large talent agencies and theatre interests). However, the winner of one of the contracts, the Associated Broadcasting Development Company had insufficient funds to start broadcasting, so ITC was brought into the consortium and Lew Grade came to dominate it. ITC continued as a subsidiary of the new company - soon renamed Associated TeleVision - and produced its own programmes for syndication in the United States. It also distributed ATV material outside of the UK. The initials 'ITC' stood for two different things - Independent Television Corporation for sales to North and Latin America, and Incorporated Television Company for sales to the rest of the world. The large foreign sales achieved by ITC during the British government's exports drives of the 1960s and 1970s led to ATV (and its successor company from 1966, Associated Communications Corporation ) receiving the Queen's Award For Export numerous times. __TOC__ PRODUCTIONS ITC is best known for being the company behind many successful ''. It was at ITC's request that FANDERSON - the Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society - was founded. As well as television programming ITC also produced several films - including '''' and the first three Muppet films - '' The Muppet Movie '', '' The Great Muppet Caper '', and '' The Muppets Take Manhattan ''. ITC also distributed '' The Return Of The Pink Panther '' in the UK, as well as being world-wide distributor for Thames Television 's '' The Benny Hill Show ''. LOGO AND ANIMATED IDENTS The Production Logo featured three diamonds, with the letters of the company placed in each one. For international markets, an animated opening logo was added - featuring the logo followed by the word "PRESENTS", and accompanied by a fanfare. There were several variations on this animation. One included a compass which gave way to a large diamond with a world map, which - in turn - gave way to the three diamonds of the logo. Another logo featured three spinning diamonds (nicknamed the "Space Diamonds" or the "Rainbow Spinning Top") in red, green and blue. The ITC logo appeared in white on top of the coloured diamonds, and the lettering "FROM (ITC logo) ENTERTAINMENT" appeared. This logo was used after showings of ''The Muppet Show'' in the US. In Britain, ''The Muppet Show'' had an animated ATV logo at the start. The final ITC animation featured a variation on the logo, actually spinning within itself, in gold. OWNERSHIP When the Associated Communications Corporation was broken up after losing control of the ATV franchise (it became '' and the other swashbuckling adventure series of the late 1950s and early 1960s were released on DVD by Network Video, as was '' Strange Report ''. '' Man In A Suitcase '' is due to be released by Network in the near future as a limited edition box set. The rights to '' The Muppet Show '', however, are held by The Muppets Holding Company LLC, with North American home video rights controlled by Disney. LIST OF ITC ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS For a list of ITC produced and distributed programs, visit . STUDIOS ITC had no studios of its own. Programmes were made at ATV's facilities in Elstree , at the Associated British Picture Corporation and MGM British studios complex at Borehamwood and at the Rank Organisation's Pinewood and at Shepperton Studios . ASSOCIATED COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION COMPANIES
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